Every year the NBA draft gives fans hope for their teams future. Unfortunately history has shown that a lot of these players will not live up to the high expectations they are given going into the league. As I look at the player picked this year I have my predictions on who will not live up to their expectations and who will surprise everyone. We have yet to see how all of these players play, so all of these opinions are based of the way the player played in college and the situation the will be put in, in the NBA.
Bad Pick: Cody White to the Chicago Bulls
I like Cody White as a player a lot. I think he is one of the best scorers of the point guards in this year’s draft. Chicago needed to fix their point guard position after Kris Dunn showed he probably isn’t their guy for the future. Kris Dunn in his two years in Chicago has only averaged 6 assists a game in both seasons. This number to many players in a good mark, but Kris Dunn has one job and that is to be the facilitator of that offense and he doesn’t need to score. Assists don’t mean everything to someones ability to be a facilitator but the way Chicago plays they need someone who can move the ball. While Cody White he has shown in college that he is primarily a scorer and everything else comes far behind in second. While another scorer will not hurt the team I think this team will be back in the same place it was, to begin with. They still do not have a point guard to run their offense.
Good Pick: Nassir Little to the Portland Trail Blazers
Nassir Little at this time last year was the #6 player in the freshman class going into college. He was seen by many as a projected top 5 pick in this year’s draft. After an inconsistent year at North Carolina outshined by his teammate Cody White. He was still believed to be a back end lottery pick but on draft day he fell far. He fell all the way to pick 25 where the Trailblazers got a steal of a player. The trailblazers spent big a couple years back on players that have not done much for them in their time in Portland. The two big names were Harkless and Turner both wing players. Their horrible contracts are finally up at the end of next season allowing the trailblazers to have cap space to add players that benefit the team. Right now though they are limited and the draft is one place where they can make a big impact. That is just what they have done. Little is a cheap wing option that fits right into the Trailblazers’ system. This team is a very offensive minded team and Little will bring a top tier defensive presence. He doesn’t shoot well from three which is a downside but he makes up for it as an above average finisher at the rim. Overall Nassir Little is a late-round steal in the draft with huge upside. If the trailblazers develop his game the right way he has a chance to be special.
Bad Pick: Jarrett Culver to the Minnesota Timberwolves
On draft day the Timberwolves traded up to pick Culver. To me, I just didn’t understand this move much. He can play either the two or three for the Timberwolves. They already have tons of players at these positions though. They needed to focus on a point guard since Jeff Teague may leave and if he stays is still not a quality starter anymore. Cody White would have been the ideal pick here. They need a young point guard to be lead this team for the foreseeable future and they don’t have that still. They added Culver into a very crowded group already of guys who play on the wing. Culver could become another Jimmy Butler without the personality issues but the Timberwolves will have issues getting him out there with the rest of the guys at his positions that they are paying lots of money to be out there too.
Good Pick Bol Bol to the Denver Nuggets
Bol Bol was considered to be one of the top picks in this year’s draft until he got injured this year. He was one of the most dominant centers in the early stages of the college basketball season. Coming into the draft people believed that he would easily be a first-round pick with his huge upside as a player. Unfortunately, he fell all the way into the second round where the nuggets traded up to pick him. There is a lot of people going back and forth on this pick. Some think this is a steal of a pick and he will be a great player and others think that it was a wasted pick since they already have one of the best centers in the league, Nikola Jokic, on their team. I am on the side of this being a great pick. Bol Bol scared many people off do to is potential of constantly being injured. With him being on the Nuggets he just has to back up Jokic. He will not be relied on to be an everyday starter yet in his career. This will help him ease into the NBA and allow him to become a much better player.
Categories: NBA
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