Michael Lee and Matthew Giles break down every pick in Round 1 to analyze what the new prospect offers and what the moves mean for the teams taking them.
(The Washington Post) – We can finally stop trying to sift through all of the smoke screens and flat-out lies. After filling our day with trade rumors and endless speculation about DeMarcus Cousins, LaMarcus Aldridge and seemingly every other iteration of people with the name Marcus, the NBA draft is over and we just sit back and applaud, chortle or wonder what the general manager of [insert team name here] was thinking when he decided to take another power forward when he clearly needed a point guard.
For the first time in a while, two of the league’s marquee franchises – the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks – made top-five choices, so there was plenty of intrigue and even more drama surrounding this draft than others. Karl-Anthony Towns went No. 1 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves, giving that organization the past three top picks and plenty of hope going forward. But after that, the Lakers really put the draft in motion.
This night wasn’t only about the selections but also the trades. Teams wanted to move up. Some wanted to move back. And Luke Ridnour just wanted to go a few hours without being traded somewhere.