Unlike the Philadelphia 76ers, a good number of teams struck immediate gold in Round 1 of the 2014 NBA Draft.
And by immediate gold we mean prospects that will actually contribute in 2014-2015.
The Cleveland Cavaliers got their man in Andrew Wiggins with the first overall pick. Despite his strength ultimately being predicated on his immense upside, he will shine in year one with elite defense and some highlight worthy dunks.
The Milwaukee Bucks followed suit with forward Jabari Parker at No. 2. He gives this rebuilding squad a bona fide leader and guaranteed scorer who can net them upward of 20 points a night.
But those were the obvious winners. Nary a hardwood analyst would offer much dissent with either of those selections.
So, what about the other 28? Which NBA franchises provided their fans with genuine hope at slots No. 3 through No. 30?
Here now are the five teams that ruled the day during Round 1 the 2014 draft.
Honorable Mentions
Los Angeles Lakers
Julius Randle (No. 7 overall) is an NBA-ready, low-post power forward who will solidify the Lakers frontline for years to come.
Orlando Magic
The Magic infused their club with dynamic athleticism and day-one defensive prowess with power forward Aaron Gordon (No. 4) and point guard Elfrid Payton (No. 10 from New Orleans via Philadelphia).
Phoenix Suns
Phoenix landed a scoring forward in T.J. Warren (No. 14) and backup point man in Tyler Ennis (No. 18 from Washington), who will also provide security behind restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe.
San Antonio Spurs
Gregg Popovich and Co. got their hands on Boris Diaw 2.0 in UCLA's point-forward-like Kyle Anderson.
Top 5 Winners
Atlanta Hawks
Multidimensional big men are all the rage in the Association these days.
Power forwards that can knock down threes while also handling traditional low-post duties are critical assets on most clubs.
Well, Atlanta struck absolute gold with Adreian Payne at No. 15 overall.
The 6’10”, 245-pounder played a full four years at Michigan St. He rather appropriately saved his best for last by averaging 16.4 PTS and 7.3 REB on 42.3 percent shooting from distance and 50.3 percent all told.
The Hawks jacked up the second most three-pointers per game in 2013-2014. But they also totaled the second fewest boards per contest. Payne will immediately complement the former while helping rectify the latter as a true stretch-4.
And the fact that renowned head coach Tom Izzo developed Payne for four seasons means Atlanta landed a guaranteed pro-ready product—one with heart, leadership and all the intangibles any team could ever want.
Boston Celtics
Okay, let’s just get it out of the way: Boston was wicked smaaahht with its first overall pick.
Good Will Hunting references aside, the Celtics nabbed Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart at No. 6 in Round 1.
The two-year backcourt stalwart brings upper-echelon defense, toughness and the general makeup necessary for success at basketball’s highest level. He’ll fit right in with the blue-collar city of Boston.
Smart ranked top-five in the NCAA—and unrivaled in the Big 12—with 3.0 and 2.9 steals per game, respectively, during his collegiate career. He’s still without a viable jump shot, but he will score consistently—and right away—on drives to the basket.
Furthermore, the 6’4” 220-pounder can distribute and play both guard positions. In other words, he’ll function effectively with or without Rajon Rondo, who’s been involved in trade rumors for weeks now.
Even though the Celtics drafted two prospects in the first round (James Young being the other), Smart is the one who will contribute in big-time fashion this season.
Chicago Bulls
It seems the Chicago Bulls were hungry for a 1,141-piece McBuckets.
The Bulls acquired No. 11 overall selection Doug McDermott—the NCAA Division I career field goals leader—from the Denver Nuggets in the second trade of the draft. They sent over the No. 16 and No. 19 picks as part of the first-round package.
McDermott, the lights-out shooter whom the kids call Dougie McBuckets, is the best pure scorer in this class. He ranked second in the Big East in both three-point (44.9) and total field-goal percentage (52.6), while leading the conference in player efficiency rating (32.8) and nation in points per game (26.7) in 2013-2014.
Moreover, McDermott was also a conference top-four in total rebounds (244) and free throw percentage (86.4). He solidified his dominance by sitting atop the NCAA both last year and for his career with 6.3 and 21.6 offensive win shares, respectively.
Voters recognized his incredible achievements by honoring him with the 2014 John R. Wooden Award as the nation’s most outstanding college basketball player.
At the NBA level, McDermott will eliminate the Bulls’ one major deficiency—i.e. consistent scoring on the offensive end. He’ll fit perfectly in Tom Thibodeau’s elite defensive unit that simply lacked a three-point sharpshooter and reliable overall scorer.
Expect big things coming out of Chicago with McDermott now in the fold.
Miami Heat
When the best player in the world—and 2014 mega free agent—announces publically his support for the draft’s best point guard, his former team had better listen.
LeBron James tweeted out his steadfast endorsement for Shabazz Napier during UConn’s win in the National Championship Game.
The Miami Heat, to their credit, were obviously paying attention.
Heat president Pat Riley delivered on yet another promise to LeBron by packaging the No. 26 and No. 55 picks for Napier.
The 2013-2014 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player is a bulldog of a floor general who possesses unrivaled moxie. He is a tremendous leader—one who has high basketball IQ, backs down from no one and who will fit in seamlessly in a star-laden club like Miami.
And even for a somewhat modest stat guy (18.0 PTS, 5.9 REB, 4.9 AST, 1.8 STL, 40.9 3P%), Napier led both the ACC and nation with 7.9 win shares.
He’ll serve as an upgrade over both Norris Cole and likely free-agent departure Mario Chalmers down in South Beach. The Heat can only hope his presence will make LeBron’s decision just that much easier.
Utah Jazz
There’s two-for-ones, and then there’s what the Jazz pulled off on Thursday night.
Utah landed both Australian national Dante Exum at No. 5 and Duke standout Rodney Hood at No. 23 in Round 1 of the 2014 NBA Draft.
In other words, they secured this year’s top point guard and a much-needed wing scorer—despite falling out of the top three in the lottery.
The 6’6” Exum brings fantastic length and physical ability to the most important position on the floor. He boasts tremendous star potential and can contribute effectively alongside Jazz incumbent Trey Burke this year (while serving as his eventual replacement).
Hood, meanwhile, ranked an ACC top-nine in three-point field goals and top-four with a 46.4 overall shooting percentage. He averaged 16.1 PPG and led the conference with effective field goal percentage of 55.0, which is a stat that accounts for the superior value of the three-pointer.
The 6’9” versatile scorer will boost a Jazz club that found themselves just one spot above the NBA cellar with 95.0 PPG last season.
By and large, fans of this once illustrious franchise can feel confident their team put itself back on the map of hardwood relevancy with these two stellar draft-day acquisitions.
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