#21- Oklahoma City Thunder- Josuf Nurkic, SF Wichita State
There were rumors everywhere that the Thunder had given the dreaded promise to Latvia’s Kristaps Porzingis, but he withdrew from the draft at the last minute just as Dario Saric did last year. Who knows if the promise was real, but the Thunder do need help inside, as was made evident by their inferior interior against the Spurs when Serge Ibaka got hurt. And let’s face it: Kendrick Perkins is about to tap out. Nurkic is not the biggest international prospect, but at 6’11” and 280 lbs., he has surprisingly good footwork and isn’t scared to go after people down low. Not very athletic, but he is the next best pure center in the draft after Embiid, so he is worth the chance. The Thunder want to win a title, but I think Sam Presti will wait for Nurkic and Steven Adams, who had a nice rookie year, to develop together inside.
#22- Memphis Grizzlies- P.J. Hairston, SG North Carolina & Texas Legends (NBA Developmental League)
Despite the near departure of head coach Dave Joerger and the very shaky hierarchy at the top of the organization with a new G.M. and the team CEO getting fired, the Memphis Grizzlies have been steady on the court with their direction as a defensively minded team that likes to flood the paint with size. The Grizzlies had the 59-win Thunder down 3 games to 2 in the first round before crapping out and losing in seven games, and a contract extensions is already in the works to keep Zach Randolph alongside Marc Gasol. Mike Conley and Tony Allen are going nowhere, either, so the story of Grit ‘N Grind stays the same next season.
But if there was one thing that really cost the Grizzlies this year despite their defensive strengths, it was their poor outside shooting and inability to take or make three-pointers. Mike Miller is still there, but he won’t be around much longer. Memphis needs a deadly shooter from the outside, and P.J. Hairston is as dangerous as they come. Unfortunately for Hairston, the reason why he is not in the lottery is because he is also dangerous off the court, being arrested multiple times last summer before being dismissed by Roy Williams at North Carolina. He got some buzz back when he played for the Texas Legends in the NBA Developmental League and scored 40 points in his second game. He wound up averaging over 21 points per game for the Legends and has a strong body for a shooting guard. Glen Rice Jr. was pretty good in the D-League last year, but it is safe to say that Hairston is the most talented player to ever be draft eligible coming from the minors. He is a perfect misfit toy for Memphis to use as a deep threat from 3 after years of simply not having any.
#23- Utah Jazz- Jordan Clarkson, PG Missouri
The top tier of the point guard class has generally been listed (in no particular order) as Exum, Smart, Ennis, LaVine, and Payton. The next two point guards being looked in the middle tier are national title winner Shabazz Napier and Missouri’s Jordan Clarkson, then there is a quite a dip. I have the Jazz going with Joel Embiid at the fifth overall spot, and they got this extra pick from the Golden State Warriors in a trade last year where the Warriors shipped expiring contracts over to Utah in order to sign Andre Iguodala. I can easily see the Jazz go with a shooting guard here instead of a point because they need someone to take over for the not-so-good Alec Burks.
Unfortunately, by this point, the best shooting guard available is Jordan Adams or C.J. Wilcox, and neither of them are starters at any point. So instead of going with the experienced Napier, the Jazz can go with an athletic, tall two-guard to go with their smaller ball distributor Trey Burke. Clarkson has risen up the charts since going to the combine and really impressing in the athletic tests. His workouts have been stellar, too, and his position as a combo guard could get him as high at here. Clarkson does need to improve his defense and shot selection, especially if they keep him as a point guard.
#24- Houston Rockets- T.J. Warren, SF N.C. State
Daryl Morey’s Rockets were a statistical big fish, seemingly good in every category across the board from rebounding to blocks to three-pointers. The only thing they suffered from was a lackadaisical defense due to their fast shot-happy tempo. Morey can go with a point guard to replace Jeremy Lin in the event of a trade or a defensive stopper like K.J. McDaniels to play alongside Patrick Beverley, but there is a strong possibility that Chandler Parsons departs in free agency by the end of next season.
Parsons is a smooth scoring small forward with various skills, so if he departs, it leaves a huge hole in their rotation. Warren is not as mutli-skilled and not even much of athlete in all honesty. But boy, can he score. Chad Ford accurately described him as a player who looks ordinary until you put him in a game and he goes into his trademark scoring mode. Warren was on the same N.C. State team last year that had C.J. Leslie, Lorenzo Brown, and Rodney Purvis, and by the end of that season, Warren was the team’s best player. He led the ACC in scoring and has no problem getting to the free throw line. He is almost like Doug McDermott in terms of having great scoring instincts, only he does not stretch the floor as much but defends better.
#25- Charlotte Hornets- CleAnthony Early, SF Wichita State
The Wichita State Shockers almost shocked the world twice over when they followed up an improbably Final Four run with an undefeated record going into the NCAA Tournament, the first time that has happened since the 1991 Runnin’ Rebels did it. What is even more amazing is the fact that despite losing in the second round of the tournament, Wichita State probably proved their worth more than any win could have thanks to their valiant effort against the most talented team in the country, the Kentucky Wildcats. It was the game of the year in college basketball, and the star of the game was Wichita State’s best player all year, CleAnthony Early. Early was a juco recruit as was his front court teammate Carl Hall when they teamed up to help lead the Shockers to the Final Four in 2013. Against Louisville in the Georgia Dome, he had 24 points and 10 rebounds.
This past season, Early was the undefeated Shockers’ undisputed leader and was likely the one pro prospect on the entire team. He typically bullied his man in the paint in the smaller, mediocre Missouri Valley Conference, but he was even more impressive against bigger front courts like Tennessee and Kentucky by showing his full range. It was against Kentucky in the tournament that Early really shined, sinking jump shots and finishing lay-ups in the same vein as Carmelo Anthony. Early is not as good as Anthony, but he proved in the tournament that he can play the 3 position at 6’7″ instead of being an undersized power forward. The Bobcats need scoring, like we already mentioned, and snagging both Early and McDermott as star players from smaller schools is not a bad batch coming out of this draft.
#26- Miami Heat- Shabazz Napier, PG UConn
For the first time since 2011, the NBA Championship has been pried away from the clutches of King James down in South Beach as the Miami Heat recover from an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. Now, to make it out like the Heat’s season was a complete failure would be quite foolish given how easily they got through the rest of the Eastern Conference to get to their fourth Finals in a row, not done since Larry Bird’s Celtics in the late 80’s. But for the first time since Big Three got together four years ago, the Heat are at a crossroads.
James, Wade, and Bosh can all opt out of their contracts and rumors are everywhere about what James’ decision will be and what Pat Riley has in store for the rest of the roster. Shane Battier retired, Ray Allen is pondering the same thing, and Chris Andersen and Mario Chalmers are both free agents. I expect Chalmers to sign elsewhere after an awful performance in the Finals against Tony Parker and Patty Mills. The Heat need more size to improve their terrible rebounding numbers (their biggest Achilles heel), but a point guard is in need, too. Napier is not only a good point guard, but he is ready to play right now. He proved playing behind Kemba Walker and winning a national title of his own this year that he is a natural point guard, can make tough shots with that leg-kick jumper, and can rebound the ball despite his 6’0″. The dude is a winner and never quits, and unlike a lot of others, he has the talent to prove it. He is also very good at finding open shooters on the wing, which is the Heat’s bread and butter on offense.
#27- Phoenix Suns- Clint Capela, PF Switzerland
Capela is about as unknown as unknown gets even though he has been eyed by scouts for over a year as a first-round talent. He is Swiss-born and has been playing for Elan Chalon, the top professional basketball league in France. He had by far his best season just recently at Eurocup with a game that is very raw but is predicated at the rim. Capela is almost like a YouTube mash-up version of a McDonald’s All-American big man coming out of high school. He loves to dunk and block shots, and he does it all the time in his games. He’s also extremely quick for his size.
His pitfalls are more than obvious. He has no jump shot, like, at all. He took 0.3 jump shots per game this past season, meaning he lives in the paint like a dragon in a cave. That has turned him into quite a good finisher around the rim and a decent shot blocker, but he has a long ways to go. You probably won’t see Capela for a few years as a difference maker in the NBA, but in a league where everything is either at the rim or at the three-point line, Capela is a useful asset. The Suns could use one of their three picks as a voucher for a Euro who can help out the Morris twins and Miles Plumlee, and Capela is a good find.
#28- Los Angeles Clippers- K.J. McDaniels, SF Clemson
Despite all the hoopla and controversy that swelled from Donald Sterling’s continuing exile as the team’s owner, the L.A. Clippers probably had their best season ever as a franchise. Doc Rivers made an immediate impact on the team as the Clips won a record 57 games and nearly took out the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs. Their offense with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and company was dynamite all year long (first in league in team scoring) while their defense was… not. DeAndre Jordan was the league leader in rebounding, but it couldn’t hide the team’s inability to get key stops in critical moments.
Offense goes a long ways in the NBA now (ask the San Antonio Spurs), but you need intensity on the defensive end, where Rivers keeps his focus. If I could give out a Defensive Player of the Year award in college basketball, I would have handed it to K.J. McDaniels out of Clemson. A 6’6″ junior small forward, McDaniels was showing signs of stardom as a sophomore before becoming a star for his team in his junior year. They barely missed the NCAA Tournament, but got to the semi-finals of the N.I.T. as McDaniels was the team’s leader in basically everything. Despite his size, he is an outstanding athlete who takes pride in guarding the best player and getting blocks. His offense is coming around, but he is better off scoring on slashes and transition. He could be close to what Avery Bradley was for Rivers when he coached in Boston, only at the small forward spot.
#29- Oklahoma City Thunder- Glenn Robinson III, SF Michigan
Nik Stauskas already got picked earlier in the first round, and I have two of his teammates going back-to-back to finish the first round. The Thunder have two first round picks this year and generally have quick turnaround with their picks by year two. Glenn Robinson III was a guy considered as a lottery pick by many going into the season before he provided just another solid sophomore season instead of a breakout one. Robinson got the attention of many with some whirlwind dunks as a freshman along with Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., but their departures along with a season-ending injury to front court teammate Mitch McGary put him in a tough position.
The trick with Robinson is that although his dad was a terrific power forward for years in the NBA, G.R.III only played power forward at Michigan because John Beilein preferred a smaller lineup at times. When Robinson would play the 3 position, where Stauskas played most of the time, he had more success and showed off his nifty outside shot. His offensive efficiency was quite good, and I expect that to show in the NBA when he plays as a natural small forward. He can be a good fill-in for Kevin Durant and can work well in the pick and roll with Russell Westbrook or Reggie Jackson because of he has no problem finishing at the rim.
#30- San Antonio Spurs- Mitch McGary, PF/C Michigan
At this time last year, the thought that McGary would go last in the first round of this draft or even the second round was just flat out silly. Michigan had a loaded starting five when they played Louisville for the national title in 2013, but the most consistent player in the tournament undoubtedly was McGary. After a regular season of minute production, McGary’s stock went sky high went he averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds against big front courts like Kansas, Florida, and Syracuse. His total domination of Kansas’ Jeff Withey, the best defensive center in the country that year, in the Sweet Sixteen was almost awe-inspiring given how little experience he had.
He went into the 2013-14 season as a pre-season All-American before back surgery put him out by the new year. Maybe McGary’s performance in the 2013 tourney was a flash in the pan, but a 6’10” center with 266 pounds of bulk and soft touch is not the easiest type of player to find. Doesn’t this seems like the exact type of player that slips between the cracks and winds up with the San Antonio Spurs, the best scouting organization on planet Earth? I say take McGary and develop his mid range jump shot, and you have a solid rebounder for years to come.
