Pick | Overall | Player | Team | Position | Writer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 109 | Trae Young | ATL | PG | Dale Redman |
2 | 110 | Malcolm Brogdon | MIL | PG/SG | Shae Cronin |
3 | 111 | Kristaps Porzingis | NY | PF/C | Jay Kim |
4 | 112 | Jordan Bell | GS | PF/C | Austan Kas |
5 | 113 | TJ Warren | PHO | SF | Jordan Sharp |
6 | 114 | Willie Cauley-Stein | SAC | PF/C | Michael Rondello |
7 | 115 | Caris LeVert | BKN | SF | Tom Whalen |
8 | 116 | Marvin Bagley III | SAC | SG/SF | Alex McDonald |
9 | 117 | Trevor Ariza | PHO | SG/SF | Sam Hauss |
10 | 118 | Allen Crabbe | BKN | SG/SF | Brett Oswalt |
11 | 119 | Andrew Wiggins | MIN | SG/SF | Russell Peddle |
12 | 120 | Rudy Gay | SA | SF/PF | Ian Goldsmith |
Kristaps Porzingis doesn't have a timeline to return to action, so he's nothing more than a draft-and-stash in the late rounds. His early-round potential is tantalizing, but don't waste a premium pick for a guy that actually might not play, or will be taking it slow upon his return at the very least. Jay Kim taking him at 111 is not a bad spot, but I still like the upside of a lot of the healthy guys in this range.
Two more rookies go off the board here with Dale Redman taking Trae Young at 109 and Alex McDonald grabbing Marvin Bagley III with the 116th pick. Our projections say Dale got the best first-year player out of the two, since we have Young ranked 115th and Bagley all the way down at 241st.
A couple notable sleepers taken in this round were Trevor Ariza (pick 117, 83rd in our rankings) and Allen Crabbe (pick 118, 68th in our rankings).
My pick: I have written Andrew Wiggins' name so much in bust and sell columns on this website, that I couldn't even begin to count. It seems ironic that I would grab him for my squad in a league where I have to justify my pick in writing, but his ranking on various websites finally reflects his value and I'm more than happy to take the flier with the 119th pick. When he was going in the top-50 in previous years, it was ludicrous (he's never cracked the top-100 in nine-category leagues), but he has a decent chance to at least hit on his draft position here as a points specialist (especially if Jimmy Butler gets traded).