NBA Draft - Grading Steals and Reaches
The NBA Draft concluded last week and the outlook on teams futures throughout the league are currently in question
By Grant Lang
Getty Images
After a long season of ups and downs, the draft and free agency has finally come. It has been a long road, to say the least, with multiple key injuries and trades throughout the season, but ultimately the Okalhoma City Thunder were named the NBA Champions. One of the most notable things about the Thunder is their absurd stockpile of draft picks that they have accumulated over the past 8 years, which will continue to play a long part in continuing their run. This years draft had plenty of risers and fallers, and thus article will focus primarily on those that were good picks and those that were reaches. Many draft night trades were ambitious, such as the Pelicans trading 2 first round picks to move up 10 spots in the draft, or the Jazz making multiple late trades to try to move up and select Walter Clayton. There was much that happened overall during this years draft and it all needs to be taken into account from the perspective of the team itself rather than seeing it from a different teams perspective. All that being said, lets take a look at the steals of the draft first.
Steals of the Draft
Jase Richardson (25th pick) - Orlando Magic:
Standing at 6'1, Richardson plays the role of a versatile combo guard that can be a consistent scorer in nearly any scenario, even in an inconsistent offense. Richardson thrived heavily on Michigan State despite their complete lack of spacing, which goes to show how he thrives in unsavory environments and can get buckets regardless of the scenario. Richardson himself was not an inconsistent shooter, but rather one of the only good shooters on the entire Michigan State team. His low draft spot comes down to his lack of height and general worries regarding his defense. In my opinion, the fact that Michigan State managed to maintain a high-level defense despite the defensive worries of Richardson tell me that those worriers are overstated, and he will be hidden well on a versatile defensive team like the Magic. That coupled with his high-ranking advanced stats leads me to believe that this guy will be a steal for the 25th pick in the draft.
Liam McNeeley (29th Pick) - Charlotte Hornets:
In nearly the complete opposite archetype as Richardson, McNeeley acts as a shooting forward that does not heavily rely on athleticism, but is by no means unathletic. Whenever I see somebody talk about McNeeley's shooting, I always think of the line from Moneyball: "If he's such a good hitter then why doesn't he hit good?"The difference is that in McNeeley's case, I do truly believe that it mainly has to do with the lack of help he had on the offensive side of the ball on last years UConn team. Whether he will be a good shooter in the NBA or not depends entirely on the way that he is coached, but the shooting splits for his college season (~32 3P%) could absolutely be improved. All that being said, McNeeley was one of the safest players in the enitre draft and it is absolutely stunning he fell all the way to the 29th pick. He has flaws, but he fits a very similar archetype to Kon Knueppel (who was ironically also drafted by the Hornets). This will likely pan out to be a an excellent pick and McNeeley will be in the league for a long period of time with much sustained success. He won't be an all-star, but he will contribute on a high level.
Adou Theiro (36th pick) - Los Angeles Lakers:
Maybe it is the Lakers fan in me talking, but I do truly believe that Adou Theiro was drafted far lower than the spot he deserved. I was saying this before he was drafted by the Lakers as well. On top of being an incredible athlete, Theiro averaged 55%+ from the field while averaging 15 PPG+ as a rookie. Those are very strong percentages for a forward that can't really shoot. That of course, segues into the main issue with his game: He can't really shoot. He's inconsistent when wide-open and when guarded. Despite that, the form is there and for a team like the Lakers, they do not need him to be hitting difficult shots, but rather just corner threes is all they ask of him. His free throw percentage indicates that the room for improvement will come down to shooting coaches and the way he is coached overall. Most players who average low 3P% but high FT% end up as good shooters in the NBA, but Theiro averages around 70 FT%, which says that it may be a toss-up on whether he can improve or not. End of the day, that is what will measure his value as a player, but his athleticism and high ceiliing still allows for a player that could possibly make some noise in the NBA.
Getty Images
Reaches of the Draft
Derik Queen (13th Pick) - New Orleans Pelicans:
Out of Maryland, Derik Queen stands as an incredibly interesting prospect whose success in the league is going to be based off of finding his overall role on an NBA team. To compliment Queen, none of his qualities are bad. But he's like the RJ Barrett of prospects: not particularly good or bad at anything. His build is strange, as it seems like he is built like a center but rather plays SF or PF. His shooting splits aren't terrible, but he doesn't really seem like the type of player you could slot onto a team without having to structure your entire roster around him due to his unique playstyle and build. Couple that with the insane price NOLA paid to get him at the 13th pick (23rd pick and unprotected pick next year) and you have a recipe for a disaster.
Cedric Coward (11th pick) - Memphis Grizzlies:
I liked Cedric Coward a lot coming into this draft. He has a huge wingspan, is a great athlete, and has the upside to be a Jalen Williams-esque player. Then he was drafted 11th. He's good, but I don't know if he's that good. In many mock drafts before the draft, he was being mocked around mid-20s, which I thought was a very fair position given his college production and the fact that he started D-II. Coward produced at Washington State, but not nearly enough to warrant being selected as high as the 11th pick in the first round. Again, I like Coward as a player but I also recognize that this pick was an insane reach and should absolutely warrant criticism, regardless of how Coward plays out in the NBA.
Yang Hansen (16th pick) - Portland Trail Blazers:
Very similar to Coward, Hansen is by no means a bad player, but he is also an insane reach on so many levels. It comes across more like this pick was a marketing decision by the Trail Blazers rather than an actual pick given all of the buzz around Hansen. He stands at 7'2, has good hands, and could likely be a valuable piece to the Blazers future, but picking him makes little sense when they already have Donovan Clingan and just traded away Anfernee Simons. It would have been more valuable for the Blazers to draft a wing like Asa Newell or someone to pair with Camara in the frontcourt, but this pick comes across as a massive reach even after Ayton's departure from the Trail Blazers earlier this week. For those reasons, there is no better way to mark this pick down than an absolute reach on the part of Portland and a play that will be unlikely to pay off over the coming years for the franchise.
Getty Images