The Mavericks traded up to get the player they wanted, while the Celtics sat still at No. 27 and watched the athletic big man they needed fall into their hands. Both teams were among the top winners at last night’s draft, according to Basketball Insiders.
Dallas made an aggressive effort to move up to No. 3 to grab EuroLeague star Luka Doncic, who will be an intriguing backcourt partner for Dennis Smith Jr. The Mavs were able to complete the deal without taking on Kent Bazemore‘s hefty contract from the Hawks, allowing them to retain the financial flexibility to search for a big man in free agency.
To get Robert Williams, the Celtics didn’t have to do anything except watch him slide down the draft board. Considered a potential lottery pick going in, Williams was passed over because teams had doubts about his competitive drive. There aren’t any questions about his defensive skills or rebounding abilities, which is what Boston hopes to maximize. Williams averaged 2.5 blocks and 3.0 offensive rebounds per game at Texas A&M and could give the Celtics a physical presence they’ve been lacking in the middle.
There were several more teams that maximized their assets Thursday night, according to the Basketball Insiders piece. The Hawks added two sharpshooters in the first round in Trae Young and Kevin Huerter; the Magic got a game-changing defender in Mohamed Bamba, along with Tulane’s Melvin Frazier; and the Suns picked up two potential starters in Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges.
USA Today’s Michael Singer also picks the Hawks among the draft night winners, along with the Knicks for taking Kevin Knox instead of gambling on Michael Porter Jr. at No. 9 and the Spurs, who may have uncovered a treasure at No. 18 in Lonnie Walker.
Singer also picks some losers in the draft, naming Porter, who dropped all the way to 14th because of concerns over the condition of his back; Bridges, who got traded away from the hometown team that employs his mother; and Williams, who nearly fell out of the first round.
We want to get your opinion. Who had the best night at the draft, and which team made a mistake it will regret for years to come? Please leave your responses in the comments section below.
Denver. The #14 pick rarely nets you a player with as much upside as Porter has. And if he flops, so would a high percentage of other players they may have taken there.
Spurs are a winner- Lonnie in the first and Metu in the second
Sixers. For that trade to be good you have to hope the Heat completely suck 20-21. Anything outside of a 1-10 lottery pick it was a terrible trade. If Mikal Bridges looks good and Smith doesn’t… might as well just put all your stuff in a POD outside the house and wait until you get fired Brett.
It’s a stretch to call the Knicks winners merely because they joined the rest of the league in passing on Porter (the Clips, where he would fit much better, did it twice, and Philly’s pick was obviously on the market for teams looking to trade up) and passed up a seemingly perfect fit in Bridges, for a questionable fit with a higher ceiling and lower floor. There’s no rule that ceiling > floor. There is a rule, for some, that fit is > both. If Knox can develop as a 3, then he fits and time will tell if gets close enough to that ceiling to be a better pick than Bridges. If he can’t be principally a 3, and has to be thrown in the mix at 4, it’s almost certainly a bad pick regardless.
the Robert Williams’ link takes you to 6′ 4″ guard from Alabama Birmingham with same name
Fixed, thanks.
Mikal should look better initially, since Smith will be learning a new position, and will likely be a backup.
Meanwhile TJWarren may ideally come off the bench when the offense stalls, so the Suns may have a place for Bridges starting!
TJ Warren is a beast and only 25 locked in super cheap til 21-22. I like Mikal, but Warren is the starter at the 3 unless they play small ball with him at the 4.
Denver is the winner takes it all, as said no risk, you really cannot expect much of a #14, as far as I can recall only 2 stars have ever been picked at #14, but if MPJ can deliver on his potential, then Denver has picked one of the best #1 picks of the last decade at #14, that is a coup man.
Healthy, hes #1 overall. Like Healthy Kawhi is Top-3. Questionable ur like ehhhh idk. scurd.