It’s go time!
The Dallas Mavericks have jumped waaaay up in the lottery to land the no.1 overall pick at the right to selection Duke superstar Cooper Flagg. I tweeted this out just before the lottery results were announced: “If the Mavs win this lottery we know it’s rigged” soooo, I guess it’s all rigged, or karma is real. Either way congrats to the Mavericks!
The Spurs moved up 6 spots to grab the no.2 overall pick and are well on their way to building a title winning team.
The 76ers not only managed to hold onto their pick but moved up two spots. This pick at no.3 feels like were the mystery of this draft really begins. It’ll be hard to pass on the upside of Ace Bailey but the 76ers could go a number of directions here.
Here are my thoughts on all 14 lottery selections:
| # | Team | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mavericks | Cooper Flagg – PF – Duke – HT: 6-9 – WT: 205 – WING: NA – Fr – Wowww! The Mavs fly up the board and win the lottery and the right to select Cooper Flagg! Flagg is one of the most complete prospects we’ve seen in a long time and he’s also one of the youngest players in the draft. |
| 2 | Spurs | Dylan Harper – SG – Rutgers – HT: 6-5 – WT: 213 – WING: 6-10 1/2 – Fr – The Spurs already have their franchise centerpiece in Wemby and now get to add an elite guard to the mix with Dylan Harper. He’s a rare talent with great size and strength, very high BBIQ and a very pro ready game. This team is poised to hang some more banners in the not too distant future. |
| 3 | 76ers | Ace Bailey – SF – Rutgers – HT: 6-9 – WT: 202 – WING: 7-0 1/2 – Fr – The 76ers move up two spots and hold on to their pick (it would have moved to the Thunder if outside the top 6). Ace Bailey would give them a big upside talent to develop next to their young guards. Tonight was a big night for the 76ers franchise and will set them up for a successful transition away from the oft-injured Embiid and co. |
| 4 | Hornets | Tre Johnson – SG – Texas – HT: 6-6 – WT: 190 – WING: 6-10 1/4 – Fr – The Hornets missed out on the two superstars but will have a chance to get a player in Tre Johnson who is an ideal fit between LaMelo and B.Miller. He’s an elite shot maker and an underrated passer who has a really bright future in the league. |
| 5 | Jazz | VJ Edgecombe – SG – Baylor (Bahamas) – HT: 6-4 – WT: 193 – WING: 6-7 1/2 – Fr – The Jazz fall in the draft lottery and miss out on the top 2 talents in this class. They’ll still get a very good player at no.5 but this has got to be very disappointing for the organization and their fans. They could go a number of directions here but it will be hard to pass on VJ if he falls to no.5. |
| 6 | Wizards | Kon Knueppel – SF – Duke – HT: 6-6 – WT: 219 – WING: 6/6 1/4 – Fr – The Wizards had the second best shot at winning the lottery but fall to no.6. Ouch. They’ll still get a very good player with this pick but getting another star would have been nice. Kon Knueppel would be an ideal addition on the wing, giving them one of the best shooters in the draft. He’s a very strong and smart player with elite touch on his shot. |
| 7 | Pelicans | Jeremiah Fears – PG – Oklahoma – HT: 6-4 – WT: 180 – WING: 6-5 1/4 – Fr – No lottery luck for the Pelicans but they’ll get a chance to put another piece in place in their attempt to rise from mediocrity. Fears is a fun, flashy and explosive player who has a ton of upside. He’s not yet a consistent shooter and is a bit unproven but he’s got tantalizing talent and would be a great addition to the Pelicans backcourt. |
| 8 | Nets | Derik Queen – PF – Maryland – HT: 6-10 – WT: 248 – WING: 7-0 1/2 – Fr – The Nets have a number of picks in the first round and will be in position to either had a solid talent at no.8 or maybe package picks and move up. Queen would be a nice piece to add to the frontcourt. He’s got a great skill level and surprising mobility for such a hefty player and should be a really good PF/C in the league. |
| 9 | Raptors | Khaman Maluach – C – Duke (South Sudan) – HT: 7-2 – WT: 253 – WING: 7-6 3/4 – Fr – Maluach has seemed destined to go to the Raptors for a long time and would be a solid pick here at no.9. He’s a high upside and very intriguing player who is just scratching the surface of his potential. He’s a game-changer on the defensive end, is a great lob threat on offense and can step out and shoot the rock. |
| 10 | Rockets (Suns) | Carter Bryant – SF – Arizona – HT: 6-8 – WT: 215 – WING: 6-11 3/4 – Fr – Bryant seems like a great fit for the Rockets with his shooting touch and standout defense. This is higher than most have him but I think he could land in the top 10. |
| 11 | Blazers | Kasparas Jakucionis – PG – Illinois (Lithuania) – HT: 6-6 – WT: 205 – WING: 6-7 3/4 – Fr – Jaku is exceptionally skilled, is a great decision-maker and looks to have a very NBA ready game. The Blazers have some young guards in place but you can never have enough talented ball-handlers, play-makers and 3pt shooters. |
| 12 | Bulls | Noa Essengue – PF – Ulm (France) – HT: 6-10 – WT: 195 – WING: NA – Int.06 – The Bulls need to hit on this pick. They are a franchise that has been stuck in mediocrity for years and are just starting to get some nice young pieces in place. Essengue is a high upside swing who will probably take some time before having a big impact but the Bulls need to take this sort of swing. This might not be a popular pick on draft day but a few years from now this could look really smart. |
| 13 | Hawks (from Kings) | Collin Murray-Boyles – PF – South Carolina – HT: 6-7 – WT: 239 – WING: 7-0 3/4 – So – The Hawks nailed their pick last year with Risacher and will get to add another solid player with this pick. CMB might not be the flashiest guy in the class but he’s a major talent on the defensive end, has really intriguing court vision on offense and is a jump shot away from being a star. |
| 14 | Spurs (from Hawks) | Egor Demin – PG – BYU (Russia) – HT: 6-9 – WT: 199 – WING: 6-10 1/4 – Fr – The Spurs will likely add Dylan Harper at no.2 and could add another nice talent here at the end of the lottery. Egor Demin is a polarizing prospect but it’s rare to find a 6-9 player with his combination of passing vision and twitchy-ness. |
