Chicago Bulls
The Bulls only had one pick, but it ended up being one of the best picks in the draft. With Derrick Rose out for at least the first couple months of the season and only C.J. Watson on the roster at point guard, the Bulls had to find a point and one fell into their lap at 29 with Marquis Teague, who easily could have gone 10 spots higher and no one would have blinked an eye. Teague is a similar type of player to Rose as a rookie, in that he's extremely quick and explosive but is still working on his jumpshot and learning how to run an offense. Teague improved dramatically over the course of the season and should see minutes immediately, with a chance to start later on in the season. I still expect the Bulls to bring in a veteran guard because Teague isn't ready to run a team yet, but considering he's a better prospect than his brother, who is Atlanta's starting point guard, this is a great pick.
Projected depth chart
PG: C.J. Watson/Marquis Teague
SG: Richard Hamilton/Ronnie Brewer
SF: Luol Deng/Kyle Korver/Jimmy Butler
PF: Carlos Boozer/Taj Gibson
C: Joakim Noah/Omer Asik*
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers dropped the first shocker of the draft by taking Dion Waiters at the 4th overall pick, despite Harrison Barnes and Thomas Robinson still being on the board. I understand that the Cavaliers need a second scorer, but Waiters' best attribute is scoring with the ball in his hands and getting to the rim, which is also what Kyrie Irving does best. Waiters is inconsistent as a shooter but he has a good stroke and if he can become a solid shooter, this will work better but if not they don't really have any shooting around Irving. I think Barnes would have been a better fit and value, but Waiters will still give the Cavs a dynamic backcourt, though a small one with Waiters at 6-4 and Irving at 6-3. The Cavs traded their later first round pick at 24, plus the 33 and 34 pick to move up to 17 to take Tyler Zeller. Zeller was a good value at that pick because he's safe and will be able to play right away and produce, the upside isn't huge but a starting caliber center at 17 is a good value, though I think they gave up too much to get him because they've got too many other needs to trade 3 for 1.
Projected depth chart
PG: Kyrie Irving/Waiters
SG: Dion Waiters/Daniel Gibson/Manny Harris
SF: Omri Casspi/Alonzo Gee*
PF: Tristan Thompson
C: Anderson Verajao/Tyler Zeller
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons had one of the best picks in the draft when they let Andre Drummond fall into their laps. Drummond was one of the best prospects in the draft and a perfect fit for Detroit. Drummond fell because of questions about his motor, but he's the most physically gifted prospect in the draft and should be a top defensive center even if he only kinda tries. If Detroit can unlock his potential, they'll have a star, if not they'll have a very good defender and a great fit next to Greg Monroe, who struggles on defense. I like the rest of Detroit's draft as well, with their first of two second round picks they took Khris Middleton (39) a solid wing player who struggled with injuries last season, but has a classic small forward's game and could be a role player down the line. With their second pick they got a replacement for Ben Gordon's shooting in Kim English. Though he doesn't do much else on offense but shoot, English plays really hard and should be scrappy defender who can match up with taller wings at 6-6. The Pistons still need to find another true big man to fill out their rotation, and they should have the money for it when they amnesty Charlie Villanueva.
Projected depth chart
PG: Brandon Knight/Will Bynum
SG: Rodney Stuckey/Kim English
SF: Tayshaun Prince/Corey Maggette/Austin Daye
PF: Greg Monroe/Jonas Jerebko/Jason Maxiell*
C: Andre Drummond/Monroe
Indiana Pacers
I really don't understand the fascination with Miles Plumblee. I get that he's big and athletic and worth a flier in the second round, but with a late first round pick in a deep and talented draft? Especially because Indiana now has to give him a guaranteed first round contract. Plumblee is an elite athlete, but he was also incredibly unproductive at Duke, despite Duke having a need for a frontcourt scorer. In fact, Plumblee scored 650 total points in his four seasons at Duke, while Draymond Green, a player the Pacers could have taken scored almost that much THIS SEASON. He's a good rebounder, but that's all he's going to offer you and you don't take a rebounding specialist with the 26th pick in the draft. The Pacers second pick, Orlando Johnson, was better though, and would have been less of a reach at 26 than Plumblee would have been at 36, where Johnson was selected. Johnson is a high scoring power guard who should be able to replace Leandro Barbosa scoring off the bench if not next season, than down the line.
Projected depth chart
PG: Darren Collison/George Hill*
SG: Paul George/Orlando Johnson/Lance Stephenson
SF: Danny Granger/George
PF: David West/Tyler Hansbrough
C: Roy Hibbert*/Miles Plumblee
Milwaukee Bucks
I think the Bucks were caught off guard when Terrence Ross went 8th and none of the top shooting guards fell to them at 14, so they didn't know which way to go exactly. John Henson is the kind of athletic, long armed, versatile defensive big man that the Bucks love, unfortunately they already have several of those in Larry Sanders, Ekpe Udoh, and Samuel Dalembert, and only Dalembert is coming off the books soon, and that's not til next year. Henson might end up better than them, but there's no guarantee of it. Moe Harkless would have been a better pick and fit I think, but Henson was the best player available. I really like the Bucks second round pick though, Doron Lamb (42) could easily have gone in the late first round and is one of the two best shooters in the draft. He's a nice third guard compliment to Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings and should stick in the league for a long while.
Projected depth chart
PG: Brandon Jennings/Ellis
SG: Monta Ellis/Doron Lamb
SF: Mike Dunleavy/Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
PF: Drew Gooden/Ersan Ilyasova*/John Henson
C: Samuel Dalembert/Larry Sanders/ Ekpe Udoh
*Currently unsigned
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