The poor Pacers have tried hard to replace Paul George. Tyreke Evans seemed like a good idea, but it just didn’t work. Bojan shot the lights out, but was a waste on the other end. Nassir Little came into this year as a projected top five pick and just couldn’t get the job done in college. That said, not getting the job done still got him 19 and 9 in one of the best colleges in the country. If the Pacers can get a little more consistency out of him, they’d be getting one hell of a player at 18.
The Nets have the best coaching and development staff in the NBA by a wide margin. If I were Durant, Butler, or Irving this is where I’d be looking to play. However, if the Nets can’t attract an elite free agent, they can draft an elite guard and get the best out of him. If Porter had been better prepared for the draft I believe he has the potential to be a top five pick. Brooklyn can get the benefit out of that talent by putting Kevin into their system. As much as we should all love Joe Harris, he’s not the shooting guard this team needs to go against Jimmy Butler and the other elite guards in the NBA.
It’s hard to be a believer in the Magic’s roster as currently compiled. They have a lot of players who do things well, but it’s tough to see how they all fit together. They’re not going to solve those problems in this draft, but picking NAW is a nice gamble on what they could become if Fultz can ever get healthy. Walker has a nice all around game and is a great outside shooter. If the Magic can find a way to get progress out of their young players, a lineup with Bamba, Gordon, Issac, Alexander-Walker, and Fultz has the potential to be a very long, versatile beast in the east for a long time.