Charlotte Bobcats: Revisiting The 2011 NBA Draft
In 2011 the Charlotte Bobcats selected Kemba Walker with the ninth pick in the NBA draft. The former Connecticut Husky was coming off a dream NCAA season: winning the NCAA and Big East tournaments. Despite dominating the college basketball scene, Kemba’s professional scouting report didn’t look so hot. Listed at 6’1’’ and 172 pounds, many experts deemed Kemba a risk due to his size–or lack thereof. The GOAT himself, Michael Jordan, decided to take a risk on the Bronx native by picking him with the ninth pick. Did the Bobcats make the right move? Let’s take a look.
When doing my research, I realized how much of a disappointment the 2011 draft class has been so far. Here are the first round picks and some key second round picks from that draft:
| Round 1 | Advanced | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pk | Tm | Player | WS | WS/48 |
| 1 | CLE | Kyrie Irving | 9.4 | .125 |
| 2 | MIN | Derrick Williams | 4.8 | .069 |
| 3 | UTA | Enes Kanter | 4.0 | .098 |
| 4 | CLE | Tristan Thompson | 6.4 | .077 |
| 5 | TOR | Jonas Valanciunas | 3.9 | .127 |
| 6 | WAS | Jan Vesely | 2.4 | .070 |
| 7 | SAC | Bismack Biyombo | 2.0 | .026 |
| 8 | DET | Brandon Knight | 2.4 | .025 |
| 9 | CHA | Kemba Walker | 5.1 | .053 |
| 10 | MIL | Jimmer Fredette | 1.3 | .031 |
| 11 | GSW | Klay Thompson | 6.0 | .063 |
| 12 | UTA | Alec Burks | 2.5 | .058 |
| 13 | PHO | Markieff Morris | 3.2 | .050 |
| 14 | HOU | Marcus Morris | 1.6 | .047 |
| 15 | IND | Kawhi Leonard | 11.7 | .168 |
| 16 | PHI | Nikola Vucevic | 7.5 | .107 |
| 17 | NYK | Iman Shumpert | 4.4 | .078 |
| 18 | WAS | Chris Singleton | 2.1 | .043 |
| 19 | CHA | Tobias Harris | 3.3 | .089 |
| 20 | MIN | Donatas Motiejunas | 0.7 | .061 |
| 21 | POR | Nolan Smith | -0.8 | -0.047 |
| 22 | DEN | Kenneth Faried | 12.4 | .181 |
| 23 | HOU | Nikola Mirotic | ||
| 24 | OKC | Reggie Jackson | 2.6 | .084 |
| 25 | BOS | MarShon Brooks | 2.1 | .039 |
| 26 | DAL | Jordan Hamilton | 1.1 | .083 |
| 27 | NJN | JaJuan Johnson | 0.2 | .032 |
| 28 | CHI | Norris Cole | 0.6 | .011 |
| 29 | SAS | Cory Joseph | 0.9 | .068 |
| 30 | CHI | Jimmy Butler | 8.1 | .156 |
| Round 2 | Advanced | |||
| Pk | Tm | Player | WS | WS/48 |
| 38 | HOU | Chandler Parsons | 10.4 | .109 |
| 50 | PHI | Lavoy Allen | 4.1 | .086 |
| 60 | SAC | Isaiah Thomas | 9.3 | .118 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/8/2013.
Going off win shares, the NBA version of WAR, here are the top 10 players from that draft class:
- Kenneth Faried
- Kawhi Leonard
- Chandler Parsons
- Kyrie Irving
- Isaiah Thomas
- Jimmy Butler
- Nikola Vucevic
- Tristan Thompson
- Klay Thompson
- Kemba Walker
It looks like the Kings got an absolute steal in Isaiah Thomas. Jimmy Butler was a steal as well. By no means is this list ranking the best players from that draft class. I’m using the wins shared statistic as a general benchmark as to what the players have done so far in the NBA. This ranking is also not indicative of the future. Irving is obviously the best player in this draft, but injuries have caused him to miss plenty of games. If healthy, Irving should top this list by the end of the season.
Back to the subject at hand-did the Bobcats do right by selecting Kemba? Well, they picked him ninth overall in the draft and he currently ranks 10th. Does he have a high ceiling? I think so. Just take a look at his improvement in wins shared from year one to year two:
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/9/2013.
I think the numbers speak for themselves. Kemba had no sophomore slump. He elevated his game. It will be interesting to see what happens in year three. I consider each player’s third year as his make-or-break season. To me, a player’s third year is very telling on his future success. I believe Kemba will continue improving and will move up on the list above. I think Michael Jordan made a great move in drafting the Connecticut star. Do you think Kemba was worth the ninth pick in the draft?
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