And just like that, the draft has passed and 58 new names are added to the league. It was insane and crazy but here are my major takeaways from the night! Enjoy:
Paolo goes no. 1
For months now, it seemed like the consensus no. 1 guy was Jabari Smith Jr. It was quite surprising though when Paolo became more of the favourite/front runner and got selected no. 1 overall. I think he's the best player in the draft. This led to Chet at 2 still but Jabari at 3 to the H-Town. Honestly, all 3 picks are great for their team.
Keegan over Ivey
At 4, Sacramento went down to the wire on a trade but no trade was done as they took Keegan Murray. Everyone was shocked but how? They've worked him out and were very fond of him, plus does a backcourt of two athletic guys who can't shoot work? Anyways, last year something similar happened, as a PF (Scottie Barnes) was drafted over an athletic guard (Suggs). Detroit wins this draft but for another reason.
Where does Bennedict fit?
The Pacers made a little bit of a shock to Mathurin at 6 but where does he fit? He's so similar to Duarte and all of their other wings. But how will he fit and gets minutes with other wings? The list is Hali, Duarte, Brissett, Taylor and a few more.
Spurs surprise us with Sochan
Picks 7 and 8 were good but no. 9 was pretty shocking. Spurs were almost locked for Duren right? Nope, they took Jeremy Sochan. I somewhat like this. Sochan's defense is definitely better then Duren's but I think they have enough forwards with Vassell and Keldon, so will he be coming off the bench?
The Thunder walk out with 3 lottery picks
The Thunder won this draft by far. Despite getting Chet at 2, they got Ousmane Dieng at 11 and Jalen Williams at 12. Knicks fans were shocked to hear a trade after the Dieng pick, thinking they would get #12 but only got 3 FRPs next year. Dieng is amazing and I love that pick for OKC but Jalen Williams? IG he was gonna go somewhere right after but it feels a bit high for a guy just rising during this draft combine.
THE JALEN DUREN SHAMS VS WOJ SAGA
If there's anything I'm going to remember from this draft, it's this. Hilarious. If you don't know, Shams tweeted he was a Knick and Woj said he was a Piston. It was so funny but it ended up with DET getting Duren and Kemba, a major dub for them, Charlotte getting 5 SRPs and the Knicks getting a first. The Knicks really suck as they are putting all their eggs in one basket for Brunson but it doesn't make sense as they aren't known for this lol.
Many slipping after expected
This draft had a bunch of names who fell really low. AJ Griffin best exemplifies this. He was a guaranteed lottery guy until he fell to 16!! Whilst guys like Dalen Terry and Jake LaRavia went in the late-teens, guys like TyTy Washington, Kennedy Chandler, Jaden Hardy, Trevor Keels, EJ Liddell, Kendall Brown and many more slipped way too far.
Melton becomes a 76er
Melton headed from MEM to PHI for Danny Green and David Roddy. It's a solid deal but is really nice for both teams.
That's it! Thanks for reading and bye!