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2024 年 6 月 27 日，美国东部时间凌晨 12:10
2024 年 NBA 选秀大会首轮，扎卡里·里萨谢 (Zaccharie Risacher) 作为首轮被选中的四名法国球员之一，在第一顺位被亚特兰大老鹰队选中。最终，2024 年 NBA 总冠军波士顿凯尔特人队在第 30 顺位选中了克莱顿大学的贝勒·谢勒曼 (Baylor Scheierman)。
哪些球迷应该对他们心仪的球队在首轮的表现感到满意，比如明尼苏达森林狼队为了选中罗伯·迪林厄姆 (Rob Dillingham) 而向上交易？谁又该对那些顺位下滑的球员感到疑惑，比如道尔顿·克内希特 (Dalton Knecht)？
现在是时候来分析一下周三晚上在纽约巴克莱中心发生的事情了。ESPN 的乔纳森·吉沃尼 (Jonathan Givony)、杰里米·吴 (Jeremy Woo) 和凯文·佩尔顿 (Kevin Pelton) 在首轮 30 个顺位尘埃落定后，分享了他们眼中的赢家、冷门和最大悬念。
我们将在美国东部时间周四下午 4 点的 ESPN 第二轮选秀节目中回归。
NBA 选秀报道： 第二轮模拟选秀：最新预测 | 选秀夜最大交易评级 | Draftcast：首轮选秀分析 | 更多选秀报道
吉沃尼眼中的首轮最大赢家
明尼苏达森林狼队
选中球员：罗伯·迪林厄姆 (Rob Dillingham)（通过交易获得第 8 顺位）
森林狼队做出了首轮最大胆的举动，他们交易到第 8 顺位选中了迪林厄姆。随着首发控球后卫迈克·康利 (Mike Conley) 年满 37 岁，篮球运营总裁蒂姆·康奈利 (Tim Connelly) 知道他需要积极寻找这位老将的接班人。迪林厄姆的到来，让康奈利拥有了自己的凯里·欧文 (Kyrie Irving)，后者在西部决赛中淘汰了森林狼队。
迪林厄姆就像一颗闪光弹，他不仅是这届新秀中得分能力最强的球员之一，而且还是一位被低估的传球手，他能在运球中展现出真正的创造力，这项技能在他职业生涯的不断发展中还会得到进一步的提升。本赛季他三分球命中率高达 44%，这表明他可以在无球状态下打球，这将有助于他与正在崛起的超级巨星安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards) 并肩作战。
他最大的弱点是防守，但在年度最佳防守球员鲁迪·戈贝尔 (Rudy Gobert) 的身后，这个问题可以在一定程度上得到缓解。
洛杉矶湖人队
选中球员：道尔顿·克内希特 (Dalton Knecht)，小前锋 (第 17 顺位)
克内希特令人震惊地跌出乐透区，落入了湖人队的怀抱，后者欣然选中了他。六位 NBA 高管告诉 ESPN，克内希特顺位下滑的主要原因是他的年龄（他于 4 月 19 日年满 23 岁），而不是对他身体状况或其他方面的担忧。其中一些高管证实，他在试训和面试中的表现都很出色，而他在防守端的表现则是导致他顺位下滑的另一个原因。
乐透区中段出现了一些令人意外的选择，导致克内希特错过了他在选秀前最关注的一些球队，包括迈阿密热火队和费城 76 人队。这两支球队似乎都处于赢在当下的模式，而且显然都需要像他这样类型的射手/得分手。
克内希特是这届新秀中除了扎克·埃迪 (Zach Edey) 之外得分能力最强的球员，尽管每晚都会有整支球队的防守针对他进行布防，但他场均每 40 分钟仍然可以得到 28 分。他是一位高产的射手，三分球命中率高达 40%，同时他还能在快攻、突破、挡拆、低位和掩护后出手等方面造成相当大的杀伤，这使他成为了一名全面的进攻球员。
一位球队消息人士告诉 ESPN，湖人队新任主教练 J·J·雷迪克 (JJ Redick) 非常欣赏这次选择，因为他一直在强调为球队增加投篮的重要性，考虑到雷迪克在他的职业生涯中以 41% 的命中率投进了 2000 多个三分球，这并不奇怪。
“我们谁也没想到他会掉到这个位置。这太疯狂了。他是这届新秀中最成熟的球员，可以直接上场比赛，”这位球队消息人士说道。
俄克拉荷马雷霆队
选中球员：尼古拉·托皮奇 (Nikola Topic)，控球后卫 (第 12 顺位)
在将首发控球后卫约什·吉迪 (Josh Giddey) 交易到芝加哥公牛队不到一周后，雷霆队就用这届新秀中可以说是最好的控球后卫托皮奇顶替了他的位置。
雷霆队已经积累了一批令人难以置信的年轻天才，同时还拥有大量的未来选秀权，因此他们可以 afford to play the long game with 在俄克拉荷马城精心的照料下，托皮奇将因前交叉韧带撕裂缺席下个赛季的所有比赛，他将在未来几周内接受手术。
年仅 18 岁的托皮奇就已经是欧洲篮球界最优秀的挡拆球员之一，考虑到控球后卫通常会随着年龄和经验的增长而在这方面继续进步，这有些可怕。他能够在瞬间做出阅读，同时洞察全场，并以手术刀般的精准度处理比赛，这在当今的 NBA 比赛中是一种罕见且令人垂涎的品质。
吉沃尼眼中的首轮最大冷门
底特律活塞队
选中球员：罗恩·霍兰德 (Ron Holland)，后卫 (第 5 顺位)
底特律队在首轮做出了第一个令人意外的举动，他们在第 5 顺位选中了 ESPN 排名第 13 位的新秀霍兰德。
事实上，活塞队选中霍兰德——他一度被认为是这届新秀的状元热门人选，也是 ESPN 排名第二的高中生球员——并不像霍兰德如何融入他们目前的阵容那样令人惊讶。上赛季，底特律队的三分球命中数比 NBA 任何一支球队都少，同时他们的三分球命中率也排在联盟倒数之列。
看起来活塞队的阵容需要进行一些调整，才能让霍兰德获得作为一名高顺位新秀所需要的上场时间，因为上赛季他们在凯德·坎宁安 (Cade Cunningham) 周围的空间很差，但随着一位新的篮球运营总裁和主教练的到位，他们确实拥有充足的薪资空间，可以继续做出重大的改变，因为他们可能会开始另一轮重建。
孟菲斯灰熊队
选中球员：扎克·埃迪 (Zach Edey)，中锋 (第 9 顺位)
自从本赛季开始以来，埃迪在攻防两端都取得了显著的进步，这无疑会让他成为选秀之夜上令人垂涎的球员，并有可能进入乐透区。
孟菲斯队选择他的顺位比几乎所有人都预想的要高，因为很明显，他在整个乐透区都很有市场，而向下交易可能会迫使灰熊队在选秀榜上大幅下滑，才能选中这届新秀中第三好的中锋。
对于像贾·莫兰特 (Ja Morant) 这样的电光火石般的组织后卫来说，埃迪是一个理想的挡拆搭档。他身高 7 英尺 5 英寸（约 2.26 米），体重 298 磅（约 135 公斤），可以设置结实的掩护，并且他还是一个出色的终结点，他可以滚向篮下，用他巨大的双手和 7 英尺 11 英寸（约 2.41 米）的臂展接住所有传球。
他需要继续提高自己的体能，才能在攻防转换中跟上节奏，但他已经准备好在攻防两端都能立即产生影响。凭借着下赛季势必会取得的巨大进步，他甚至可以去竞争年度最佳新秀的荣誉。
迈阿密热火队
选中球员：凯莱尔·韦尔 (Kel’el Ware) (第 15 顺位)
在去年选秀大会上淘到 UCLA 的四年级生海梅·哈克斯 (Jaime Jaquez Jr.) 这块金子后，令人惊讶的是，热火队在道尔顿·克内希特 (Dalton Knecht) 掉到第 15 顺位后，并没有选择他，而是让他最终在第 17 顺位被湖人队选中。
关于韦尔在最近的选秀前试训中缺乏强度的消息，导致几支球队猜测他可能会一路跌至首轮末段，甚至有可能跌至第二轮。最终，以强调韧性、持续的能量和体能著称的热火队选中了他。
热火队可能认为克内希特的防守不适合泰勒·希罗 (Tyler Herro) 在外线类似的缺陷，而用像韦尔这样的年轻护框手来提升前场实力更为重要。看看克内希特和韦尔的职业生涯将如何发展将会很有趣，因为 NBA 的许多人都对这种选秀策略的转变感到惊讶，这可能预示着更多的变化即将到来。
当晚最佳选择是什么？
**佩尔顿：**休斯顿火箭队在第 3 顺位选中里德·谢泼德 (Reed Sheppard)。
火箭队很清楚他们有机会选中谢泼德，但这里重要的是休斯顿队抵制住了用这个选秀权交易来一名老将的诱惑。我很喜欢谢泼德，他是我排名第一的新秀，他通过增加急需的投篮能力来融入火箭队的年轻核心阵容。
**吴：**波特兰开拓者队在第 7 顺位选中多诺万·克林根 (Donovan Clingan)。
克林根是大多数球队都认为是这届新秀中的顶级天才，并且有可能成为球队的长期基石型护框手。乐透抽签的结果——在第 3 到第 6 顺位之间，没有一支球队需要一名中锋——让开拓者队受益匪浅，因为他最终落入了他们的怀抱。
无论从价值还是适配度来看，这对于开拓者队来说都是一次巨大的胜利，这支球队在过去几个赛季里一直在围绕着身材矮小的后卫建队，他们需要在身后有一名防守悍将来支撑他们的体系。我们将拭目以待，看看这对回归的中锋德安德烈·艾顿 (Deandre Ayton) 和罗伯特·威廉姆斯三世 (Robert Williams III) 来说意味着什么。
你最喜欢首轮的哪笔交易？
**佩尔顿：**菲尼克斯太阳队从丹佛掘金队那里获得了三个次轮签，代价是从第 22 顺位下滑到第 28 顺位。在中锋伊夫·米西 (Yves Missi) 在太阳队之前一个顺位被选中后，太阳队可能将瑞恩·邓恩 (Ryan Dunn) 排在他们的选秀榜榜首，他们最终选中了他，并获得了次轮签，这将有助于他们在未来进行交易。
**吴：**明尼苏达森林狼队用一个 2031 年无保护首轮签和一个 2030 年前五保护的首轮互换权从圣安东尼奥马刺队那里换来了罗伯·迪林厄姆。现在就说哪支球队赢得了这笔交易还为时过早，但我喜欢森林狼队敢于押宝，他们放弃了重要的未来选秀资产，换来了一名球员，这名球员可能会成为安东尼·爱德华兹身边一名充满活力的后场搭档。
这无疑是对森林狼队剩余的重要选秀资产的一次高风险分配，但他们在理论上拥有足够的防守体系来弥补迪林厄姆在防守端的不足。我也喜欢马刺队的这次决定，他们获得了两个宝贵的交易筹码，当圣安东尼奥最终决定追逐另一位球星与维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 搭档时，这些筹码可能会派上用场。
我不知道谁在这笔交易中会笑到最后，但我只是很喜欢它发生了。
哪支争冠球队对自己的帮助最大？
**吴：**俄克拉荷马雷霆队
尼古拉·托皮奇和狄龙·琼斯 (Dillon Jones) 可能不会立即为雷霆队带来影响，但萨姆·普莱斯蒂 (Sam Presti) 为球队增加了 two winning players who have a realistic chance of finding roles as OKC continues to build a young, exciting roster that is already way ahead of schedule. 没有哪支球队的 talent stockpile 比得上雷霆队，这两位新援都是强援，符合他们的气质。
我渴望看到托皮奇在完全康复后会做出怎样的贡献，我认为琼斯在周三晚上之前被低估了。
**佩尔顿：**明尼苏达森林狼队
我们将会看到放弃 2030 年的首轮互换权和 2031 年的无保护首轮签对森林狼队来说是否值得，但毫无疑问，罗伯·迪林厄姆是所有争冠球队在选秀之夜增加的最有天赋的球员，我认为他可以在新秀赛季就作为替补为球队提供帮助。
你最惊讶于谁在进入第二轮后仍然留在榜单上？
**佩尔顿：**约翰尼·费菲 (Johnny Furphy)。即使你不像我的预测那样看好费菲（我的预测中他排在第 5 位），但在周三晚上很长一段时间里，他都是吉沃尼和吴的百强榜单上排名最高的球员。如果两晚的选秀大会让一支重视费菲的球队有机会与多伦多猛龙队交易，以获得第 31 顺位，我不会感到惊讶。
**吴：**凯尔·菲利波夫斯基 (Kyle Filipowski)。虽然我个人不像有些人那样看好菲利波夫斯基，但我认为会有一支球队在 20 多顺位的时候冒险选择他，仅仅是因为很难找到像他这样拥有出色技术和外线手感的 7 英尺（约 2.13 米）长人。选秀大会的走势对他很不利，许多有天赋的球员都掉到了十几、二十甚至更低的顺位，而一些令人意外的选择也让他失去了一些潜在的落脚点。我认为他在第二轮是一个更值得关注的选择，我猜他不会在榜单上停留太长时间。
在马刺队选中斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 但交易走了另一个前十顺位选秀权后，维克托·文班亚马应该作何感想？
**佩尔顿：**耐心。我知道文班亚马渴望现在就赢球，而他的技术将会让圣安东尼奥在下个赛季就无法再获得前十顺位的选秀权。尽管如此，我们已经看到太多拥有高顺位乐透签的球队因为急于求成而降低了球队的上限。马刺队应该吸取这些球队的教训。
**吴：**毫不担心。圣安东尼奥最终会围绕着文班亚马打造出一支争冠球队，我认为他们从明尼苏达森林狼队那里得到的回报是巨大的，尤其是对于一个被认为选秀成色不足的年份里的前十顺位选秀权来说，而迪林厄姆是一位才华横溢但毁誉参半的组织者。我敢打赌，当时间到来的时候，马刺队最终会利用这些选秀权换来更有用的东西。
play3:51
杰伊·比拉斯 (Jay Bilas) 认为这两名 NBA 新秀可以立即产生影响
杰伊·比拉斯与斯科特·范佩尔特 (Scott Van Pelt) 一起讨论了道尔顿·克内希特如何融入湖人队，以及他对德文·卡特 (Devin Carter) 将如何立即为国王队带来影响的期望。
现在就预测一下：扎克·埃迪新秀赛季的数据
**佩尔顿：**我认为场均 20 分钟的上场时间对埃迪来说是一个合理的猜测，因为孟菲斯灰熊队用第 9 顺位选中了他，希望他成为球队的未来中锋。我敢打赌，埃迪场均数据会与博班·马扬诺维奇 (Boban Marjanovic) 在巅峰时期每 36 分钟 21 分和 13.7 个篮板的数据相差无几，如果埃迪场均上场 20 分钟，那就相当于场均 12 分、7.5 个篮板，外加 1 个盖帽。
**吴：**我认为凯文的预测是正确的——我预计灰熊队会得到老将的帮助——但我也认为埃迪可能会承担比这更多的时间，考虑到他在普渡大学的比赛负荷很大。孟菲斯拥有完美的搭档贾伦·杰克逊 (Jaren Jackson Jr.)，他擅长保护篮筐和在弱侧补防，应该能够在防守端为埃迪提供缓冲。
我敢打赌，埃迪将成为联盟中效率最高的中锋之一——我认为他马上就会在内线展现统治力——但我最大的疑问是，他如何与贾·莫兰特 (Ja Morant) 融合，后者喜欢打快节奏的比赛，但这不一定是埃迪的最佳比赛节奏。
你会用哪个词来形容华盛顿奇才队的首轮表现？
**佩尔顿：**耐人寻味。
奇才队最终得到了我预测的前 10 名新秀中的两名，分别是亚历克斯·萨尔 (Alex Sarr)（排名第 2）和凯肖恩·乔治 (Kyshawn George)（排名第 9），此外还有排名前 15 的卡尔顿·卡林顿 (Carlton Carrington)（排名第 15）。这三名球员都不太可能帮助奇才队立即赢球——奇才队当然也不希望这样——但他们的年龄都不超过 19 岁。
**吴：**摆烂大法好，但却是以最可爱的方式。
奇才队在下个赛季不会赢太多比赛，但他们的管理层，在迈克尔·温格 (Michael Winger) 和威尔·道金斯 (Will Dawkins) 的带领下，显然已经从老板泰德·莱昂西斯 (Ted Leonsis) 那里获得了与他们在俄克拉荷马城时期一样的长期运作空间。这需要时间，但奇才队似乎已经准备好复制雷霆队的模式，收集高潜力的新秀和选秀资产，目标是打造一套高大、全面且技术娴熟的阵容。考虑到这一点，奇才队选中的这三名球员之间存在着明显的联系——拥有一套 cohérent plan 和执行它的自由，有时是管理层面临的一场巨大战役。
乔纳森·吉沃尼是一位 NBA 选秀专家，也是 DraftExpress.com 的创始人和共同所有人，DraftExpress.com 是一家为 NBA、NCAA 和国际球队提供服务的私人球探和数据分析公司。杰里米·吴是一位专门从事新秀评估和选秀的 NBA 分析师。他之前是《体育画报》的专职作家和选秀专家。
点击查看原文：Winners, surprises and big questions from Round 1 of the NBA draft: Wolves, Lakers make our list
Winners, surprises and big questions from Round 1 of the NBA draft: Wolves, Lakers make our list
Multiple Contributors
Jun 27, 2024, 12:10 AM ET
Round 1 of the 2024 NBA draft began with Zaccharie Risacher, the first of four French players taken in the first round, being drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 1 pick. And it ended with the 2024 NBA champion Boston Celtics drafting Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman with pick No. 30.
Which fan bases should be happy with what their favorite team did on Day 1, such as the Minnesota Timberwolves trading up to draft Rob Dillingham? Who should be wondering about the players who fell down the draft board, such as Dalton Knecht?
It’s time to break down what happened Wednesday night in New York’s Barclays Center. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Jeremy Woo and Kevin Pelton share their winners, surprises and biggest questions after 30 picks went off the board in Round 1.
We’ll be back for Round 2 on Thursday at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.
**NBA draft coverage:**Round 2 mock draft: New predictions Grading the biggest draft night trades Draftcast: Analysis for Round 1 picks More draft coverage
Givony’s biggest winners from Round 1
Minnesota Timberwolves
The pick: Rob Dillingham (No. 8 via trade)
The Timberwolves made the most aggressive move of Round 1 by trading into the No. 8 spot to draft Dillingham. With starter Mike Conley turning 37 years old, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly knew he needed to be aggressive in finding the veteran point guard’s successor. With Dillingham, Connelly has his own version of Kyrie Irving, who knocked the Timberwolves out of the playoffs in the Western Conference finals.
Dillingham is lightning in a bottle, ranking not only as one of the best scorers in this draft class already as a freshman, but also as an underrated passer who brings real creativity passing off a live dribble, a skill that he can continue to hone as his pro career moves forward. The fact he showed he can play off the ball, making 44% of his 3-pointers this season, will help him operate alongside a budding superstar in Anthony Edwards.
His biggest weakness, his defense, could be negated to an extent with NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert behind him.
Los Angeles Lakers
The pick: Dalton Knecht, SF (No. 17)
Knecht shockingly fell out of the lottery and into the welcoming hands of the Lakers, who gleefully picked him up. A half-dozen NBA executives told ESPN that it was Knecht’s age – he turned 23 on April 19 – and not concerns about his medicals or other reasons that primarily caused his slide. His workouts and interviews were excellent, some of those same executives confirmed, with his defense being another reason cited for his fall down the draft board.
Some surprising picks that were made in the middle of the lottery caused Knecht to slide past the group of teams he was most focused on in the pre-draft process with visits and workouts, leading to a big chunk of teams passing on selecting him, including the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers. Both of those teams seem to be in win-now mode and could clearly use a shooter/scorer in his mold.
Knecht is the most prolific scorer in this draft not named Zach Edey, averaging a robust 28 points per 40 minutes despite entire defenses planning for slowing him down on a nightly basis. He’s a prolific shooter who converted 40% of his 3s, but he also does quite a bit of damage in the open court, attacking closeouts, in pick-and-roll, in the post and coming off screens, making him a complete offensive player.
New Lakers coach JJ Redick is a huge fan of this pick, a team source told ESPN, as he has been preaching the importance of adding shooting to the roster, not a surprise considering Redick made over 2,000 NBA 3s in his career at a 41% clip.
“None of us thought he’d be there. It’s crazy. The most ready guy in the draft, ready to play right away,” the team source said.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The pick: Nikola Topic, PG (No. 12)
Less than a week after trading starting point guard Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls, the Thunder replaced him with arguably the best point guard in the draft in Topic.
Having built an incredible array of young talent, while brimming with future draft picks, the Thunder can afford to play the long game with Topic, who will miss all of next season with a torn ACL that will require surgery in the coming weeks, under Oklahoma City’s careful supervision.
Topic ranked as one of the best pick-and-roll players in European basketball already as an 18-year-old, which is scary considering how much point guards typically continue to improve in this area with age and experience. His ability to make instantaneous reads while mapping out the court and processing the game with surgical precision is a rare and coveted commodity in today’s NBA game.
Givony’s biggest surprises of Round 1
Detroit Pistons
The pick: Ron Holland, guard (No. 5)
Detroit pulled off the first surprising move of Round 1, selecting Holland, ESPN’s No. 13 prospect, with the No. 5 pick.
The fact the Pistons selected Holland – at one point projected to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, and ESPN’s No. 2 recruit coming out of high school, was not as surprising as Holland’s fit on their current roster. Detroit made fewer 3s than any team in the NBA last season, while also ranking among the worst teams in the league in 3-point percentage.
It seems like the Pistons’ roster will need some retooling to get Holland the reps he needs to reach his potential as such a high draft pick, as they struggled to space the floor around Cade Cunningham last season, but they do have ample cap room to continue to make significant changes with a new president of basketball operations and coach in place as they likely begin another rebuilding process.
Memphis Grizzlies
The pick: Zach Edey, center (No. 9)
It was obvious since the start of the season that Edey made significant strides on both ends of the floor that would surely make him a coveted player on draft night and potential lottery pick.
Memphis picked him higher than almost anyone envisioned, as it was clear he had a significant market throughout the lottery and trading down would risk forcing the Grizzlies to pivot far down their board to select the draft’s third-best center.
Edey is a dream target for an electric playmaking guard such as Ja Morant to pair with in pick-and-roll actions. He sets wide, bruising screens at 7-foot-5, 298 pounds, and is an outstanding target rolling to the paint and catching everything thrown his way with his huge, magnetic hands and 7-foot-11 wingspan.
He’ll have to continue to improve his conditioning to keep up in transition, but he’ll be ready to make an immediate impact on both ends of the floor. He could even contend for Rookie of the Year honors with the sheer productivity he’s bound to amass next season.
Miami Heat
The pick: Kel’el Ware (No. 15)
After Miami struck gold with UCLA senior Jaime Jaquez Jr. in last year’s draft, it was surprising to see the Heat pass on Dalton Knecht after he fell right into their laps with the No. 15 pick, allowing him to eventually get picked by the Lakers at No. 17.
The intel around Ware’s lack of intensity from his recent pre-draft workouts caused several teams to speculate he might fall all the way to the end of the first round or possibly to the second round. In the end, the Heat, known for the emphasis they place on toughness, consistent energy and conditioning, drafted him.
It’s possible the Heat thought Knecht’s defense wasn’t a fit with Tyler Herro’s similar limitations on the perimeter, and that upgrading the frontcourt with a young rim-protector such as Ware was more important. It will be interesting to see how the careers of Knecht and Ware unfold from here, as many around the NBA were certainly surprised to see this shift in draft strategy that possibly signals more changes are underway.
What was the best pick of the night?
Pelton: Reed Sheppard to the Houston Rockets at No. 3.
The Rockets had a pretty good sense they would have a shot at Sheppard, but the important thing here was Houston passing on the temptation to trade this pick for a veteran. I love how Sheppard, my top-rated prospect, fits with the Rockets’ young core by adding badly needed shooting.
Woo: Donovan Clingan to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 7.
Clingan was a player most teams regarded as a top talent in this draft and a potential long-term cornerstone rim-protector. The way the lottery ended up shaking out – with none of the teams selecting between No. 3 and No. 6 harboring a need for a center – benefited the Trail Blazers greatly, as he wound up falling into their laps.
From both a value and fit perspective, this was a huge win for Portland, a team that has been building around smaller guards for the past few seasons and will need a defensive presence behind them to make that work. We’ll see what this means for returning centers Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III.
What was your favorite trade of Round 1?
Pelton: The Phoenix Suns picking up three second-round picks from the Denver Nuggets to slide back from No. 22 to No. 28. After center Yves Missi went off the board one pick ahead of Phoenix, the Suns might have had Ryan Dunn at the top of their board and were able to draft him and add second-rounders to help facilitate future trades.
Woo: Minnesota trading a 2031 unprotected first and 2030 top-one-protected pick swap to San Antonio for Rob Dillingham. It’s way too early to say which team won this deal, but I loved the gutsiness from the Timberwolves to punt significant future draft capital to land a player who could be a dynamic backcourt partner for Anthony Edwards.
It’s certainly a high-risk allocation of what significant draft capital the Wolves had left, but they have the defensive infrastructure to theoretically cover for Dillingham’s lack of impact on that end. I also liked this decision for the Spurs, who acquired two valuable trade chips that will likely come in handy when San Antonio eventually decides to pursue another star to pair with Victor Wembanyama.
I have no idea who’s going to come out looking better in this deal, but I mostly just love that it happened.
Which title contender helped itself the most?
Woo: Oklahoma City Thunder
Nikola Topic and Dillon Jones might not be immediate-impact additions for the Thunder, but Sam Presti added two winning players who have a realistic chance of finding roles as OKC continues to build a young, exciting roster that is already way ahead of schedule. No team has stockpiled talent as effectively as the Thunder, and these were two strong additions that fit their ethos.
I’m eager to see how Topic contributes once he returns to full health, and I thought Jones was an underrated prospect going into Wednesday night.
Pelton: Minnesota Timberwolves
We’ll see how well giving up a swap in 2030 and an unprotected pick in 2031 will work out for the Timberwolves, but unquestionably Rob Dillingham is the most talented player any title contender added on draft night, and I think he can help them off the bench as a rookie.
Who are you most surprised to see still on the board heading into Round 2?
Pelton: Johnny Furphy. Even if you don’t believe in Furphy to the same degree as my projections, which had him fifth overall, he was the best available player in the top 100 from Givony and Woo for a long time on Wednesday night. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two-night draft gives a team that values Furphy an opportunity to trade up with the Toronto Raptors for the No. 31 pick.
Woo: Kyle Filipowski. Although I’m not personally as high on Filipowski as some, I figured a team would wind up taking a chance on him in the 20s, purely due to how difficult it is to find skilled 7-footers with legitimate skill and feel on the perimeter. The board didn’t fall in his favor, with a number of talented players falling into the teens, 20s and beyond, and a few surprise picks taking away some landing spots. I think he’s a much more interesting bet in the second round, and I don’t suspect he’ll be on the board for too much longer.
How should Victor Wembanyama feel after the Spurs drafted Stephon Castle but traded away their other top-10 pick?
Pelton: Patient. I know Wembanyama is eager to win now, and his skills will prevent San Antonio from picking in the top 10 as soon as next season. Still, we’ve seen too many teams with high lottery picks put low ceilings on their development as a team by rushing the rebuilding process. The Spurs should heed those teams’ mistakes.
Woo: Unconcerned. San Antonio is going to eventually put a contender around Wembanyama one way or another, and I felt the return it got from Minnesota was massive, particularly for a top-10 pick in what was considered a down draft who became a talented but divisive playmaker in Dillingham. I’ll bet the Spurs eventually take those picks and turn them into something much more useful when the time comes.
play3:51
The two NBA rookies Jay Bilas says can make an immediate impact
Jay Bilas joins Scott Van Pelt to discuss how Dalton Knecht fits with the Lakers and how he expects Devin Carter to make in immediate impact with the Kings.
Call it now: Predict Zach Edey’s rookie stat line
Pelton: I think 20 MPG is a reasonable guess for Edey now that the Memphis Grizzlies invested the No. 9 pick to take him as their center of the future. I’d bet on Edey averaging something similar to the 21 points and 13.7 rebounds per 36 minutes Boban Marjanovic averaged in his prime, which would translate to about 12 PPG and 7.5 RPG with let’s say 1 BPG.
Woo: I think Kevin is on the right track with that production – I expect the Grizzlies to get veteran help – but I also think Edey might be able to handle more minutes than that, considering the heavy workload he successfully had at Purdue. Memphis has the perfect partner for him in Jaren Jackson Jr., who excels protecting the paint and covering ground on the weak side and should be able to cushion Edey defensively.
I’ll bet Edey will be one of the league’s most efficient centers – I think he’ll be a load in the paint right away – but my bigger question is simply how he fits with Ja Morant, who likes to play at a wide-open pace that isn’t necessarily Edey’s optimal setting.
What’s the one word you’d use to describe Washington’s Round 1?
Pelton: Intriguing.
The Wizards ended up with two of the top 10 prospects in my projections in Alex Sarr (No. 2) and Kyshawn George (No. 9), plus a third in the top 15 in Carlton Carrington (No. 15). None of those guys is likely to help Washington win now – which the Wizards surely don’t want – but none is older than 19 either.
Woo: Tank-tastic, but in the most endearing way possible.
The Wizards are not going to win a lot next season, but their front office, led by Michael Winger and Will Dawkins, has clearly been afforded a similar degree of long-term runway by owner Ted Leonsis as they had during their Oklahoma City days. It’s going to take a while, but Washington seems ready to implement the Thunder’s model, collecting high-upside prospects and draft assets and aiming to develop a tall, versatile and skilled roster. With that in mind, there’s an obvious through line with three guys the Wizards drafted – and having a coherent plan and the freedom to execute it is sometimes a huge part of the battle front offices face.
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams. Jeremy Woo is an NBA analyst specializing in prospect evaluation and the draft. He was previously a staff writer and draft insider at Sports Illustrated.
via ESPN