Losers from the 2021 NBA Draft
Sacramento Kings
Sacramento passed on a talent like Moses Moody to take a guard they don’t need. No offense to Davion Mitchell, who is an excellent defender that can make an impact in the NBA, but he’s surplus to requirements for the Kings, especially with De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton still in town.
San Antonio Spurs
When San Antonio used the No. 12 pick on Alabama’s Josh Primo, the consensus around NBA media was confusion. It was a reach and a half to take Primo in that spot when the Spurs could have traded down and still gotten him just as easily.
Josh Primo on when he first heard he was the No. 12 pick: “Honestly, I told my agent to shut up.”
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) July 30, 2021
Even Primo didn’t think he’d get taken that early.
Maybe he’s the steal of the draft, but he could have been that several spots lower too.
New York Knicks fans hoping for some excitement
It was never going to be a particularly thrilling draft for Knicks fans since they didn’t have a lottery pick, but New York wound up trading their picks at No. 19 and 21, ultimately taking Quentin Grimes at No. 25. It wasn’t a bad draft by any means, but for Knicks fans hoping for some excitement, the wait to pick someone was probably long and frustrating.
The NBA Draft experience
The NBA contributes to a lot of the frustration on draft night because it’s so purposefully confusing.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer laid it all out.
The NBA makes the draft a bad experience for people attending and watching on TV. Adam Silver announcing the wrong teams. Players wearing the wrong hats. It's so confusing. It's a shame. You have to follow on Twitter. The NFL does the draft way better. NBA should learn from them. https://t.co/OPiW81cFTA
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) July 30, 2021
There has got to be a better way to announce picks who are subsequently traded away. There shouldn’t be so many players awkwardly wearing one hat knowing they’re going to another team.