2014 NBA Redraft: A tale of two big men and two missed picks

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 10: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers guards Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on December 10, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Nuggets 97-92, NBA MVP Ladder: Top 5 MVP candidates at the All-Star break. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 10: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers guards Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on December 10, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Nuggets 97-92, NBA MVP Ladder: Top 5 MVP candidates at the All-Star break. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

#9 Pick: T.J. Warren (Originally: Noah Vonleh)

This pick became Charlotte’s when the Detroit Pistons attached it to Ben Gordon to move on from their ill-advised free agent signing. Adding Noah Vonleh made sense at the time because the potential was there and there were not a lot of holes to fill on the roster unless you were swinging for the fences.

Given that the team had two young centers in Bismack Biyombo and Cody Zeller in addition to the veteran presence of Al Jefferson, a different position may make more sense. As much as I think Jusuf Nurkic is the better player, fit leads me to select T.J. Warren.

Warren has been a solid scorer for a few years now, though it mostly flew under the radar as some thought he could have just been filling up the box score on bad Phoenix teams.

However, he has never shot under 48.6 percent from the field and has shot 42.8 percent and 37.5 percent from distance the last two seasons, which saw him increase his attempts per game from under 1.5 to 4.2 and 3.0 per game respectively.

Warren would have been a weapon off the bench for a team coming off a playoff berth and could have evolved into a partner for Kemba Walker as he continued to grow.

With the tenth pick in the 2014 NBA Redraft, the Orlando Magic select…