After a five-month delay, the NBA draft finally happened on Wednesday night, and with it came some surprises – good and bad. The Minnesota Timberwolves ended up drafting Thoni Edwards earlier this week, saying they were “not really in basketball” when the Golden State Warriors drafted James Wiseman with questions about Clay Thompson’s health while he was injured in the lower leg.
We take a look at the winners and losers of the 2020 NBA Draft.
The winner
Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton and Memphis coach Penny Hardway
Hamilton had two players going to the lottery while Hardway was the former vice-coach at No. 2 and Precious Achiuwa at No. 20. Florida State and Memphis are far from blue-blooded options for young talent but tonight’s draft-watching recruits are starting to take better. Notes.
That’s all right and what Hamilton and his coaching staff did for Patrick Williams and Devin Vassel in one to two years is incredible. Williams has stepped off the bench at Florida State and is the most non-starter to make a draft in the last 20 years, landing at No. 4 in Chicago. Young found it on the AAU circuit.
A year ago, Penny Hardway had a No. 1 recruitment class led by Viceman and Achiva. After Wiseman left school early due to a recruitment violation, Hardway predicted he would be rookie that year this season. Achieva became the first option after the scientist’s departure on crime and averaged double-doubles (15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds) while leading the American Athletic Conference to rebounds. Achiwa had some issues with shot selection in high school but the hardway helped him improve in that area which is why the Miami Heat will not be able to pass with Peak No. 20 on it.
Philadelphia 76ers
The draft had five picks out of 76, which was not a good thing, early in the night. It really turned out to be an excellent night for the franchise. No one expected Tires Maxi to come in 21st and if the 76ers had passed on to Maxi, they would have been in the losing column. Maxi has improved his jump shot since his college season in Kentucky and is a defender who can score at all three levels. Then at the end of the second round, 76 people picked up Arkansas sharpshooter Isaiah Joan and finally made the biggest sleeper of the night at No. 58 Paul Reed. Reid played in DePaul and is a 6-foot-9 forward who averaged 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Not to mention they filled a ton of cap space when they traded from Al Horford to Oklahoma City and Josh Richardson from Dallas. It was a good night for new president Daryl Mori and Philly fans.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies had a great night quietly snatching Jaren Jackson Jr.’s former teammate, Xavier Tilman and TCU’s under-the-radar lead guard Desmond Bane. Jackson Jr. Shared his excitement on Twitter With whichA morant joining in And welcomes his new teammates. Grizzlies also signed the uncertified Killian Tilly from Gonzaga, who has a huge invert of 6 feet-10, 220 pounds. The Grizzlies are young and very athletic and have added a few pieces to the team to complement it. They can be a very dangerous team in a few years.
Lost
Golden State Warriors
The potential damage from Clay Thompson’s lower leg injury was also overshadowed by the excitement of James Wiseman landing at level 2 at night, not the panic of the Warriors’ front office fee in the next draft and the encouragement to watch the trade down for the moderate shooting guard. , But Thompson’s news hit the NBA hard, with numerous NBA players tweeting support for Thompson and his new teammate on the biggest night of his career. Wiseman told Yahoo Sports, “It carries a lot of weight in my mind. All my thoughts and prayers are with my teammate Clay Thompson and we will get through this. ”
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons had a top-10 pick and that’s great news if you’re a fan of the Pistons. That’s not very good news when you see a player passing by Troy Weaver. At No. 7 he picked Shifty, the left-handed defender, Killian Hayes from outside France. A better-fitting 6-foot-6 guard would be Tires Halliburton, a great facilitator and passerby, who could be the best prospect in this draft class. Halliburton is ready to prove himself by saying, “I just want to win the Rookie of the Year. My biggest goal is proving that I am the best player in this draft. Donovan could be Mitchell’s moment in a few years for this piston.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics are trying to be the best team in the Eastern Conference and need some pieces to add Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown to get there. It is questionable if they did so with tonight’s election. The Celtics had three first-round picks and surprised many draft analysts when they drafted 26th Oregon Point Guard Patton Pritchard. There is nothing against what Pritchard did at the college ledge level but he is a four-year key guard with limited upland. They added Aaron Nesmith, the best shooter in the college ledge basketball, who shot 52% of the three and averaged 23 points per game. However, it averages less than one assist per game and you need to be able to pass and make it to others at the NBA level.
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