The teams that win in the NBA are the ones that play well, which makes the draft the lifeblood of the league. And on Thursday night at the Barclays Center, the Post looks at exactly who left the building as the winner and who as the loser.
Winners
Orlando Magic
The Magic won Shaquille O’Neal with the best selection in 1992 and Dwight Howard a decade later. And this time they went with the most prepared big one. Paolo Banchero has the protection and intangible assets for a team that desperately needs both. Imagine Ben Simmons with a 6-foot, 10,250-pound jumper that can pass.
Detroit Pistons
GM Troy Weaver just killed this project. After Sacramento inexplicably transferred Jaden Ivy to Keegan Murray, Detroit pounced on Ivy’s open threat. The Purdue star has made a comparison with Ja Morant and should be the perfect athletic addition to the size and intelligence of Cade Cunningham. The addition of the 6-11 Jalen Duren Athletic Block Center in a three-way deal was a bonus; but creating enough space for chases to chase Deandre Ayton or Miles Bridges hangs on the edge.
Jaden Ivey speaks to the media after being selected by the Detroit PistonsNBAE via Getty Images
New Orleans Pelicans
Dyson Daniels at number 8 is a perfect match. Brandon Ingram, newcomers CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson (eventually) will create the footage; Daniels will handle the defense and the dirty work. He has an unstable jumper, but assistant Fred Vinson did wonders with Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Herb Jones. Daniels is his next student.
San Antonio Spurs
One choice later, the Spurs defeated 6-foot-9 defensive ace Jeremy Sochan over Duren. But like New Orleans a place earlier, they chose a young position with an Achilles heel, which they are convinced the longtime doctor Chip Engeland can fix. Then came Ohio State’s much-improved guard Malaki Branham in 20th place and Notre Dame’s Blake Wesley in 25th place, three athletic attacks. Who will bet against the development of Spurs players?
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Losers
The Brooklyn Nets
Not only did the Nets have no choice Thursday in their own building. Not only did they pick number 23 for next year in the hopes that Philadelphia would back down, just to watch the 76ers improve as they got De’Anthony Melton. That is, they owe their choice to Houston for James Harden, and we see how that works. Oh, and Kyrie Irving’s ghost hung in the night.
Kyrie Irving Anadolu Agency through Getty Images
Sacramento Kings
They were played by Ivy. After his rumors that they did not want to play in Sacramento, they were scared of the best player available and turned to Murray. Yes, it meets the needs, but it would almost certainly be available later. The Kings could get a good return to retire from No. 4, especially with Ivy on board. But hey, they turned Luka Doncic over to Marvin Bagley, so maybe Ivy was right.
New York Knicks
Yes, they turned one ditch into three and cleared the cap space. But they are sacrificing talent in the lottery, while the Bucks’ choice is likely to be poor and the other two are heavily protected. It seems like a high price to pay for Kemba Walker’s unobtrusive expiring deal of $ 9.2 million, all just for a shot against free agent Jalen Brunson (unless Irving is the final game, which brings a whole different set of worries).
Kemba WalkerGetty Images
Memphis Grizzlies
In the flank league, Memphis was not only enviably deep, but was actually oversaturated with wings. They traded Melton in Philadelphia for number 23, taking David Roddy along with No. 19 Jake Laravia. They drafted well under Zac Kleiman, but why give up a solid defender and a legitimate figure for a few rookies with limited stature who could find it difficult to thwart this rotation? For such a young team, experience must be a priority.
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