Skip to main content
Larry Brown Sports Tagline. Brown Bag it, Baby.
#pounditThursday, March 28, 2024

Each NBA team’s biggest draft need

Paul George

Oklahoma City Thunder — Paul George insurance

Carmelo Anthony wasn’t really a success and Paul George is a free agent, meaning the Thunder may need to find some help on the wing to take pressure off Russell Westbrook. They have two draft picks, but they’re Nos. 53 and 57, meaning the Thunder probably won’t find the sort of impact help they’d like through the draft.

Orlando Magic — A primary ballhandler

There’s talent here in Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac and a solid complementary piece in Evan Fournier, but the Elfrid Payton trade left Orlando without a true point guard or really anyone who is adept at handling the basketball. They’re pretty well set in terms of size, so a dynamic guard who can create for others and score when necessary should be at the top of their list of priorities.

Philadelphia Sixers — More guard depth

The Sixers are finally in a position where they no longer have to hit a home run with every draft pick, yet can still get a quality player with the No. 10 selection. Though risky, another guard wouldn’t hurt. Ben Simmons is the primary ballhandler, but questions have arisen over Markelle Fultz, and another option that can score from outside would make the team that much more dangerous. They just have to be picky, as a ball-dominant player wouldn’t fit with Simmons on the floor.

Phoenix Suns — Shooting and defense

The owners of the first overall pick could select pretty much anyone and it would be justified, but they didn’t shoot well, particularly from deep, and they were very poor defensively. Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, and Josh Jackson have futures with the franchise, but they have no sure thing at point guard and little on the interior. They can’t really go wrong no matter what they do.

Portland Trail Blazers — Help for the guards

The 3 and 4 stick out for the Blazers, as Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are both stars and Jusuf Nurkic looks like a steady player inside. They need to augment both of them. Anyone who can play these positions effectively, be it with a steady interior presence, outside shooting, or the ability to drive to the basket and defend, should be high on their list.

Sacramento Kings — A franchise cornerstone

No pressure for the Kings, who have been in a near-perpetual rebuild for what feels like a decade now. Even after drafting De’Andre Fox last year, this is a team that doesn’t feel like it has that one big, potentially franchise-defining piece to build around, and they haven’t since they traded DeMarcus Cousins. With the second overall pick, they’ll have the option to nab either DeAndre Ayton or Luka Doncic, and they should really just take the best player available and go from there.

San Antonio Spurs — Big man depth

It’s the Spurs, so they’ll likely pick a little-known international player and stash them for a while. If they do go a particular route and draft based on need, a big man wouldn’t be the worst option. They don’t have a ton of interior depth behing LaMarcus Aldridge, though this organization has an innate ability to find reclamation projects and make solid NBA players out of them, so it may not even matter that much.

Toronto Raptors — Wing depth

The other team without any 2018 draft picks, the Raptors will live with that scenario if LeBron James leaves the Eastern Conference. Barring that, they’d probably like to get some wing depth to help the likes of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and their interior players. They could theoretically trade for a pick, but right now, we wouldn’t bank on it.

Utah Jazz — Insurance for Derrick Favors

The Jazz have been a remarkable story, and Donovan Mitchell a revelation in his rookie season, making this team well-poised for the future. Mitchell, Ricky Rubio, Joe Ingles, and Rudy Gobert are a formidable core, but the team faces the possibility of losing forward Derrick Favors to free agency. Adding a complementary forward would do a lot to keep the team moving in the right direction.

Washington Wizards — Interior help

The Wizards have plenty of scoring on the perimeter, but among forwards with size, only Markieff Morris averaged in double figures for Washington. Marcin Gortat won’t be there forever, either, meaning that the Wizards badly need to add some size. A flier on an athletic big man with scoring or rim-protecting ability would be a solid addition.

Pages: 1 2 3

.

Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast!

Sports News Minute Podcast
comments powered by Disqus