NBA Draft: Overview of the Top 5 Picks

This draft class wasn’t full of talents like Zion Williamson and Luka Doncic, but it was definitely intriguing to see where guys like Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman, and especially Lamelo Ball would fall. Even though the players in this year’s draft don’t have as high of a ceiling as certain players in previous drafts, they all have the opportunity to be great in their own respective ways. 

Pick #1: Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Anthony Edwards probably has the second most upside in this draft right behind James Wiseman. He looked great many times in college while playing at the University of Georgia. He has unreal athleticism and explosion while going to the rim and has the ability to get red hot from three-point range. He’s drawn comparisons to Dwyane Wade and some call him a poor man’s James Harden. The only problem with Anthony Edwards is he hasn’t played basketball long enough to have certain instincts and often forces up harder shots than he needs to. While you’d think he’d be going to the basket all of the time because of his size as a guard, only 27% of his shots come from around the rim. When he does drive, he makes 69% at the rim. NBA coaches will help him with things like this tremendously. 

Pick #2: James Wiseman (Golden State Warriors)

James Wiseman was probably the most locked-in player in this draft. He was a clear fit with the Warriors from the beginning until Klay Thompson injured his right leg which is going to end up in him sitting out for another full season. You hate to see injuries happen and the Warriors probably wanted to stay optimistic about how serious his injury was. After it was revealed that Klay was going to be out for the year, you wonder if the Warriors had wished they went in a different direction, like maybe drafting Lamelo Ball at 2 to replace the injured Klay Thompson. Nevertheless, James Wiseman should be a great fit next to Steph Curry and they should be able to make it work just fine. 

Pick #3: Lamelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets)

Lamelo Ball was the most intriguing player in this entire draft. He’s a 6’ 8” guard who has elite playmaking skills and a decent jump shot. Not to mention him and his 2 other brothers were high school phenoms. What may be the most intriguing though is just how much Lamelo’s game has improved over a span of 3 years. When he played in Lithuania we all thought he was still just a little kid who did too much on the court. Then he moved onto Spire high school and that was where we saw what he could really do since he was a lot taller by then. Finally, he moved to play in the NBL all the way in Australia and looked pretty good on a bad team. The question with Lamelo is whether or not his offensive abilities can overcome his tragic defense. 

Pick #4: Patrick Williams (Chicago Bulls)

This one is really tricky. There wasn’t a clear cut 4th pick in this year’s draft as the top 3 were pretty much locked in any order. As a Bulls fan, I’m not sure how I feel about it. Patrick Williams is an athletic forward with a rare body type that makes his potential very high. That being said he didn’t even start in college and for us to take a 6th man at the 4 spot is questionable, to say the least. I believe our new front office took a chance and if it works out it can be really good for us. But if it doesn’t, the city of Chicago is going to be questioning the rest of their decisions for a long time. 

Pick #5: Isaac Okoro (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Isaac Okoro out of Auburn should be a great fit for the Cavaliers. The team has scorers in Collin Sexton, Kevin Porter Jr., and potentially still Kevin Love. One of the things they lacked was defense and Okoro definitely brings that to the table. They do have Andre Drummond to lock up the paint but he’s getting older and they’re in need of young guys because they’re in the rebuilding phase. Okoro has been compared to Jimmy Butler because of his defensive abilities and mid-range jump shot. He has a good body type for defending and should fit perfectly into this young Cavs roster.