The Next Generation of NBA Stars Find New Homes

Victor Wembanyama during the French championship, Betclic elite basketball match between Paris and Metropolitans 92 (Mets or Boulogne-Levallois) on May 16, 2023 in Levallois, France.

Credit: Victor Velter Via Shuttertock

By: Joshua Martin

This may be the most entertaining draft we've had in some time. Trades galore leading up to draft night already had organizations putting together plans to improve their teams now and for the future. Marcus Smart now plays for the Grizzlies, CP3 is now a Warrior, Jordan Poole was shipped off to the Wizards and Kristaps Porzingis is officially a Boston Celtic. That’s a lot of moves. Despite the moving of well established, big name players, the NBA Draft is all about the young guys and this year there was a clear no-brainer for the number 1 pick.

Victor Wembanyama is a once in a lifetime prospect and was the clear favorite to go to the Spurs at 1. Wemby is a freak of nature, standing at 7’5” with a 8 foot wingspan he is the most highly touted incoming player since Lebron James. He may not turn the Spurs into a playoff team in his first year but he couldn't have found himself in a more perfect situation. In San Antonio, he will play and learn from one the greatest coaches of all time in Greg Poppavich and he will get plenty of opportunities to showcase his skills on a squad that's in desperate need of a talent influx, thus the number 1 pick. As a player comp, I can see him evolving into a more durable Porzingis with a lot more ball skills and shot creation. He also has the potential to become a defensive force, If he can add bulk to an otherwise wiry frame, the Spurs may be adding more championship banners to the 5 they already have.

Wemby may have dominated the pre draft headlines but this draft was about more than one prospect. To round out the top five, the Charlotte Hornets selected versatile forward Brandon Miller at 2, the uber athletic point guard Scoot Henderson went to the Portland Trail Blazers at 3, the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons selected two twin brothers, Amen and Ausar Thompson, with the 4th and 5th picks respectively. Despite not being known for putting the ball in the basket, both brothers are long and rangy. The game has changed so much that non shooting perimeter players really don't have a place in the modern NBA but both have the propensity to transform into legit defensive stoppers. 

Biggest Winners

Mavericks

The Mavericks started off a successful draft night by moving the horrendous Davis Bertans contract, drafting Duke center Dereck Lively II at 12 overall and acquiring former Sacramento Kings big man Richaun Holmes. The Mavs are winners because they were able to gain a little bit of cap flexibility and address some of their defensive woes with the selection of LIvely II, a mobile big man with size and the potential to become a defensive player of the year winner. 

Washington Wizards

Gone are Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis. In are former NBA champion Jordan Poole, Tyus Jones, a bunch of mid level veterans and a slew of draft picks. The Wizards selected forward Bilal Coulibaly with the 7th overall pick, a defensive stopper with obvious holes in his offensive repertoire. Many may look at this as a reach but the Wizards are allowed to take a few risks, especially since they have fully embraced a rebuild that was long overdue.

Biggest Losers

It's hard to label teams as losers on a night filled with so much hope and promise. However there are two squads that left their fan bases with more questions than answers. 

The OKC Thunder had a whooping 17 1st round picks over the next 3 years heading into last night's draft. Despite a solid pick at 10 with guard Cason Wallace. Oklahoma City fans have to wonder if they are facing a forever rebuild. Shai is an ALL NBA type of talent and most teams will try to find veteran stars to maximize the talent of the younger players. Not the Thunder who seem to be adamant at stockpiling assets without actually cashing them in. Acquiring high valued prospects is never a bad thing but eventually OKC needs to make a move that will put them in serious playoff contention before they miss their window to improve in a always competitive Western conference.  

The Portland Trail Blazers took the best available prospect at 3 with their selection of Scoot Henderson but Dame Lillard has explicitly announced he doesn't plan on waiting on younger players to develop. He wants to win now and not any of the moves the organization has made this offseason has made that dream a reality. 

“I don’t have much of an appetite for bringing in guys two and three years away from really going after it.”

— Damian Lillard

Calling the Trail Blazers losers may be a little misguided but one cant help but wonder, “What are they going to do?” With rumors swirling, the Blazers could have appeased both Dame and Blazers fans with a draft day trade. I mean it's not like they didn't have the assets. The Blazers are at a crossroads and will be quite interesting to see how it all unfolds in the coming months. 

All in all, The Victor Wembenya era starts now. Good luck rookies, we will be watching!!

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