NBA Draft: Wembanyama Era Begins With Relatively Uneventful Selection Show
Uninspiring Bulls among biggest disappointments of draft night
There was no lack of intriguing talents to select in the 2023 NBA Draft, but the consensus from observers both hard core and casual was that only three immediate stars were to be had — Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson.
To no surprise, those three stars were the first selections of last Thursday’s draft, but an element of surprise emerged in that they each went to the teams slotted in those first three spots with no trades or other intrigue to be had, at least not from that night.
Wembanyama was a lock to go first, the night was his coronation as he’ll now reign as San Antonio’s newest imposing tower of power, a third No. 1 overall pick for that franchise who looks to lead the Spurs to NBA championships just as the previous two did (David Robinson, Tim Duncan).
With the right amount of help there’s a good chance Wembanyama could do that — he is the complete package: he protects the rim, he’s an elite passer and he has perimeter range, all in a 7-5 body, a truly unprecedented prospect for the NBA. If he can stay healthy, he will be the next great one in the NBA and possibly its face for years to come. Ratings for the draft have already proved that he’s a draw for the general public.
Alabama forward Brandon Miller went second overall to the Charlotte Hornets in the last act of the Michael Jordan regime for that franchise. MJ gets to leave his ownership role with the peace of mind that comes with a $2.25 billion come up and knowing that Miller can palm a basketball.
More surprising than Miller’s ability to spread his fingers over the ball is the Portland Trail Blazers standing pat and deciding not to trade their No. 3 pick, especially given that having the pick meant they were bound to pick Henderson, a ball-hungry guard to match with their established franchise player, Damian Lillard.
Rumors swirled about during the days leading to the Draft regarding whether or not Dame would stay or go in the Rose City. Nothing happened, and as of now nothing has still happened, aside from a little Miami teasing. Lillard is on record saying he doesn’t want to be part of a re-building situation, so this is situation to keep an eye on.
An interesting fact from this year’s draft: four of the top five picks were not from American colleges, a tie for the most in one NBA draft.
Additionally, this was the second draft in NBA history to feature a pair of twins being drafted back to back. Previously this happened with the Morris twins (Markieff and Marcus) in 2011, but while those two were selected at the back end of the lottery, Amen and Ausar Thompson were drafted fourth and fifth overall to the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons respectively.
The Thompson Twins selections were also a triumph for Overtime Elite, a developmental league similar to the G-League, which is increasingly being seen as a reputable route for elite high school players who want to bypass the NCAA on their way to the NBA.
Both Thompsons possess diverse skill sets that are punctuated with great athleticism and great size that they should utilize well as wing defenders in the league. These selections should each do well for the on-going youth movements in Houston and Detroit.
Biggest Surprises
Most surprising falls in the first round? Grady Dick falling out of the top 10 is worth mentioning. A 3-point specialist who was one of Kansas’s highest-rated recruits in years, Dick impressed scouts with his 40 percent shooting in his only year at Lawrence. Now he’s a Toronto Raptor and he stands a chance to impact that team, but I certainly thought he would be in the top 10, fitting specifically well with the Orlando Magic, who struggle with shooting from the perimeter.
Another fall that truly surprised draft observers was Villanova’s Cam Whitmore drop to No. 20 where the Houston Rockets got him as part of a well-received crop of picks.
Concerns about a knee injury likely hindered Whitmore’s chances at being picked in the lottery despite the beliefs in his developing talents. Given his skill set of being a forward who is able to shoot with consistency, Whitmore could have been an appropriate pick for the Los Angeles Lakers at No. 17. Instead, the Lake Show went with Indiana guard Jalen Hood-Schfino, a bigger-sized guard, which could be a positive for L.A. on the defensive end. Bad news? He’s not a consistently good shooter, but he should be given a chance while playing within the improving roster of the Lakers as headed by LeBron and Anthony Davis.
Biggest Disappointment of the Draft
The team who had the most disappointing draft of was the Chicago Bulls, because they didn’t have any draft selection at all nor did they try to trade for one in the first round. Instead, the team essentially threw a meatless bone at their fan base with a second round deal that netted them Tennessee’s Julian Phillips.
Phillips at the moment is seen as another lengthy and athletic defensive-first wing who can potentially defend multiple positions, much in the mold of Derrick Jones Jr., who declared his option to be a free agent right before the draft.
One thing that neither Jones, or Phillips, can be counted on to do is shoot from the perimeter and that remains the Bulls’ biggest weakness, one that they are forced to tend to in free agency now.
And that’s to say nothing of the overall structure of the Bulls, which has produced overall disappointing results in the supposedly renewed era that was going to come under Arturas Karnisovas.
Missing the postseason, being eliminated in the first round and in the play-in round in consecutive years is not the start anyone wanted to see from the Bulls post-GarPax, its pretty much the same kind of “basketball hell-ish” results that Gar Forman and John Paxson made the norm for a once-proud franchise.
At some point, the Bulls have to completely tear apart this team and start over. The draft is a good place to do that and last Thursday offered potential talents — from Henderson to Dick and beyond - that could have fit well within a new “Baby Bull” movement and would have stood a chance at proving worthy of moving either Zach Lavine or DeMar Derozan. Time is ticking… now likely toward the 2024 Draft.
Biggest Winner of the Draft
Some teams, like Houston and Portland, collected multiple picks and impressed, but the biggest winner of this year’s draft was clinched simply by getting the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery.
No other team was going to impact themselves more in this draft than the San Antonio Spurs did by drafting Wembanyama. As I said earlier, he is everything you want in a big man and more. If he can stay healthy, the sky’s the limit for him, and given how high he can reach, Wemby stands a good chance to break past that level as well.
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