With the NBA season now done for the year, all attention turns to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where the 2014 NBA draft will be held on the 26th June.
Of course the excitement for the draft started last month with the draft lottery, in which the Cleveland Cavaliers managed to win the top pick for the third time in four years (including two years on the trot) despite only having a 1.7% chance of doing so. This allows them free rein over a draft class that seems to have plenty of potential all-stars.
After what turned out to be a disappointing draft class of 2013 (in which Michael Carter-Williams and Victor Oladipo were the only stand-out men) the class of 2014 looks much more stacked with talent. Players such as Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker have gone viral due to the mixtapes they released online. Players from further afield, such as Dante Exum (Australia) and Dario Saric (Croatia) have also caught the eye of many NBA teams, with both prospects expecting to be a top 10 pick.
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| Anthony Bennett proved to be a blow out 1st pick last season, the Cavaliers will be hoping their draft pick is much more successful this year. |
Despite there being plenty of talent in the draft class, there have only been 3 men in contention for the number 1 pick: center Joel Embiid and forwards Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins. These 3 young men have chopped and changed as the favourite for the top spot all year and still, less than a week before the draft, there are no clear signs as to who will occupy that position.
The long-time favourite to secure the number 1 pick is Andrew Wiggins, having gained media attention when his mixtape hit the web, which has since been viewed nearly 5 million times. Since then, he has declared for the NBA draft, making him one of the youngest players in it, at the age of 19. Obviously, his athleticism is what grabbed the media attention, but Wiggins is also known for his impressive shooting ability, especially from beyond the 3-point line. This offensive ability could greatly benefit a team such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, who finished 22nd in points per game last season. But there are worries about how such a young man can adapt to the NBA lifestyle, especially with the 24/7 media attention that NBA players are now expected to deal with. There are also concerns about his commitment and passion for the game, as he sometimes seems complacent on court. Nevertheless, he is still the favourite to become the top pick of 2014, and is tipped to be a future All-Star.
Joel Embiid is a player who has massively increased his draft stock recently, with the Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks inviting him to their draft workouts. The 7' center is originally from Cameroon, but recently has finished his college career at the University of Kansas. He has been compared to Tim Duncan and Hakeem Olajuwon, not only because of his size, but also due to his footwork and his efficiency on the offensive end. However, there have always been worries about Embiid's back, which ruled him out of the 2014 NCAA tournament due to him fracturing it months ago. To make matters worse for the big man and his potential suitors, he also fractured his foot a few days ago, which has only lengthened his injury list. This may benefit those teams with lower picks, such as the Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic who could pick up Embiid relatively low in the draft. However, there is the major risk that they could be drafting the next Greg Oden or Sam Bowie, both of who struggled for fitness in their NBA years.
Jabari Parker is another man who has cut his college career short to declare for the NBA draft. After Duke lost to Mercer in the second round of the NCAA tournament, he felt that the big leagues were the only place for him. The All-American impressed last season, scoring 19.1 points per game, whilst grabbing 8.7 rebounds every game. These stats may seem superior to Wiggins and Embiid's, but the numbers don't tell the whole story. There have been questions raised over his defence, being seen as too slow to guard the perimeter and too short to guard the post. These worries have caused his potential position in the draft to drop a couple of places. However, it is still predicted by most NBA commentators that the young man will be picked in the top 3, with a move to Milwaukee or Philadelphia looking most likely.
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| Who will be Number 1? Andrew Wiggins (left), Jabari Parker (centre) and Joel Embiid (right) all have a great chance to become the first pick of 2014 |
But draft day isn't all about sourcing the best of college talent, there is usually also a variety of trades to be done. The swap that is most likely to grab the headlines this year is the potential move out of Minnesota for Kevin Love. This has been on the books for quite a while now, and draft night looks the night that this deal could finally happen. Every team in the NBA seem to be interested in the power forward, with the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors making the most substantial offers. The deal could easily come down to the fact that the Celtics have the number 6 pick this year (most likely to be Noah Vonleh from Indiana) and therefore another draft piece, while the Warriors have no picks at all, having traded their picks away to Utah and Minnesota.
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| Kevin Love could finally move away from the Minnesota Timberwolves on draft night |
Draft days are always exciting, with the actual draft being watched by millions of viewers around the world. But this one, with prospects such as Shabazz Napier and Rodney Hood expected to be picked as low as the number 20 spot, could be extra special.
