Post Draft: Steals

[JokersWild24]

Charlotte: PJ Hairston (acquired via trade, picked #24):

 

Talent that could have went at the end of the lottery if it weren't for the off-court stuff. They get him to provide size and scoring to the backcourt (which is often small with Walker or lacks scoring punch with MKG). The trade also landed them Semanj Christon (who they'd later move for more cash), a 2019 second rounder, and cash considerations. Not bad for moving back two spots and giving up Shabazz Napier, who is essentially a Kemba Walker clone.

[JokersWild24]

Utah: Rodney Hood:

 

Hood is a high character guy who was very impressive this past season. Long, able to score, and while not a great athlete, is still “good enough” in that regard. There’s much to like about his game. If he can turn up the intensity on defense, he’ll wind up being a solid pro.

 

You can’t really fault the Jazz for taking him here. They have tons of bigs and already drafted what they hope to be their point guard of the future in Dante Exum. Hood complements Gordon Hayward well. Hayward is actually more athletic than some may think (evidenced by his being a relatively good defender), and has a nice assist to turnover ratio. He could wind up being one of the biggest beneficiaries here.

[JokersWild24]

I have 5 more guys listed that I wrote a blurb on. I'll share as they're mentioned or later on once everyone else has had awhile to name theirs.

 

Just so you know I do have them: one is a 2nd round pick of a team already mentioned, another is just a 2nd round pick, and three are from teams that had multiple picks (two first rounders and/or 3 total picks).

[UKMustangFan]

Really like the Payne fit in Atlanta. Same goes for McDermott in Chicago and Gary Harris in Denver.

[sweet16]

I think he's going to be a little better but that won't fix the problems Miami has.

 

I think he is better defensively although small and can create better than Chalmers.

[gold sunrise]

At that spot I agree, he's going to have an immediate impact on that team. I might be a little biased but I think he ends up one of the top 5 players in this draft.

 

I am biased too. Heard one of the anaylists of the draft last night say that he thought Julius was the steal of the draft at #7 and would be the Rookie of the year.

[JokersWild24]

Phoenix: Tyler Ennis:

 

I’ll admit, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Ennis in many of my pre-draft projections, but I honestly didn’t think he’d be available at #18 either. Phoenix plays a really different system that makes effective use of two point guards, but last season, neither Bledsoe or Dragic had a solid backup. With Ennis, the Suns likely get what they thought they were getting in taking Kendall Marshall a few years back. Outside of maybe Rodney Hood or Gary Harris (injury concerns were likely a major factor in his slide), I don’t really know who else was on the board that made as much sense for Phoenix.

[All In]

Really like the Payne fit in Atlanta. Same goes for McDermott in Chicago and Gary Harris in Denver.

 

Like all of those as well,especially McDermott(a fan) in Chicago(a fan). Was anyone else shocked by McGary going to OKC? I thought they would go with Napier there

[JokersWild24]

Like all of those as well,especially McDermott(a fan) in Chicago(a fan). Was anyone else shocked by McGary going to OKC? I thought they would go with Napier there

 

I liked the McGary pick. He was one of my steals.

 

 

 

Oklahoma City: Mitch McGary:

 

The Thunder typically draft well, and will likely use McGary and Steven Adams to solidify a frontline that needed a replacement for Kendrick Perkins and insurance against a Serge Ibaka injury. McGary is a big guy who screens well and is fundamentally sound in most aspects of the game. I’d expect him to jump ahead of Collison in the rotation just because he’s bigger, will be more useful in screening, and plays with just as much, if not more, energy.

 

Out of the Harden trade, the Thunder have now landed a year of Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, Adams, and McGary. They’d probably rather have a mulligan with that one, but for now, they can only hope that Lamb, Adams, and McGary live up to their promise and play significant supporting roles to the Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka trio. With the way the Thunder have hit out drafting guys like Adams and Reggie Jackson, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. McGary was damaged goods considering he spent most of last season injured and then was suspended for failing a drug test (marijuana).

[JokersWild24]

Charlotte: Noah Vonleh:

 

Vonleh is a guy I envision ending up as a really solid NBA player, the kind of guy who is a great #3 or #4 on a high scoring team that can contend for a Title good. He's big and bulky, but isn't afraid to use his frame to carve out space and score inside, but he'll most likely make his living in the pros for his capacity to step out and hit 15-20 foot jumpers (nearly 50% shooting on 1 three point attempt per game in college). He won't be expected to consistently take NBA 3's, but there's no reason to think he can't play the role of a stretch 4 and take some pressure off of Al Jefferson on kick outs to the elbow or skips to the short corner.

 

He isn't going to wow you by jumping over people for vicious dunks, but he rebounds at a fairly nice clip, has a solid reach, and an NBA body. The sample size for many of his offensive numbers, especially against quality competition, is small, but this is a pick where you get a guy with huge upside (he only turns 19 in August). Taking everyone selected in chronological order, I think that he was the last guy picked that you could make a realistic case for "he would have went #1 overall in last year's draft".

[JokersWild24]

...

 

 

 

Orlando: Elfrid Payton (acquired via trade, picked #10):

 

I really like Payton, who, along with Victor Oladipo, should form one of the brightest defensive backcourts in the NBA right away. Both guys are young and should be there awhile. They also gave Philadelphia Dario Saric (who likely won't be playing in the NBA for at least 2 years), a 2015 second rounder and a 2017 first rounder, so the price was a little steep, but I still like what Orlando was able to do. They have a logjam of forward/wing types and needed a point guard, and that's exactly what they got here. While a backcourt of Payton and Oladipo doesn't have the ability to make jumpers, getting Evan Fournier in the trade with Denver for Arron Afflalo (an upcoming free agent) will help alleviate those woes.

 

While I don't love Orlando's pick of Aaron Gordon at #4, they'll have a young, exciting, and (most importantly) balanced lineup next season. After two abysmal years, fans now have the possibility of lineups with: Payton/Nelson, Oladipo/Fournier, Harkless/Nicholson, Harris/Gordon, and Vucevic/O'Quinn. That's probably not going to be enough to make a Charlotte-like jump next season (the Hornets acquired Al Jefferson via free agency in turning a 20-win 2013 into a 43-win 2014 and #8 seed in the playoffs as others tanked), but they should be able to at least contend for a spot in the down East soon.

[JokersWild24]

...

 

 

New York: Thanasis Antetokounmpo:

 

Since I’ve already written many of the same things I’d say about Phil Jackson and his plan for the Knicks in my section on Cleanthony Early, I’ll spare you here.

 

Thanasis is the older brother of Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo, who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks and broke out this past season. Thanasis is a little older and doesn’t have his brother’s upside, but he has the potential to be a disruptive defender. He spent last season playing in the D-League, which was important for a guy as raw as he was (neither brother has played organized basketball very long, nor did they play in a top European league).

 

While he’s never going to be the kind of player his younger brother is expected to be, there’s still plenty of promise that he becomes a defensive specialist who is so freakishly athletic and uses that to finds ways to get garbage points in transition and off put-backs. Saying this guy is a project is an understatement, but there’s also reason to think he could get develop nicely given the incubator he’s found for his skills.

[JokersWild24]

I haven't heard a ton of buzz about the Knicks getting Antetokounmpo with their second pick in the 2nd Round, but I think Phil showed that he can still draft, pretty much turning nothing into something. The Knicks need some major renovation, but it's beginning.

[dolamite]

I haven't heard a ton of buzz about the Knicks getting Antetokounmpo with their second pick in the 2nd Round' date=' but I think Phil showed that he can still draft, pretty much turning nothing into something. The Knicks need some major renovation, but it's beginning.[/quote']

 

Not a bad chance to take that late. No guarantee he's his brother, and no guarantee his brother will ever be a legit player in the NBA (although I think he will). BUT, good chance to take in that spot, don't cost you anything really.

[JokersWild24]

Not a bad chance to take that late. No guarantee he's his brother, and no guarantee his brother will ever be a legit player in the NBA (although I think he will). BUT, good chance to take in that spot, don't cost you anything really.

 

Yep. He's a guy who really has "upside", "potential", or what have you because he's so athletic and hasn't been playing long. Any second round pick that late in the game, you can't really fault someone for swinging for the fences.