Winners and Losers from the 2015 NBA Draft

The most anticipated event of the NBA offseason –  the 2015 NBA Draft – has finally ended and some 60 new players were welcomed by Adam Silver to the biggest basketball league in the world. That means it’s now time for the annual tradition of judging whether the New York Knicks and other teams did well or not in this event. Below are this writer’s winners and losers of the just concluded 2015 NBA Draft.

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2015 NBA Draft: Winners and Losers

Winners

1. Minnesota Timberwolves

[sc:NBA240banner ]It’s easy to see why the ‘Wolves are winners. They got who they wanted and needed in former Kentucky big man, Karl-Anthony Towns.

Having Towns in the fold means that the ‘Wolves now have the perfect complement for Andrew Wiggins. Town is an excellent post-up player and has some range, too. But more than that, he’s a terrific rim protector, something that the Timberwolves definitely lacked last season, as evidenced by their NBA-worst defense inside six feet. With Kevin Garnett there to guide him, expect Towns to make immediate impact for Minnesota.

The ‘Wolves also added ex-Duke spitfire Tyus Jones via a trade, probably as a safety net in case Ricky Rubio leaves. It’s really a very good day to be a Minnesota fan.

2. Philadelphia Sixers

The consensus prior to the draft was that Towns and Jahlil Okafor would be off the board by the time Philly picked third. But since the Lakers opted to take D’Angelo Russell as the second pick overall, Sam Hinkie was left with the chance to add another tower to the skyline he is building in Philadelphia.

The Sixers’ top need coming into the draft was a point guard, which makes some wonder why they didn’t select Emmanuel Mudiay. But Hinkie must have found it too hard to pass up on Okafor, whose offense is regarded as the most polished among the big men in the draft. As things stand right now, Philadelphia has Okafor, Nerlens Noel, and Joel Embiid in their frontline. Making sense of how Philadelphia will move forward with this parade of biggies isn’t easy, but it’s a good problem to have for Hinkie.

3. New York Knicks

Based on the fans’ reactions after the Knicks selected Kristaps Porzingis as the fourth overall pick in the draft, you’d think James Dolan announced that the team would be relocated. Knicks faithful, however, ought to be less skeptical and more lenient. Porzingis possesses a feathery outside touch (he’s a stretch four) and can space the floor well, a quality needed for the Triangle Offense to run smoothly. But if New York’s fans insist on feeling awful about Porzingis and instead see the next coming of an Andrea Bargnani, then Phil Jackson can’t help them.

On the bright side (and this is why the Knicks are still somehow winners), New York managed to trade Tim Hardaway’s son for Harvey Grant’s son, Notre Dame product Jerian Grant. In a way, this is a makeup move by Jackson for fans, who wanted the team to draft Mudiay early. Although they missed Russell and Mudiay, the Knicks still got Grant — who is considered as among the top point guards in the draft class — through a trade with Atlanta.

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Losers

1. Brooklyn Nets

One New York team was supposed to come out as losers, right? Unfortunately, for the Nets, they were that team. But that’s not really because they selected Chris McCullough of Syracuse as the 29th pick overall. McCullough is a solid pickup for Brooklyn at that point of the draft despite previous issues with his ACL, but the Nets could’ve selected higher if it weren’t for the Joe Johnson Trade with Atlanta.

Set to pay Johnson a ridiculous $24.89 million this coming season, the Nets could’ve drafted 15th overall, when names like Terry Rozier, Jerian Grant, Bobby Portis, and Sam Dekker were still uncalled.

2. Washington Wizards

The Wizards are  in need of a backup to John Wall and some help on the wings. That was clearly their intent when they traded for Kelly Oubre Jr., who was originally drafted 15th overall by Atlanta. In exchange, the Hawks got Washington’s 19th overall pick and a couple of future second draft picks.

Oubre, however, was a highly inconsistent player who’s a risky pick for Washington. Ernie Grunfeld could’ve saved those two future second round picks by sticking to Jerian Grant or by picking either Bobby Portis or Montrezl Harrell to shore up the team’s frontline.

3. Boston Celtics

Boston is to guards as Philadelphia is to big men. When Danny Ainge selected Terry Rozier as the 16th overall pick, the Celtics practically acquired the same type of player as Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, and Phil Pressey — an undersized guard who has issues with his shooting. All these players shot no better than 43 percent from the field last season. As for Rozier, well he shot 40.8% in 73 games with the Cardinals.

Then for their second first-round pick, the Celtics again chose a guard in former Georgia State hotshot, R.J. Hunter. Hunter’s a steal at 28th overall, but he only adds to the overflowing of bodies in Boston’s guard positions. Even putting him at small forward will give the Celtics another problem on how they’ll use him with Evan Turner, Jae Crowder, and James Young already crowding the three position. They could’ve decided to draft Harrell, who was still available then.
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