The NBA Draft’s first round is over, and while many fans will go to sleep happy with what their teams did, other fans are scratching their head. Here are the five most confusing picks of Round 1.
No. 9 Frank Kaminsky, PF, Charlotte Hornets
Kaminsky was a prolific scorer in college, and has a sweet 3-point stroke, but still made little sense for the Hornets as the No. 9 pick in the draft. Kaminsky is projected to start right away, offering Charlotte almost no rim protection or post defense when paired with offense-first center Al Jefferson. When teams go small against the Hornets, Kaminsky is unlikely to keep up with the Draymond Greens of the world.
The Hornets made a big investment last year in shooting guard Lance Stephenson, who obviously did not work out. Why not try again with Duke G/F Justise Winslow, who was still on the board?
No. 8 Stanley Johnson, SF, Detroit Pistons
The Pistons took a chance on the very athletic Johnson, but he doesn’t fix any of their problems. Detroit has an undersized and defensively challenged backcourt, but instead of selecting Winslow, who went No. 10 overall, they elected to take Johnson, a forward, with about as questionable an outside shooting stroke.
Winslow was the best perimeter defender in the class, yet fell behind Johnson because of his perceived offensive upside. Winslow was surrounded by offensive talent at Duke and asked to play a secondary role, while Johnson had more freedom to flourish. Johnson may wind up living up to his billing, but he’s more raw than the Pistons can afford.
No. 16 Terry Rozier, PG, Boston Celtics
It’s odd putting the Celtics on a list of head-scratchers, but Rozier this high was surprising. The Celtics’ backcourt is already full with Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and microwave PG Isaiah Thomas, so Rozier’s fit is unclear. The Celtics are all about assets, so perhaps they’re planning to move one of these four guards, but if they were honestly looking for a sound point guard there were more refined options on the board.
No. 15 Kelly Oubre, SF, Atlanta Hawks
This is no knock on Oubre, but rather Atlanta’s decision to trade him. Oubre was maddeningly inconsistent as a freshman at Kansas, but the flashes he showed were tremendous. Paul George was once a raw project taken at No. 9 overall, but his defensive potential was nearly limitless, and he’s now one of the best wing players in the NBA.
Oubre has that kind of potential, and to trade him for Tim Hardaway Jr., who has had two years in the NBA to prove his worth, seems unwise.
No. 24 Tyus Jones, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers
Huh? Jones should be a fine NBA point guard, but it was weird for the Cavaliers to pick him with Kyrie Irving entrenched at the position. Then, minutes later, they dealt him to the Minnesota Timberwolves. If memory serves correctly, the Cavaliers were woefully short on productive bodies in the NBA Finals once Irving and Kevin Love went down, so why not take a player at a position of greater need? Instead they selected a very solid player that was an awkward fit, and then didn’t even try to find a role for him.
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