On Sunday night we witnessed one of the greatest NBA finals and celebrated arguably the best Game 7 in recent times when LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers beat Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors. It’s been just three days since that historical night and we are already on the cusp of another exciting spectacle – the 2016 NBA Drafts.
On Thursday night, Adam Silver, the Commissioner of the NBA will announce the first round draft picks for the new season at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. In what typically turns out to be a night when dreams become a reality, fans immerse themselves equally into the action, proclaiming their team’s draft picks to be ‘next biggest superstar’ in the NBA, generating enough mileage till the start of the league in October.
Obviously, the selections are handed out in reverse order of regular season record, meaning the team with the worst regular season record gets to pick first. After trying their luck to pick first for the last three seasons, Philadelphia 76ers were handed the first piece of the cake in draft lottery, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Pheonix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves, rounding up the first five. What should you know that you might not already? Who are top five teams in desperate need for great picks and who are some of the names making rounds in the circuit?
#1 Philadelphia 76ers (Requirement: Point Guard)
The Sixers who had the worst record (again) last season, ended up with the first pick in this year’s draft. And they will look to add talent to their young roster by picking either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram as they look to turn a new leaf under Bryan Colangelo.
Their interest in Derick Rose was well known, and when he chose to move to the Knicks, you wonder what went wrong there. Were the Bulls eyeing more than just one of Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, which in 76ers case would have been the deal breaker.
Embiid, ‘if’ fit can prove to be an impact player, but it is clear that Noel and Okafor, talented as they are, cannot play together. The 76ers are in a conundrum. Relying on Embiid comes at the risk of losing him to injury. Also, listing Joel and Okafor on the market, albeit sensible, wouldn’t be the way to go unless they trade Jahlil Okafor to the Celtics for the No. 3 pick, which they could then use on someone like Providence point guard Kris Dunn.
Since the 76ers have focused on drafting big players over the past few seasons, they need a ton of help at the point guard position. Having lost out on Rose, it is still not too late to amend. Simmons or Ingram would add to the existing young core. If either pick lives up to the hype and the rest of their players return from injury and stay fit through the season, we could be looking at a pretty decent squad for the 76ers.
#2 Los Angeles Lakers (Requirement: Shooting Guard/Center)
After a disappointing finish to the season, which also marked the retirement of legendary Kobe Bryant, the Lakers will look to recreate the magic and bring the show back to Hollywood. Slated to pick second in the drafts, the best bet for the Lakers, much like Philadelphia 76ers is to bring home Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram, depending on who is available.
The 76ers’ interest in Simmons is out in the open with media speculating that it is almost inevitable now and if there is truth to that story, it seems like Ingram is the best-suited prospect for the Lakers. He adds more pace, muscle and brings personality to the flamboyant team from La la land.
Lakers are crawling out of the boondocks. With the Black Mamba in the stands and new coach Luke Walton set to take center stage, Lakers could make use of some size to play alongside the duo of Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell. Ingram’s shooting and ability to defend multiple positions might prove to be decisive in their rebuilding strategy. His style and tenacity on court might just be what the Lakers are looking for.
#3 Boston Celtics (Requirement: Power Forward)
The Celtics have come a long way under Brad Stevens. From under .500 and barely making it to the playoff rounds to being in the top four seeds in the East, Stevens has time and again received loud applause from rival coaches for his tactical mindset. Defense is what keep Stevens and the Celtics ticking. They have shown that this season, playing to the strengths of Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder, all of who are known to hound ball-handlers and 3-point shooters.
The Celtics will undoubtedly look to come out even more tighter at the back, stingy in giving away points next season. Stevens is fairly new to the trade, just his third year at the Celtics, but the 39-year-old who is already drawing comparisons to Spurs coach and legend Gregg Popovich needs to make some bold decisions before the start of the season if he intends on adding credibility to that parity.
Jared Sullinger enters restricted free agency and walking away from him seems to be a hard thing to do given that he is effective against most teams if not all, but is perhaps the right decision. Celtics fans and pundits are crying out for a strong, healthy rim protector and an upgrade on the power forward. Endowed with three picks in the first rounds and an additional five in second, the Celtics have their work cut out and the draft order presents plenty of opportunities to draft an offensive player or two.
With the third pick in the in their bag, Boston can look at snapping up Dragan Bender, or wait for their 16th or 23rd draft pick and pursue the 7-foot, 19-year-old Sudanese-Australian, Thon Maker or 6-foot-10, Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis. In Thon Maker, Boston Celtics could have an energetic battler – he can rebound, is a shot-blocker and can play on the perimeter as well, but Thon’s inexperience at college basketball thanks to his unconventional path to the drafts (a loophole in the early entry rules, allowed him to spend an extra year in prep-school and enter the drafts) would pose a threat to his selection.
The best fit and direct replacement for Sullinger and an answer to the Celtics’ problems is Domantas Sabonis. The big Lithuanian pipped to be a contemporary forward is defensively sturdy, faster on the break and could potentially be an upgrade on Sullinger, costing ten times less money.
#4 Golden State Warriors (Requirement: Shooting Forward)
The Warriors nearly pulled off the perfect season – a 73-9 win-loss record, unanimous MVP and game 7 running all the way down to the last 50 seconds. Skeptics and haters might say they got lucky against Oklahoma City Thunder or that they blew a 3-1 lead in the finals. Either way (one of the surprising entries into this list) their loss to Cleveland proves that they are in desperate need of some depth in order to challenge the big teams from the West and the East.
The Warriors head into the drafts and the postseason knowing that keeping their current roster intact would be tricky. They have four unrestricted free agents and four restricted free agents, including small forward Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli. Steve Kerr and co. will look to strike it big with the 30th pick in the draft, finding a player who fits the Warriors system is more of a challenge than filling spots on the team.
They, however, must be prudent and smart in the post season to exploit market inefficiency of low cost late round picks, while flirting with their temptation to chase high-profile free agents such as Kevin Durant, who no doubt would add more muscle to their team, but the short term solution might lie with someone like Malcolm Brogdon.
The point guard from Virginia is versatile on both ends of the court, physically strong, and defensively effective, something the Warriors will be looking to strengthen considering their recent disappointment.
With Curry entering his last year of contract before becoming a restricted free agent, we can take it for granted that the Warriors will be lining up a big money deal to tie him down. It might take dropping a few names from the current roster and grooming some decent youngsters to accommodate growing salaries and maintaining competitive levels. Can we expect a slightly different Warriors team in a few months time? Possibly so.
#5 Phoenix Suns (Requirement: Power Forward)
The history of the NBA drafts tells us that Phoenix Suns have often been prudent with their picks – be it Steve Nash (15th) in 1994, Amar’e Stoudemire (9th) in 2002 and as recently as last year when they picked Devin Booker (13th). They will be hoping to continue their affair with good draft picks, in their quest for a power forward to partner Alex Len.
Being fourth in line, they enter the draft in a pretty good shape to bolster their young squad, hoping to make it to the playoffs this time around, having missed out in the 2015-16 season. Suns might turn their attention to 18-year old Marquese Chriss from Sacremento, California.
Widely regarded as one of the biggest gambles of the drafts this year, Chriss offers a mix of skepticism and hope. Labeled as a late bloomer, the 6-foot-10, 235 pound American presents an intriguing solution to the Suns’ hunt. His great athleticism and enviable wingspan over 7-foot make up for his lack of experience and maturity. He came up looking the best in this season’s NCAA game against San Diego State, a team packed with elite athletes selected based on their agility and athleticism.
However, in spite of his promising abilities, many analysts and pundits feel he isn’t ready for the big stage yet. He lacks the maturity, physicality whilst trying to make up for it with enthusiasm and pace on the court. The real question here being, is he ready for the NBA? Chriss is eventually going to be snapped up at some point by a team willing to gamble on its picks and polish the youngster but, the important question here is, will the Suns dare to be that team?
Thursday night will throw up some of the most exciting talents in the NBA circuit and you can catch all the action in the early morning hours (5 AM) on Friday in India.
