NBA Draft day.
Tonight, there will be life-altering events in some young men’s lives. Some have scratched and clawed their way to get here. Others have been anticipating this moment for quite some time. There’s electricity in the air, but more importantly, there’s hope.
There’s hope that this isn’t the only moment in their career and hope from teams that this young man will be the next big name under the marquee lights. The NBA draft is the unofficially official start for the NBA offseason and rumor season!
3 Reasons Why NBA Draft Day is Exciting
It’s no secret that the NBA draft is much different a product than the juggernaut NFL; the draft order is determined through a ping pong ball lottery, there are only two rounds, and often there are fewer than six guys that truly change their team let alone the league. So this begs the question, why should I pay attention? Don’t worry folks, I’ve got the answers!
[pickup_prop id=”25664″]
It’s an Inside Look into the League
This is one of the rare occasions where teams and their respective front office employees actually are all together focusing on the same thing: making their team better.
Outside of All-Star Weekend, there isn’t another day where there’s a representative of every team in the same place, let alone the majority of the organizational powers that be. When you get all these powerful people focusing on the same thing, you have deals, drama, and excitement. Whether you’re rooting for your hometown team picking the local hero, or a fan of the big markets making moves, this is always a good place to start.
For starters, the Oklahoma City Thunder has two of the first twelve picks and three total in the first round. There’s an opportunity to move this capital to a team who needs young and inexpensive depth.
Take the Dallas Mavericks, for example, they have already made moves to find help for Luka Doncic on the offensive side of the ball with the acquisition of Christian Wood. Who’s to say that they don’t find a way to acquire a pick from OKC in the top 12 and take a young defensive-minded star to help take their defense to the caliber of the teams like Golden State or Boston?
The opposite can be said of the Lakers who could swoop in and take an off-ball shooting technician to partner alongside LeBron James as they look to forget an otherwise embarrassing year. This is what the draft gives us: the opportunity to dream and a rare look into the minds of those who truly control the outcome of their team.
A First Look at the Future of the League
Admittedly, this draft is lacking a true star that draws even the casual fan to the event. We’ve had the Zion Williamson/Ja Morant debate, the LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards fits, and who could forget the legendary 2003 draft with four hall of fame players drafted in the first five picks highlighted with high schooler Lebron James?
Just because there isn’t a story doesn’t mean that these kids don’t have the opportunity to truly become great. The draft gives you analysis from college basketball analysts as well as NBA insiders so you get a true scope of what a player was in college and his potential transition into his new role.
The NBA draft can be extremely top-heavy at times, and, in most cases, a top two or three pick almost assuredly gives you a contributor, but some former MVPs have had to wait a bit on their name being selected.
Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo both were unknown players from overseas and were selected outside the top 12 (Jokic was a 2nd round pick). Kyle Lowry was picked 24th and is still a contributor to his teams. Draymond Green was a second-round pick and is arguably the most crucial part of the current Warriors dynasty. You won’t know until you see them play out, but if you aren’t watching you’ll definitely miss.
It’s Live Sports (Kinda)
This is a dead time of year once the Stanley Cup is over. Baseball doesn’t really heat up until after the All-Star game and you can only analyze the NFL so many ways! This is a live occurrence of potential change within a league that empowers player movement and rewards risk.
There’s not a game to win here tonight, but championships are won tonight. Golden State drafted Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Jordan Poole all of whom were essential in this year’s title run. These were not players traded for; they were drafted and they are champions (again). The same can be said for the Suns Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton, although they came up just short this year and last.
The #NBADraft kicks off tonight! As of now, Jabari Smith, Jr out of Auburn is the betting favorite to go first overall!.
Who do you think is the next Orlando Magic star?
— LWOSports (@LW0Sports) June 23, 2022
You set yourself up for a decade if you do this correctly or if done incorrectly, you could see yourself in a Detroit-type of situation where this has become a regular occurrence at the top of the draft. Either way, the hope generated tonight alone is why we watch sports and why we love basketball. One player has the ability to change an entire franchise and one player can do this tonight!
So no matter who your root for, whether it is a player or a team, tonight can unify fans with the same idea. We have our pick of what to do. Do we have a star tonight? Maybe a blockbuster deal? Or do we have to wait and see the results of our team’s picks? Make no mistake, teams are hard at work trying to make sure this isn’t a draft that they look back and wish they took so and so.
Follow me on Twitter @steakspeare for more content and watch the draft with me!
