The WearTesters Weekender | NBA Draft Reactions

Post NBA Draft Reactions:

With the 23rd pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics select…WHO? Who even is that? That happened to Celtics fans at least twice, and more than one other fan base, as international players flew off the board in draft and stash decisions and high-risk high-reward gambles on talent. A whopping 14 of the first 30 picks and 26 total players drafted on Thursday night were international players, a record to date. If anyone is still foolish enough to discount basketball as a global game, this had to erase doubts.

Recent international talents like Kristaps Porzingis and Nikola Jokic as well as a draft and stash success like Nikola Mirotic have made NBA scouts go looking, and general managers more confident in their triggers. We are also experiencing an Australian-born takeover in recent years with Ben Simmons, Dante Exum, Dellavedova, Andrew Bogut and even Kyrie Irving of finals dagger infamy.

However, after it’s all said and done, let’s discuss who made the best draft day decisions. What fan base should be the most excited? Will the Timberwolves roll out one of the lankiest, dauntingly energetic defensive lineups in Rubio-Dunn-Wiggins-Dieng-Towns next year? Did the Spurs scoop up another steal of a talent at the end of round 1 in Dejounte Murray? Am I the only one excited to see Denzel Valentine silence the doubters and prove he can contribute right away as a shooter and a facilitator? Are the Kings just the worst run franchise in the history of the league? (Whoops, that’s unrelated.)

How about in regards to draft steals? Maybe not Isaiah Thomas level steals (60th pick), but who do you have outperforming their draft position? I’ve got my eye on four 2nd round picks. Tyler Ulis, Stephen Zimmerman, Diamond Stone and Jake Layman (sure, call me a homer on those two). They will make their teams very happy. Let’s hear it from you, sound off!

adidas basketball – Youth Movement:

When adidas decided not to renew its contract as the official apparel of the NBA, it committed to investing in more players. With four of the top five picks and the 7th pick in the 2016 NBA draft in Brandon Ingram, Jaylen Brown, Dragan Bender, Kris Dunn, and Jamal Murray signing contracts with the Three Stripes this past week, it did just that. The fresh new group of standard-bearers brings incredible talent and potential to the adidas athlete lineup across every position except center (a position that generally doesn’t sell shoes). This is a legitimate power move for adidas and suddenly has Nike looking lonely with Ben Simmons. What do you think?

The Age of Position-less Basketball:

You heard all of the announcers and analysts on Thursday: “He can really stretch the floor from the forward position, he can defend four positions, he can handle the ball right off of a rebound, he’ll bring versatility to their frontline.” The mindset is changing, the Warriors and their uber-successful lineup of death has changed the narrative. Their championship and then record-breaking success has influenced even more than the glory days of the Steve Nash and D’Antoni Suns and their offensive principles. Everyone wants to be able to roll out lineups oozing with versatility and spacing. The Thunder put Durant at the 4 and Ibaka at the 5 in spurts and nearly steamrolled through the Western Conference en-route to a rematch with LeBron and the Cavs lineups featuring him operating at the power forward position.

When the Bucks selected Thon Maker, a 7’1 center who can dribble, shoot, and move like someone much smaller with the 10th pick, I started to imagine. Tomorrow, they could deploy a lineup of Carter-Williams, Middleton, Giannis, Parker, and Thon Maker sharing the court. Opponents would have a hard time passing, dribbling and shooting around what would feel like hundreds of feet of arms all around them. All five can dribble, all five could switch and generate havoc across positions on defense. Imagine the wingspans and then tell me again how you disagree with the Bucks pick?

As I’ve played full court pickup around four to five nights a week during the summer at the University of Maryland gym, I’ve realized position-less teams in pickup are near unstoppable. If you run with a group of five guys that can dribble, rebound, shoot to an extent, and guard anyone from 5’8″ to 6’6″ or so, you become unstoppable. Moreover, being able to switch on pick and rolls, the foundation of pickup offense, stifles the other team. Do you agree?