On November 18th, rookies found their new homes after being selected in the NBA Draft. Some teams knocked it out of the park with their picks, while others left their fans scratching their heads thinking of what could have been. We will be hearing from devoted basketball fans who gave their thoughts on how they think their team did on draft night, while also predicting the winners and losers of the 2020 NBA Draft.
“I really like how the Warriors didn’t trade their pick and picked James Wiseman who can develop into a really good player,” sophomore Henry Davis said.
The Warriors absolutely nailed it with the second overall pick, choosing Center James Wiseman from the University of Memphis. Wiseman is 7’1”, and fits the exact position the Warriors need. He provides them a rim protector in the meantime as he hones his skills and develops into a really effective scorer for the future. The Warriors didn’t overcomplicate their selection and made the best move possible considering their position.
The same cannot be said for the Chicago Bulls, however, who had the fourth overall pick. They chose Forward Patrick Williams out of Florida State, who they look to pair with their talented frontcourt of Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. This is a big reach for the Chicago Bulls, especially with talented players still available such as Deni Avdija and Obi Toppin. Although Williams had been surging up draft boards prior to the draft, he is a boom or bust prospect. He has tremendous athleticism along with great defense, but he came off the bench last year in college and still has yet to develop his jumper. At the very least, he can be a defensive asset, but some believe that fourth pick was too early to pull the trigger on him.
“The Spurs drafted a player that fits their system and has great potential,” sophomore Kyle Neff said, as a passionate San Antonio Spurs fan.
The Spurs had the 11th pick in the draft. Many believe that they made the right decision by selecting Forward Devin Vassel, Patrick Williams’ teammate at Florida State. The Spurs needed a Small Forward, and ended up choosing arguably the best one in the draft. Vassel is a lengthy three point shooter while also being a great defender. Many scouts believe that he will thrive in Gregg Popovich’s system, and has the potential to be an elite two-way player.
There were many surprising selections on draft night, which resulted in Obi Toppin falling to the Knicks with the eighth pick, and Tyrese Halliburton sliding to the Kings who had the 12th pick. Toppin is a high flying athlete with a high ceiling, so the Knicks were considering trading up to claim him. Fortunately for them, they got their guy without having to give up anything. As for Haliburton, many thought that it was crazy that he fell all the way to the 12th pick when he himself is also arguably a top five player in this draft. Both of these players are absolute steals for their respective franchises, with the Knicks and the Kings both looking to end their playoff droughts.
Of course, we won’t really know which teams made the right selections until the NBA season starts. We will just have to wait and see how the new incoming players perform. Be sure to tune in to the start of the NBA season Dec. 22.