This draft class does not have the most talented players I have ever seen, but they sure do have some potential if they are willing to put in the work to get to the height that superstars of today’s game have reached. Kyrie Irving, Markieff Morris and Tristan Thompson are only a few highlighted names when the NBA Draft this Thursday comes into mind.
These kids have gone through the gauntlet in the NCAA Tournament and are in for the trial of their lives and we are all bearing witness to their journey thus far. The rounds afterwards are extremely important but the first round is where some of the grandest stars are born. None of these predictions are solid so please do not treat them as such. There are so many tricks and turns draft day that your head will spin. It is just fun to pretend like you can tell a fortune or two.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving
It is not a strong feeling of mine that this should be the pick for the Cavaliers but then again he is too much of a high reward prospect to pass up in this year’s draft. He did not perform as much as scouts would have liked him to but he still had fire in his step during the first piece of the season he played and the in Duke’s short stint in the NCAA Tournament.
Most felt that he and Nolan Smith would lose their cohesive edge since Irving had not played for so long, but it only took about five minutes for the couplet to spark once again. This is the most important pick in the history of Cleveland’s franchise even though it may not have the highest ceiling. Putting the weight of the organization on the shoulders of a rookie point guard is not exactly what they may have had in mind a few years ago when they were riding high.
But, right now the Cavaliers’ best bet is to put him through a rigorous offseason in order to solidify his ranking his rookie season. He must storm into the league like Russell Westbrook did. I use Westbrook as the example instead of John Wall, because even though Wall had impressive personal statistics, the Washington Wizards as a whole unit is frail against everyone else.
OKC Thunder has been shifted into a different dynamic due to Westbrook’s ball movement and even though he makes a few young player mistakes, he makes up for it with his ridiculous paint durability, court vision and ability to follow through with a shot and draw a foul. He can score anyway he is asked to, which is the role Irving needs to take if he is drafted as the number one pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves: Jimmer Fredette
The arrival of Ricky Rubio with the Minnesota Timberwolves does not change anything. Rubio can barely score off of the pick and roll and still needs a lot of help with the structure of his stroke. All of that taken into consideration, the Timberwolves need to draft a player that can score at the drop of a hat.
Jimmer Fredette is one of the few players in this year’s draft that holds that characteristic to be true.
Not only did Fredette average 28.9 points this season, but most of those points were made from ridiculously long ranges. He also shows the ability to move the ball around the court when there are men that he can ultimately depend on to score alongside him. These are two things that the Minnesota Timberwolves need desperately. Rubio cannot make much of a change alone.
3. Utah Jazz: Derrick Williams
The combination of skills that Williams brings to the table is unmatched in this year’s draft. He has a small problem in the paint when battling against bigger and more aggressive players, but that type of endurance can be taught.
Utah has nothing but time while rebuilding after Coach Sloan’s retirement and Deron Williams’ departure. The point guard position does not need to be addressed in the draft, because I feel like that is a matter better tended to during the many trades that will go on in this summer’s offseason.
That is if the lockout permits any type of discussion or movement.
Derrick Williams will address Utah’s need at the small forward, even though many feel like his size puts him at a disadvantage in the league against more powerful competitors. He Williams is a hard worker and refuses to settle for good enough. That type of work ethic will be welcomed by Tyrone Corbin.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Enes Kanter
Cleveland, are you ready for a revolution?!
That is exactly what would happen in Ohio if the Cavaliers properly aligned their stars and drafted Kyrie Irving and Enes Kanter with the first and fourth pick of the NBA Draft. There would be an instantaneous stir from the fans that were once forgotten.
The taste of hope would grip every headline after Cleveland drafts a center that may not have had the chance to prove his skill set at the NCAA level, but was competing among the elite overseas. Kanter’s resume is still one of the more impressive of any player in this year’s draft that actually had the opportunity to perform all the way up until the end of the NCAA postseason. Cleveland would surely strike gold with this pick. They seem pretty interested in him.
He has had a couple of workouts with the franchise and I would assume they do not want to waste their time at this stage.
5. Toronto Raptors: Tristan Thompson
Coach Dwane Casey has just been swept off of his feet by the Dallas Mavericks and an NBA Championship triumph over the Miami Heat. Now, he is embarking on an entirely different journey as Toronto’s head coach and will definitely bring a defensive mentality to the franchise.
Tristan Thompson would fit in perfectly with Casey’s system.
He would be shaped as sort of a Shawn Marion asset. Marion was profiled a lot during Dallas’ run in the playoffs this year because of how important his role grew as the lights became brighter. Marion would not be the leading scorer on the team, but that does not mean that his production should have been taken lightly. The defense he exhibited on LeBron James was enough to shut the self-proclaimed King down numerous times and forced the worst playoffs performance of his career.
Thompson may not be the highlight player of the team, but he will undeniably be the piece that can mend any broken fence in their offense or defense.