Lessons Learned from the Draft
by Matt Craig
After all of the talk, 60 picks were made. What did we learn?
The NBA Draft, like any highly anticipated event in the modern television cycle, seemed to play out in the blink of an eye. Weeks and weeks of analysis, thousands and thousands of words being written and spoken lead up to just a few hours of selections.
But all that matters are the players who were selected, and traded, during last night’s proceedings. As always, it’s too early to accurately predict how these prospects will fare in their NBA careers.
That’s not going to stop us from trying. Here’s five things we learned from the 2017 NBA Draft:
1. The Timberwolves are ready to win now.
The biggest news of the night was the trade sending Chicago Bulls superstar Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves, in exchange for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the pick which became Lauri Markkanen. Butler will join Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony Towns on the Wolves, and reunite with his former coach Tom Thibodeau.
Interestingly, there was a similar deal on the table during last year’s draft, when reportedly Minnesota turned down a trade involving Butler for LaVine and the draft choice that became Dunn. So in that respect, the T-Wolves walk away with an addition lottery pick by waiting.
Where does this leave Minnesota? Almost assuredly in the Western Conference playoffs, but will they be able to compete with the top dogs? It would seem a possibility from a top-end talent perspective, but will depend on how their depth develops and how the stars mesh together. In return, they have sacrificed three young and valuable assets.
For the Bulls, the trade signaled the beginning of a committed rebuilding project. For a team that has been stuck in NBA limbo the past few years, it was a necessary decision to make.
2. Young is good, but younger is better?
In the lead up to the draft, there was a discussion over how many freshman would be taken at the top of the draft. As it turned out, the number was never high enough. Out of the first 11 picks there were an NBA-record 10 freshmen taken, with the other being 18-year-old Frank Ntilikina. Seven more freshmen were taken in the first round. Throw in seven more sophomore first-rounders, and it’s safe to say it paid to be young. But as we have learned, front offices love potential.
However, with the addition of two-way contracts as an option for second-rounders, there was a rush of upperclassmen who got selected late. Of the last 31 picks, 17 came from the upperclassmen ranks of college basketball. For most, it’s still an uphill climb for these players to make up from the G-League and onto an NBA roster.
3. The Kings love college all-stars
The biggest winners of the draft may have been the Sacramento Kings, who walked in with “needs” all over their roster and walked out with a handful of talented players who are ready to contribute immediately.
They took De’Aaron Fox of Kentucky with the 5th pick, then flipped their 10th pick into the 15th and 20th in the first round. Those turned into Justin Jackson of North Carolina and Harry Giles of Duke. Finally, they used their 34th selection on Frank Mason of Kansas. With a focus on the blue blood programs of college basketball, the Kings scored big.
Considering the Kings roster already has players like Buddy Hield, Malachi Richardson, and Willie Cauley-Stein, I think it’s safe to say that the front office in Sacramento values top-level college basketball highly. Hield and Mason teaming up will be the first time that Naismith award-winners will be on the same team in the NBA.
4. When will we catch on to “Spurs-type guys”?
A pet peeve of mine every year as I watch the draft is how the San Antonio Spurs seem to always land perfect players for their system. And the analysts on television inevitably laugh and say “this is a very Spurs-type player.” A season or two later, that prospect has blossomed into a an effective NBA player who gives the team effective minutes in a big playoff game. Sigh.
When will other teams learn that “Spurs-type players” are actually just really good players? That having good fundamentals and a great attitude, strong work ethic and a team-first mentality are traits that can be helpful for any team?
Then again, it’s a chicken-or-the-egg type dilemma. The Spurs do have the best infrastructure and some of the best developmental coaches in the entire league. Almost everyone who comes into the Spurs environment improves. Just look at what Chip Engelland, Spurs shot guru, did with Kawhi Leonard’s jumper. If Leonard had been taken by any other team, he likely doesn’t become the MVP candidate he is today.
I don’t know what the source is, all I know is that I expect Derrick White and Jaron Blossomgame, San Antonio’s two selections, to develop into excellent players. Spurs gonna Spurs.
5. The Celtics may actually have too many good players
The Boston Celtics were in an uncommon position, in that they were both the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference this year and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals and they held a treasure chest of draft picks.
They made four selections in last night’s draft: Jayson Tatum at No. 3, Semi Ojeleye at No. 37, Kadeem Allen at No. 53 and Jabari Bird at No. 56. All of which were excellent selections, and the Celtics now have four players who will make a case to be on next year’s roster.
The problem is that the Celtics are already pinching pennies as they try to clear enough cap space to land a max free agent. If they have their eyes on Gordon Hayward or others, have four more contracts on the books won’t help. Forget money, they many just have too many literal bodies, as they already have 11 players under contract for next season sans free agents.
For the entire league, the real question is if the off season fireworks are over, or have they just begun? And for draft lovers, how early is too early to start obsessing over next year’s players?
Matt Craig is a rising senior at Ball State University. He is a feature producer for Ball State Sports Link, serves as the executive producer of their all-access basketball show Out of the Shadows, and has written for NCAA.com, PGA.com, and DailyThunder.com.
