With the Draft Lottery done, the out of work conspiracy theorists can put their pens down and move to looking at what player fits best where.
So without further ado…
Boston Celtics
There was no need for luck from the leprechaun. The Brooklyn Nets were bad enough to enable Boston to have the most combinations going into the lottery. While some might think it’s unfair that a team that’s playing in the Eastern Conference Finals ends up the number one pick, I’m not one of them. This is on Brooklyn’s inability to run their front office in an effective manner. They went all in on Pierce and Garnett and came up “7 out”. Such is life.
As for what the Celtics should do, it’s very simple. You don’t draft for a specific position especially when you have as many diverse and movable parts as Boston has. You go after the best player in the draft and that is Markelle Fultz. Fultz can do any and everything from handling the ball to having the ability to score in all zones on the offense end. There’s not a roster he would fit in better with in the NBA than Boston’s.
Pick: Markelle Fultz (University of Washington)
Who Else Could They Choose: Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson
Los Angeles Lakers
The Laker fans were thrilled as the conspiracy theorists cried that the NBA was making the Lakers whole after the Chris Paul trade reversal.
The Lakers have a solid young nucleus that could use a couple more pieces. Both Lonzo Ball and De’Aaron Fox would fit in nicely but we all know what people want. Yes, the Lakers will take Ball and BBB will fly off the shelves in LA. Well, maybe not the second one but the Lakers are in prime position to add another high level piece to their future. As much as you can make a compelling argument for Fox and, maybe even Josh Jackson, the kid from LA will get to stay home.
Pick: Lonzo Ball (UCLA)
Who Else Could They Choose: Josh Jackson, De’Aaron Fox
By the way, you notice that the top 2 picks would come out of the Pac 12. Take that East Coast Bias!!!
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers is the first pick on the board where you pause before the pick. We’ve moved past the “Trust the Process” battle cry and now is the time to show the fans that the pieces are ready to take a positive step in terms of wins.
With Noel gone, the Sixers rotation of bigs won’t be as cluttered. If Embiid is healthier, the Sixers can continue to play Okafor against opponent’s second unit. This should make him more effective.
When you look the roster, it screams “take a point guard”. It isn’t a coincidence that outside of the Spurs, each team left in the playoffs are strong at that position.
But the Sixers are a team where you could still make the argument that they are far enough away to use the “take the best player on the board” philosophy. If they do that, the pick will be Josh Jackson.
Pick: Josh Jackson (Kansas)
Who Else Could They Choose: Malik Mook, De’Aaron Fox
By the way, does anyone have a higher probability for the “I will make the other teams pay for not picking me” speech than De’Aaron Fox? Over/under on how many times he’ll remind fans that he torched Ball in the NCAA tournament? I’m going with 3.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns would LOVE to see Jackson still on the board at 4 but we have him going to Philadelphia so that leaves the Suns looking at Plan B. If there’s a position Phoenix doesn’t need it’s point guard. So De’Aaron should freshen up his Diet Coke a bit.
This is where we could see our first reach. Sitting on the board is Jayson Tatum, who has high level NBA potential, and Florida State big, Jonathan Isaac. With Tyson Chandler closing in on drawing Social Security, the Suns could use a rim protector. So if you’re going to stretch, Isaac is the pick here. He can protect the rim, play small or power forward and would give the Suns much needed paint presence on the defensive end.
Pick: Jonathan Isaac (Florida State)
Who Else Could They Choose: Jayson Tatum, Malik Monk
Sacramento Kings
The Kings should draft a point guard here. This should be a no-brainer but we are talking about a team owned by a man who wanted to play 4 on 5 on defense so you never know what they are thinking.
This is another “roster needs a lot of help” team. They have an interesting young nucleus in Buddy Hield, Willie Cauley-Stein and Skal Labissiere. De’Aaron Fox would be a nice fit here (plus the green room was running out of Diet Coke). He can help push pace which would make it easier on the younger guys to get into a flow. With the potential departure of Rudy Gay, it’s important for the Kings to bite the bullet and continue to let the young guys play heavy minutes.
Pick: De’Aaron Fox (Kentucky)
Who Else Could They Choose: Malik Monk, Jayson Tatum, Dennis Smith
Marcus “Mook” Washington is the host of Making The Cut. Follow Mook on Twitter: @mtcwithmook and IG: MTCWithMook
