One can’t-miss NBA Draft prospect for every team
By Rowan Kent
Orlando Magic: Gradey Dick
The last pieces that the Magic need for their young core are proven shooters and guard creators. At either six or eleven, it’s not guaranteed they can get a blue chip guard prospect, so they’ll have to “settle” for the best shooter in the class in Dick who is also a capable team defender and glue guy on both ends.
Washington Wizards: Cason Wallace
Whether the Wiz hold onto Bradley Beal or not, the team is in desperate need of a point guard who can defend and create for himself and others. That’s where Wallace comes in, as he has great size for a floor general, a dogged mindset on defense, and a sneakily good arsenal on offense.
Dallas Mavericks: Taylor Hendricks
Given this is the only chance the Mavericks will likely have to add a lottery talent to their roster with Luka Doncic, the need to land a can’t-miss prospect is quintessential. Getting a shot-blocking stretch four like Hendricks who can still grow into a bigger role would be ideal.
Houston Rockets: Scoot Henderson
In the likely case that the Rockets don’t grab the top slot and take Victor Wembanyama, they’ll need a player who can help set the table for their myriad of up-and-coming talents. Henderson is a sublime ball-handler, finisher, and passer, which makes him a perfect fit for the young team.
Memphis Grizzlies: Jordan Hawkins
Shooting is the most important swing skill for any NBA roster and Jordan Hawkins is arguably the purest shooting prospect in the entire draft. The Grizzlies have a franchise shooting guard in Desmond Bane but wouldn’t pass up on a dynamite shooter like Hawkins due to fit concerns.
New Orleans Pelicans: Nick Smith Jr.
So much of New Orleans’ future is tied up in whether Zion Williamson can ever string together a long stretch of healthy games. Whether he can or not, the team would love to add a high-risk, high-reward guard prospect like Smith Jr. who, before an injury of his own, looked like a high lottery pick.
San Antonio Spurs: Amen Thompson
When drafting in the top five picks of the draft, it’s arguable that every player taken should be a can’t-miss prospect. For the Spurs, who have a lot of great complementary pieces, grabbing Amen Thompson would spell the end of the rebuild and the beginning of the Amen era in San Antonio.
Denver Nuggets: Sidy Cissoko
As the Denver Nuggets cruise through the playoffs, it would still suit them well to be looking for diamonds in the rough who could support their depth. Cissoko has had a great developmental season for the Ignite and could evolve into a good role player in a few years for the Nuggets.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Jalen Slawson
After a dominant yet short postseason run for Anthony Edwards, every decision the Wolves make now should be in support of building a team around him. Adding a jack-of-all-trades forward like Slawson who can make up for Edwards’s faults would work wonders.