Every deadline, every accursed trade-mas eve, I come back to the column that opened up so many things for me and I write thousands of words about basketball. Last year, while my laptop overheated and eventually died, I wrote about Nolan Traore and Ryan Kalkbrenner while celebrating that I could once again do this.
We ended up at over 6.5K words last year. I doubt we get back to that number, but I certainly can promise I will try. For respect of what In the Loopus once was, and what I hope it will be.
Without anything else left to say, let’s get into it. Washington is on the clock. The pick is already in. It’s time to get started with our cavalcade of words that won’t stop until late, late in the evening. I hope you’ll stick around and I hope this doesn’t age too poorly.
Washington Wizards, #1: AJ Dybantsa, F, BYU
AJ Dybantsa is, in my opinion, the worst understood player in this entire class. From comps of Kevin Garnett to Tracy McGrady, no one seems to be sure of what he is outside of athletic and big. BYU give him a ridiculous amount of responsibility as a freshman and he improved as the year went on.
Maybe that’s the best indicator of Dybantsa’s future success: how much he took on, and how willing he was to do that. Still, he was unfairly branded as the no-question first overall pick last summer in a way that seemed premature.
Dybantsa will already be the crown jewel of a Wizards rebuild that has good parts, but lacks any standout superstar.
His fit alongside Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George seems quite good, but without improvement as a shooter, Bilal Coulibaly could be on his way out. At the very least, Washington now has someone to built around in a league that saw them as hopeless very very recently.
The swing factor? His playmaking, which steadily got better with more and more on ball reps and could transform Dybantsa from a play finisher to a supersized initiator that can do a bit of everything. At the very least, he’ll need to show more than zero defensive effort.
And god, what was that Trae Young deal?
In a Sentence: Anything is better than Utah.
Utah Jazz, #2: Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas
You know what isn’t better than Utah? Utah. Truly one of the worst places I’ve ever been, in no small part because of the random Mormon who stalked me to my hotel.
Anyway, the most trusted draft people I know were drooling over the ultra-supersized lineups the Jazz could’ve run out with all four of Cameron Boozer, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler. Instead, Utah chased a combo guard with an impossibly low assist rate.
I’ll be candid, Peterson is the member of the Big Four prospects in this year’s draft that I am lowest on. Between the creatine overdoses and the aforementioned lack of playmaking, I see Darryn as a combo guard with the size of a point guard. While 6’6 is not small, Peterson’s protein powder addiction was not without cause.
I just don’t love much of the fit between Peterson and Keyonte George, who will not be extending with Utah as of right now, nor the way the Jazz have set up their needs this year.
I do understand drafting best available, especially when Utah lacks a true superstar, instead boasting three of the top 45 players, without a single top 30 option.
Utah expects to take a big step forward, and I won’t say that they won’t, but I would’ve loved to see them go really big with Boozer and fix their playmaking problem that way. Instead, we’ll be seeing a lot of pressure on Will Hardy to get people open in a scheme, because individual brilliance will get the ball in the hoop, not in each other’s hands.
In a Sentence: Creatine, Cramps, and Self Creation.
Memphis Grizzlies, #3: Cameron Boozer, F, Duke
See, this is the things we like to see.
I made a thumbnail graphic this offseason for Swish Theory for a piece called “Cam Boozer: Duke’s Dancing Bear.”
It is fitting that he ends up as a literal bear.
Boozer was crowned as the analytics darling of this year’s campaign months ago, when it became clear that he would not be the top pick despite a freshman season only rivaled by Zion Williamson and Anthony Davis (let’s be honest, AD blows them both out.)
Boozer is a below the rim point forward who did everything for a Duke team that underperformed its talent level by no fault of this Boozer sibling. His pairing with Zach Edey is sure to be incredibly exciting, as long as the Purdue big man stays healthy.
Even if he doesn’t, Cam should remind older Grizzlies fans of the days when Pau Gasol ran the entire team up and down the court, leading the charge as a playmaker and scorer as a forward with next to no help.
Now, the situation in Memphis is not nearly as bad as it was then, or how it feels. Ja Morant will still be on the way out, but there is talent to be found here. Scottie Pippen Jr. has had moments, as has Jaylen Wells. Walter Clayton and Taylor Hendricks were the headliners of a pick based return for Jaren Jackson Jr. and they hold another pick later in the first.
This will be exciting. I doubt the Grizzlies will be good (obviously, someone has to be bad in the West), but they will be fun. And nailing the number three pick is a great start.
In a Sentence: Big Bear Meet Bear Team.
Chicago Bulls, #4: Caleb Wilson, F, UNC
I am probably too high on Wilson, who last played months ago before a series of hand injuries ended his — and UNC’s — hopes for a tournament run.
Look, in a nutshell, this is the type of player that simply won’t be bad. Will he be a superstar? Ehhh, he has moments where he looks like a Giannis-lite, but probably not. What I will promise though, is that he will start a Chicago Bulls rebuild that should have started years ago.
Personally, I am fascinated to see what Wilson can do as a playmaker, especially in regards to how much responsibility the Bulls will give him. After getting Nic Claxton for free, can Wilson give you some of the four – five pick and rolls that Kevin Durant did for Claxton ? (probably not, let me live…)
The top four picks were never really questions. Honestly, the top six are pretty much locked in, so there’s not much to say here that hasn’t been said yet, but the Bulls haven’t committed to a real rebuild since Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.
Seriously, the return on Jimmy Butler included Zach Lavine, who was good enough to leave the Bulls at the 7th pick for like four straight years. They then made some awful moves with the Orlando Magic for Nikola Vucevic and the San Antonio Spurs for DeMar DeRozan.
This is definitely a new era. Hopefully it doesn’t fall to the same pitfalls of the last one(s).
In a Sentence: Point forwards rejoice!!!!
Los Angeles Clippers, #5: Keaton Wagler, G, Illinois
Before we get to anything else… damn, what an era this has been for Illinois. TJ Shannon, Ayo Dosumnu, Kasparas Jakucionis, and now Wagler, all getting drafted and taking a program that was relatively quiet after Deron Williams back to notoriety.
Wagler is obviously the best of that modern group, a scorer who will now enter LA’s attempt at recouping a future after their perpetually expensive and all-in era fell flat on its face.
Keaton is an excellent shooter (39.7% from deep), but he’s also a combo guard in a way that #2 pick Darryn Peterson isn’t. He leans to the two but he can playmake in a way that the Clippers will need to pair with Darius Garland and Kawhi Leonard.
While we’re on the topic of Garland, while there are rumors he will be rerouted, this pick probably benefits him the most. Darius is at his best when he can split his time on and off ball, and Wagler will allow him to do exactly that.
After nailing the Ivica Zubac trade, it looks like the Clippers have nailed this pick as well (I would’ve preferred Mikel Brown or Aday Mara, but this is still quite good)
In a Sentence: Indiana Pacers, what were we thinking?
Brooklyn Nets, #6: Mikel Brown Jr., G, Louisville
I am quite happy to see my top two favorite players in this class go in the top six to spots that fit them quite well.
I know the shot selection is rough at times, but everything else is so, so tantalizing. From the speed, to the creativity on and off the ball, to the way he got to the rim and got his teammates involved, this is simply a fun, good player.
That being said, the biggest red flag is not the shot selection, or the size, or the shooting. It is his medicals.
Brown has a major back injury, one that he has continued to have to rehab. It’s not quite at Michael Porter Jr. levels (hey, look at that, teammates!!), but it’s certainly not good.
That being said, Brown was the last player on the board that could become a superstar in my opinion. Of course it’s not likely, there’s a reason he went sixth and not first.
But the Nets will be looking for their franchise star elsewhere anyway, as Joe Tsai wants to spend and trade his way into the playoffs as a major advocate for the new lottery reform. With that in mind, might as well split the proverbial G of getting both upside and a decent floor.
In a Sentence: Mikel, Egor, MPJ, Randle, Sharpe is the type of lineup that only a Brooklyn team trying to escape the lottery could put together.
Sacramento Kings, #7: Darius Acuff Jr, G, Arkansas
Hooooo boy. Let’s take a deep breath.
And HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
This is the Kingsiest move I have ever seen. Of course they would be the team that runs the pick to the podium for a tiny guard that can score and look good doing it while also cratering the team defensively. In the week where Trae Young got one of the worst contracts I’ve ever seen, his regen got draft seventh overall in a league that clearly no longer values that kid’s skillset.
Hell, can we please see him alongside Russ? Please?
Look, I’m not an idiot, (well, I am but…) I understand the logic here. Acuff could be an incredible player, and Calipari guards frequently overperform their college expectations upon reaching the league, but I just don’t understand how this is a pick for a winning team.
Once you start to realize that it is largely a pick to sell tickets and appease Scott Perry in the front office, it makes a little — and I mean, only a little — bit of sense.
God, it really is so Kingsian though.
Welp, he’ll make all rookie first team with the highest PPG average of the rookie class, so we can certainly lock that in.
In a Sentence: Isaiah Thomas? Or Tyreke Evans? Or Jimmer Fredette? Or…
Atlanta Hawks, #8: Kingston Flemings, G, Houston
As someone who is incredible invested in the Atlanta Hawks (I love you NAW, so proud of you), this seems pretty cool, albeit very redundant.
The Hawks clearly have a type. That type is two way point guards with shooting questions. Between NAW, Dyson Daniels, and now Kingston Flemings, the Hawks abandoned Trae Young and very quickly built a rotation of his opposites.
In an attempt to catch up (yes, I am behind), I’ll keep this one short. Flemings is really easy to talk yourself into. His 42 point explosion against Texas Tech shows that he could be a far more impressive scorer than some might think.
The Hawks now feature a rotation of guys that are all positive defenders and willing playmakers. If the league cycles between favoring teams that score, then those who rebound, in five to eight year generations, maybe it’s time for that to switch to either the steal or the assist.
The Hawks are built for that now, and no one fits that better than Flemings.
In a Sentence: Would you like big NAW? Or skinny NAW? Or tall NAW?
Dallas Mavericks, #9: Morez Johnson Jr., F, Michigan
No one is surprised by the Mavericks taking a Michigan Wolverine. I do think people are surprised that it was this Wolverine.
The Mavs have quite a few issues. Their best point guard is a 35? year old Kyrie Irving coming off a torn ACL. Their best centers are Daniel Gafford, who is expected to be traded, and Derek Lively, whose career was put in danger by Mavs team doctors missing a lisfranc fracture.
The only real issue the team did not have was at the forward spots. PJ Washington is still pretty decent, and on a more than fair contract. Cooper Flagg is the face of the franchise post Luka (yeah, we’re still on that). Hell, Naji Marshall is still an excellent player as well. If there was one thing the Mavs did not need, it was another forward.
To that end, Johnson will either be playing some of his minutes at the five, or some of those vets will be gone.
For this pick to make sense, especially with Brayden Burries and Ebuka Okorie on the board (and Aday Mara, if we’re going there), there needs to be some immediate impact in helping the team adapt to Dusty May more easily.
Morez needs to have some extra impact for this to make sense.
That being said, the front court trio of Flagg, Johnson, and Lively is fantastic defensively and while this is a lot of weight to put on an Irving return to form, it could work out for that exact reason.
In a Sentence: The devil is in the details.
Milwaukee Bucks, #10: Brayden Burries, G, Arizona
Can I be honest folks?
Brayden Burries is one of the bigger name players that I just failed to put any real hours into in terms of film. His measurables are vaguely comparable to me (he is 6’4, 215. I am 6’3, 220), and he seems like a much, much better player than I will ever be.
From what my more informed draft friends tell me, this is guaranteeing a good player to kickstart the rebuild for Milwaukee after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat.
It seems like Burries is getting typecast in a very similar way to Kon Knueppel was last year. These are capable shooters that are seen as having a lower ceiling because they don’t have a singular stand out skill. There are worse things to be than a jack of all trades, and it seems like all it would take is one skill to pop.
In the meantime, the Bucks will be shooting and running a lot!
In a Sentence: Burries Threes.
Golden State Warriors, #11: Yaxel Lendeborg, F, Michigan
Did you know that Yaxel is Dominican? I did not until one of my best friends told me. His father just so happens to be a Warriors fans, so I hope he’s seeing this and celebrating. Between Yaxel and Al Horford on the Warriors, and Darializa Chevalier hopefully winning the district’s congress race, this is a big day for the DR (Espaillat has run an evil campaign btw).
With all that out of the way, Yaxel is what the Warriors should’ve been prioritizing ever since the 2020 draft saw them take a center that was the clearest “in idea only” star in draft history and the 2021 draft saw them light two lottery picks on fire.
He’s just a good player.
Yax is old, obviously. He will be nearing his 30s by the time his rookie deal ends, but he also comes in ready to help the Warriors back to where they want to be. Remember, the Warriors have not had problems holding onto older players in the past.
Especially with Jimmy Butler’s torn ACL, Yax will likely slide into the starting three or four spot. I’m sure Steve Kerr will hope he will be the new age Andre Iguodala.
I am not one to disagree. I love this pick.
In a Sentence: Three-and-D-ominican
OKC Thunder, #12: Aday Mara, C, Michigan
Sigh.
Was that the disappointment of the NBA at large that the OKC lucked into the guy who may be the best center in the class, is an ideal replacement for Isaiah Hartenstein, and can certainly prove to be both a good Wemby stopper and good against the rest of the league?
No, that was the sound of last year’s first round pick, Thomas Sorber, realizing that he will have to beat out a lottery pick after rehabbing a major foot injury. Let’s be honest, he probably won’t.
If we can focus on the Wolves for a second here, I never understood the push for Sorber last year (the pick became Joan Beringer instead), and the Thunder being willing to burry him just a year in does not make me regret that evaluation at all.
As for Aday Mara, talk about a dream pick for the spaniard.
I truly can’t overstate how perfect the Thunder have set Mara up to succeed, and how quickly Mara will pay dividends for OKC. This is the perfect player – team fit and I am furious it has fallen into place for the team that deserves nothing nice.
In a Sentence: F***
Milwaukee Bucks (Via Miami Heat), #13: Nate Ament, F, Tennesee
No one seems to like Ament outside of NBA front offices. I am not really one to disagree. I don’t think there’s a single standout thing he does well enough to deserve the hype he’s gotten in the media over the past few weeks. Is it his foul drawing?
Everyone keeps talking about the frame and the creation abilities he could have, but I don’t think I see that either. Sure, he’s big, and sure, he can do stuff on the ball, but does he do it well? Is this just a question of giving him reps in hopes they can do the Giannis developmental path all over again?
Betting on outlier growth is simultaneously unintelligent and also the most standard way the NBA works. You do not succeed because players do what is expected of them, you succeed because they surpass that. I guess that’s the bet with Ament.
Either way, this seems like the opposite of the Burries pick. One was thoughtful and calculated. This was impulsive and blind. That sounds harsh, but others have been harsher.
In a Sentence: Giannis Amentokounmpo or Bruno Camentclo?
Charlotte Hornets, #14: Hannes Steinbach, C, Washington
You ever go to the supermarket craving something really specific? And then you walk through the aisles and you find it, but it doesn’t look as good as it did as it did in your head, but you hold onto it while still looking for something, only for the PA to come on and announce that the supermarket is closing in the next ten moments and to ask for shoppers to please make their way towards the checkout?
You still aren’t super excited for what you’ve picked, but you just kind of go with it, and you go home and eat it in the kitchen over the sink.
While you got a meal, and it was technically what you wanted, something just feels off.
Well, I tell you what, the Hornets were certainly craving a center, and they did in fact get one. A year after dumping Mark Williams, Charlotte drafted Marcus Williams straight out of Germany.
Steinbach is a decent player, no doubt, but the Hornets could’ve been better served in trading for a veteran big and taking one of the plethora of tumbling guards that they could’ve used, especially if they move off of Lamelo Ball in the coming year.
Between Steinbach and Kalkbrenner, Charlotte has filled their need, but they’ve also filled it with uninspiring bigs who won’t be bad, but also won’t enhance what the Hornets already have going on.
In a Sentence: Not gas station sushi, more like a day old rotisserie chicken
With the lottery done, I am going to make dinner and will get back to this after. Every pick will be analyzed. Every thought will be shared. Every prospect will be explained in the most obnoxious way possible. Do not fret, friends, we will be back soon.
