Plenty of action went down from the opening pick to the final name, as there were plenty of trades to go along with the selections. Here are Zone Coverage’s winners and losers after Round One.
Biggest Winners
Timberwolves – Not only did they pry Jimmy Butler from the Chicago Bulls, but they also were able to draft Justin Patton at pick 16. You can love the dunk contest all you want but Zach LaVine was not helping this team’s overall offensive rating, especially in crunch time. Kris Dunn, the other player sent to the Bulls along with the seventh pick, was getting limited time at best with than satisfying results. Now the defense has received some teeth with Patton at center and Butler at shooting guard. They also add a player who averaged 23 points per game last season.
Dallas Mavericks – Dennis Smith Jr. is going to be a leader in their locker room and is a potential All-Star. He is explosive to the basket and great in rim-running transition. For an offense that lacked that next-level ball handler, this could be their man.
Portland Trail Blazers – The thing that really hurt the Blazers was an inconsistent front court matched with an offense-first backcourt. They aggressively addressed the problem by grabbing Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan, two players who are not only versatile but also big. Adding some muscle down low that has few shot restrictions made this team a lot better.
Sacramento Kings – After the obvious pick of De’Aaon Fox, they then acquired Henry Giles and Justin Jackson via a pick swap with the Trail Blazers. Now they have a point guard in Fox who is a defensive stud and can get to the rim consistently. They then added some valuable defensive length to help out the budding offense, post Boogie. With all the new talent flooding around Hield, this team could start to look promising.
Philadelphia 76ers – With Markelle Fultz in the mix, the big three of Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and Fultz has a real shot of turning the franchise around. Simmons is the driving to the hoop, pass-first player who helps Embiid and Fultz thrive. Embiid is the big body who has the speed to keep him far from irrelevant and Fultz is the puzzle piece that fits everywhere, doing whatever needs to be done that night for the win.
Biggest Losers
New York Knicks – He was right there for the taking, the perfect replacement for Carmelo Anthony, the great young shooter to pair with Kristaps Porzingis. Instead, the Knicks passed on Malik Monk and took Frank Ntilikina.
Los Angeles Lakers – Have fun with LaVar Ball.
Chicago Bulls – They definitely got the raw end of this deal. Not only do they lose their franchise player, still lack solid point guard depth and have to either pay Wade or lose another vet, but they also took a long forward who does not rebound in Lauri Markkanen.
Final Thoughts
The draft is always an exciting time of the year. Teams that have struggled have the promise of new talent infusing their roster to the point that they can turn around. The contenders aiming at the top try to find the star who fits perfectly with their finely tuned system and roster to break through. The draft is the first spark of hope for the ensuing season.
This draft was special because instead of the potential for having two to three All-Stars in a draft, this one could very well have eight or more. So many players with a chance to change the course of plenty of franchises. This was a draft for the ages.
The unfortunate part for all the teams that did their homework and grabbed great players in the draft or made cunning trades is that it still does not matter. The Warriors are the team to beat and the league is still waiting for that massive free-agent signing to a real contender for things to actually have a chance of getting shaken up. The Warriors are so much better than everyone that this free agency may be the biggest and most impactful of any in recent years. If the right teams get the right players, they could stand a chance to knock off Golden State. If not then get ready for more banners going up in Oakland.
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