NBA Draft (the 1st round teams)

I did the first 14 picks in the previous post. This time I'll look at the next 15 teams that had 1st round picks. Then I'll do 2nd round in a future post.

Kings: #5 De'Aaron Fox, #15 Justin Jackson (North Carolina), #20 Harry Giles (Duke), #34 Frank Mason (Kansas)
I thought Jackson was one of the underappreciated gems of NCAA basketball last year, thought he would've slid right into a Brad Stevens team (thought #3 might've been used for a calculated move back in the draft). And Harry Giles on some boards was the #1 prospect going into NCAA just last year; are we to assume that Giles is washed up because he had a so-so year at Duke? To quote Homer Simpson: he could be bigger than curly fries! I think at #20 Giles is an excellent choice. Would Malik Monk at #10 have been better than getting the 2 best values of the back of the 1st round? Maybe. We'll never know but we will know this: they're the Kings so whatever move they make its the wrong one. As for Frank Mason, normally I'm a big fan of those bust-ass NCAA PG's, guys that gut it out because they love the game, but I dunno, I never really cared Mason's game. He was a winner, I respect that and the Kings are probably doing themselves a favor by just sticking the Blue Chip programs (I mean UK, UNC, Duke, Kansas, not really going out a limb with these any of these picks) solely because they came from programs expected to win. Mason may well be a regular in the Kings D-League rotation. If they came out with 2 really good young players, 1 intriguing prospect, and 1 potential for a long career as a 4A player in the Kings organization then they'd do pretty well. Obviously they're the Kings so all these picks could go horribly wrong and none are really going into the best of environments, but I like these 4 kids, I like their chances of being professional basketball players and if the Kings can pull four good picks in one draft, that could be a huge step for a team that is desperate to be good.

Wolves: #16 Justin Patton (Creighton)
I dunno this kid at all. 6'11'' C from Creighton. No idea. If Thibs takes a liking to him then maybe he becomes one of the all-time greats, he could be McHale. Or he flops at Summer League and we never hear his name again. I dunno.

Bucks: #17 DJ Wilson (Michigan), #46 Sterling Brown (Oregon)
I don't know these guys specifically but Michigan and Oregon have had moments of really good in the last few years. So cherry picking their athletes doesn't seem like a bad idea to me. My guess is they're looking for swing men who either score or play D off the bench. I don't know these guys but if they can move quick, Coach Kidd will use them.

Pacers: #18 TJ Leaf (UCLA), #47 Ike Anigbogu (UCLA), #52 Edmond Sumner (Xavier)
Pacers go with Lonzo's supporting cast in Westwood and a kid off an overachieving tourney team. If you squint Leaf looks like Austin Croshere, Anigbogu is Dale Davis and Sumner is Rodney Stuckey? If that's how it works out that'd be fine. We'll see.

Hawks: #19 John Collins (Wake Forest), #41 Tyler Dorsey (Oregon), #60 Alpha Kaba (France)
Just watching from mock drafts my sense is Collins went a little high, Dorsey dropped a little far, and Kaba is a name I remember from 2015-16 mocks but I hadn't seen much this year, sounds like he's the ultimate flyer on a Euro. Hawks are a team that are going in the opposite direction of their previous trajectories, that I just have no idea what they're trying to get with any of these picks. I assume they need swing men who can score, as they're more of a high offense...well, I mean, wait....wtf are they now? You used to be able to set your watch by Coach Bud's Hawks, now I just don't know who they are any more. I honestly don't know if these are good picks or not.

Thunder: #21 Terrance Ferguson (USA)
Highest upside is he's the next Russell Westbrook. Yeah, I doubt that'll happen but being next to Westbrook may be amazing for his development of his game. But I doubt we'll see much of it (unless Russ walks to LA with PG next summer). I can totally see him being an amazing practice player and then years from now ending up with the Heat or somebody and turning into Gilbert Arenas (good Gilbert) out of nowhere. OKC may be a great fit long term for him but I just don't see him playing much in the next coupla years.

Nets: #22 Jarrett Allen (Texas), #57 Aleksander Vezenia (Bulgaria)
Allen is a hoss down low, with Brook Lopez moving on and Mozgov moving in, I wouldn't be surprised to Allen get some serious playing time next year. The Nets won't be good and he may well get his teeth kicked in there, I still wouldn't be surprised to see him play. The Nets have plenty of room for people to play, if Allen gets time, he might develop, frankly there's nothing better to do on the Nets. Vezenia is another name I remember from last year more than this. 6'9" F, I dunno, I assume he's a stash, maybe we see him in a coupla years.

Raptors: #23 OG Anunoby (Indiana)
I kinda see him being like Patrick Patterson: savvy on D, reliable in the structure, good teammate, will knock down shots every once in a while, sometimes a crowd favorite. Which I guess isn't good for Patrick Patterson re-signing in Toronto. Raptors are looking to shake things up and Patterson is probably the guy the goes overboard (he'll hook on somewhere, he's a good player). Anunoby feels like a post-Patterson pickup.

Nuggets: #24 Tyler Lydon (Syracuse), #49 Vlatko Cancar (Slovenia), #51 Monte Morris (Iowa St)
They also got Trey Lyles in the trade that netted them Lydon (so the Jazz could get Donovan Mitchell). Lydon and Lyles might be fighting for time off that bench, which is increasingly filled with interesting talents. I don't know Cancar, I suspect we won't see him for a coupla years, but they've had success lately with Euro talent. I don't know Morris, if he can dish the ball at high altitude maybe he can get some bench minutes (or be a D-League cornerstone). The Nuggets may have too much intriguing young talent for anyone to ever see these guys.

Sixers: #1 Markelle Fultz (Washington), #25 Anzejs Pasecniks (Latvia), #36 Jonah Bolden (Australia), #50 Matthias Lessort (France)
Obviously the focus of the draft for the Sixers was properly exercising that #1 pick. But picking up two Euro stashes could work for them down the road. I love the Euro stash job: sometimes they turn into interesting players (one of these days I'll write about how I'd love to see more interaction btw NBA and Europe and China as well), sometimes they linger forever as weird trade throw-ins. Pasecniks is someone who rocketed up the mock drafts pretty late. The Sixers have a ton of Euro assets right now, Bolden and Lessort are now on the list, as well.

Blazers: #10 Zach Collins (Gonzaga), #26 Caleb Swanigan (Purdue)
The Blazers are just such an expensive roster that I can't really figure out what they're doing, I don't see any options other than cutting as much salary as quickly as possible (and hopefully still have 5 guys in uniform). That said, I loved Swanigan's game, not sure I love his body type at the next level but I thought he was a really great passer, I loved his instincts. Ideally he's Boris Diaw-ish, but he could be Stanley Roberts. I can't tell if he'll get to play in Portland because...again...I don't see what Portland is going for at all. I don't see the strategy because they are so far from the luxury of strategy.

Lakers: #2 Lonzo Ball (UCLA), #27 Kyle Kuzma (Utah), #30 Josh Hart (Villanova), #42 Thomas Bryant (Indiana)
If Ball is a star then this is a great draft. But if Kuzma, Hart and Bryant give them anything, that'd be good too. If Kuzma, Hart, Bryant work hard and get lucky, maybe they'll get some minutes because the Lakers should still be rebuilding for 2 more years.

Jazz: #13 Donovan Mitchell (Louisville), #28 Tony Bradley (North Carolina), #55 Nigel Williams-Goss (Gonzaga)
I thought all three were nice looking college players that might be nice NBA players in the proper environment. Utah is probably the proper environment. I like all of these picks.

Spurs: #29 Derrick White (Colorado), #57 Jaron Blossongame (Clemson)
Blossongame is another one of those names that seemed bigger to me last year than this. But there he is being all undervalued and perfectly designed for a Spurs makeover project. He and White both can probably play if Pop thinks they can play. Wouldn't be surprised if either/both of those dudes are regular rotation guys in two years.

That wraps the 1st round, I'll do the 2nd round in a later post.