Without a doubt, the 2013 NBA Draft was full of surprises. The number of mock drafts that were incorrectly predicted is substantial, considering the Cavaliers were not expected to select UNLV’s Anthony Bennett at the No. 1 spot. With Victor Oladipo, Otto Porter, Cody Zeller and Alex Len rounding out the top five picks on Thursday night, we all began to analyze how each would fit into their future destinations. Who will likely thrive the most in the 2013-14 season? Lets take a quick look at what the young prospects will bring to their respective franchises.
Anthony Bennett, Cleveland Cavaliers
Coming into the 2013 draft, Cleveland was widely expected to narrow their No. 1 options to Alex Len or Nerlens Noel, adding size or athleticism to their frontcourt. Hearing that the Cavaliers would take a chance on Bennett, the criticism began to build against this team. What most people will fail to realize, however, is that Bennett was most likely taken first overall due to his toughness in the paint and ability to be a versatile scorer.
Being a scoring threat from many areas on the court (inside and out), he will provide more offense to go along with Tristian Thompson and Anderson Varejao in the post. Dividing up the minutes between Bennett, Thompson and starting small forward Alonzo Gee will be the job for coach Mike Brown, but he has to feel confident that his team won’t miss a beat with any lineup he chooses. It’s completely rational to believe Bennett will make a huge impact on the offensive end (averaging 16.1 points per game in his only season at UNLV), but I am looking for his defense to be the difference maker for next season. Having a larger build and body than Thompson, look for Cleveland to utilize the lineup of Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, Bennett, Gee, and Varejao more often than they are expected to. You can argue the pick as much as you like, but this top pick will not be a bust in his rookie season.
Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic
Absolutely no team needed Indiana’s incredible athlete more than the Orlando Magic. Falling into their hands with the No. 2 pick, Victor Oladipo quickly satisfies Orlando’s need for a quick, explosive guard. While he’s not going to come in and be the complete offensive threat they need right away (13.6 points and 2.1 assists per game last season for IU), Oladipo gives them the ability to push the pace of the offense and get scoring opportunities.
With that in mind, most of his impact on the team will not be shown through individual stats. It would be nearly impossible to claim Oladipo would be a front-runner for the Rookie of The Year award, considering season awards reflect statistics in this league. Ranking 24th in the league in offense last season (94.1 points per game), it is imperative that general manager Rob Hennigan works his own magic and explores the free agent market for scoring threats at any position. They did accomplish one thing, which was drafting someone that brings many intangibles to the game of basketball.
Washington received arguably the best talent in the 2013 Draft
Otto Porter, Washington Wizards
Standing alone as my front-runner for the 2013-14 Rookie of the Year, Otto Porter gives Washington a near-complete attack and chance to improve from their previous seasons. Listed as 6’9″ and 205 pounds, he will likely play significant minutes alongside Nene Hilario and Emeka Okafor this season. Drafting the all-around talent from Georgetown is exactly what Washington should have done, considering they already have a consistent defensive core as they stand (ranking eighth in points-allowed last season). Adding the athletic scoring talent will cause trouble for defenses that have to deal with John Wall‘s explosiveness, Bradley Beal‘s perimeter threat and the interior presence of Nene/Okafor. Overall, don’t sleep on Porter’s chances at becoming the team’s leading scorer in a couple of seasons. He’s clearly the favorite to succeed in his first year in the league.
Cody Zeller, Charlotte Bobcats
Cody Zeller was clearly one of the top five surprises in the 2013 draft. (Photo Credit/msflaster/flickr.com)
To everyone’s surprise, Charlotte decided to go away from Nerlens Noel and select Indiana center Cody Zeller. It doesn’t take a lot of analysis to understand that this team needed post production and depth, with Josh McRoberts and Bismack Biyombo receiving starter’s minutes for the struggling franchise. As crafty and impressive as Zeller’s post game has been throughout the past two seasons, I fear that he won’t be the athletic or defensive anchor that Noel would have been in their future.
Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson can only hope that Zeller’s offense will relieve some of the duties from their shoulders. If the team is able to find a deal for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who is actively being shopped, Zeller may not be the only strong offensive force in the paint for long. Anyone that is looking for the rookie to drastically improve the team’s win total, however, should understand he isn’t quite the solution.
Alex Len, Phoenix Suns
Yet another organization passing on Kentucky’s top prospect, the Suns seemed anxious to add more depth to their frontcourt. Drafting the 7’1″ center from Maryland, Phoenix will now include the talents of Luis Scola, Marcin Gortat, Markieff Morris, Marcus Morris, Michael Beasley, Jermaine O’Neal and Alex Len in the paint. Given that all those pieces return next season, it would almost be ridiculous to say that Len is going to have a major impact during his rookie campaign.
I would have pulled the trigger on Ben McLemore (the seventh pick of the draft), considering Goran Dragic could use a more helpful scoring option next to him. Out of the first five selections, Alex Len’s production in the near future is the most difficult to predict. Until we see the deals Phoenix will consider this off-season, don’t put too much faith in the fifth pick of this draft.