Between the playoff games for the respective top seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences, the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, on Thursday night, the NBA held the draft lottery. It was a different look than most years, with representatives from each team live streaming in from their homes.
Good News for Some
Some teams got good news from the lottery, including the Minnesota Timberwolves, who will get the top pick. The Timberwolves will look to add to some of the young talent that they already have, including D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Minnesota can go in many different directions with this pick. Unlike some other years, there is no clear top pick, but most believe it will be Anthony Edwards, the shooting guard out of the University of Georgia.
Edwards has shown that he has the talent to succeed in the NBA, but he did lack consistency in college. He would show bursts of offensive power but could disappear at times.
He could have done a better job when being interviewed for the draft. Instead of talking about what he could bring to a team, he discussed how he was able to cope with all of the bad games he played in college.
Also receiving great news were the Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry was their team representative streaming into the draft.
Because of all of their injuries this season, the Warriors were able to move up in the draft. With a healthy team, there is no way they should’ve received the second pick.
But with the Lakers and Nets filled with All-Stars, they need someone to replace Kevin Durant if they want to continue to compete for an NBA Championship. Grabbing Memphis’ James Wiseman out of Memphis might be just the answer.
Wiseman is a 7-1 center who was only able to play three games in college before being suspended. Eyes have been on him since he was in high school to be a top NBA draft pick.
The Warriors will also look at the option of shopping around to trade this pick. Maybe they can trade this pick for a piece they are happier with since they want to win now.
Bad News for Others
The poor Knicks just can’t catch a break. They fell to the eighth pick in the draft at the lottery.
Fans had high hopes last year to grab the top pick and select Zion Williamson. Not only did that not happen, but Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant decided to go to Brooklyn.
They are least wanted to scratch into the top six to have a chance at LaMelo Ball, another top prospect in this draft. Fans haven’t gotten the opportunity to watch much of Ball since he elected to play overseas, but the expectations are high.
The Ball family has always found a way to stay in the headlines, and LaMelo may have the opportunity to be better than his brother Lonzo.
But every “loser” in the draft has a chance to make a winning pick. There is often an unknown name in the draft that turns out to be a star in the NBA, so these teams need to figure out who that might be.
