2014 NBA Draft Recap and Reaction: A Star Is Born
By Hiroki Witt
It was a big night for the Cavs. Let’s take a look back on the important Cavaliers’ events of the evening.
Cavaliers Picks:
First round, No. 1 overall – Andrew Wiggins, SG/SF Kansas
Second round, No. 33 overall – Joe Harris, SG Virginia
Andrew Wiggins:
Really happy they took Wiggins at No. 1. The oft-mentioned upside is unbounded, but I really can’t envision him having a bad career either. The biggest problem these “high-upside” type players that end up having “bust” careers have is getting on the court. Because they lack playing time, they never really improve, and thus end up having a career in stasis. I often cite Jan Vesely as a recent case of a top-10 pick that never materialized chiefly because he never played enough for an extended period of time to improve. Yeah, he had problems, but you have to let a player work through them if he is to become a big piece of your team. Anthony Bennett was god-awful early, but after an extended period of struggling, he started playing MUCH better near the end of the season, and the key was when Mike Brown gave him more minutes. With Wiggins, he’ll be on the court; the incumbent SF’s aren’t guys that should be playing extended minutes, and he should also see some time at the two. Even if he struggles early, he’ll get enough play time to get accustomed to the game, and getting to work with David Blatt should help him greatly. I see Wiggins destined for greatness, and I think this was absolutely the right pick at number 1.
Draft Grade: A
Joe Harris:
Oh, so, SO close to landing K.J. McDaniels. As it ended up working out though, this was not a bad pick. Coming from Virginia, you know he will be an able defender and he has a good shooting stroke (about a 40 percent 3-Point shooter in college, plus he will be able to play right away. Considering that a lot (I think something like 72 percent of 2nd round prospects are out of the game within five years, if Harris can come in and contribute in a couple of areas off the bench, this pick would be a win; something like a three-and-D specialist off the bench. A bit concerning is the logjam the Cavs have at the shooting guard position right now, but as the offseason progresses the Cavs roster should flesh-out a bit more and we can get a better idea of what role (if any) he can play this year. His ceiling probably isn’t very high, due chiefly to his lack of athleticism, but I think he can be a win as a second round pick.
Draft Grade: B-
Other Reactions:
– I think the Magic will rue the day they took Aaron Gordon at No. 4. This guy’s offensive game inspires no confidence in me, and I think we could be looking at another Jan Vesely situation where he fails to get much playing time and is branded as a bust in a couple years. Just speculation, I could be dead wrong with this assessment, but I cringe every time I hear “can’t shoot” with “offensive tweener”.
– So is the Ben McLemore experiment already over? Shocked to see the Kings take him at No. 8. The Kings have rolled through so many HI IM A GUARD THAT SHOT REALLY WELL IN COLLEGE draft picks over the years that I think getting a big to complement Cousins (cough Noah Vonleh) would’ve been in order. Is is being too pessimistic to think he may have a career like Jimmer Fredette? That’s just me being an outside observer, though.
– Maybe I just haven’t been following draft prospects enough, but I have never heard of Bruno Caboclo before. With a guy like K.J. McDaniels and Cleanthony Early on the board at SF, the Raptors really swerved everyone with this pick. Really, umm, interesting selection, I’m interested in how the Basketball Without Borders MVP fares.
– With Kendrick Perkins’ reign at OKC Center near an end, I love the McGary pick. This guy will be an impact player for the Thunder sooner rather than later.
– The Jazz will make a big jump next year. Developing, extremely talented frontline of Favors and Kanter, and a great young frontcourt of Burke, Exum, and Hood? That’s a solid group.
– Glenn Robinson III going 10th in the second round? Remember when he was supposed to go 10th overall?\
Final Thoughts:
I think this was a great night for the Cavs. I love that they didn’t over-complicate things, just made the most of their two picks. They got a guy that has a great chance to be a star and a guy that could help out with the rotation. Yeah, they may have been able to get a bit more value with the second round pick, but I can’t complain with a guy that can play three-and-D.
Overall Grade: A-