Some takeaways from the first round of the NBA Draft:
At least locally here in ACC country, the biggest news was something that didn’t happen Wednesday night.
Duke sophomore forward Kyle Filipowski, a consensus All-American this season, was not taken among the 30 picks of the first round.
Filipowski averaged 16.4 points and 8.3 rebounds this season and more importantly displayed the kind of floor-spreading range for a big man that NBA teams look for by making 35 percent of his 3-point shots.
However, there had been rumblings among the draft’s experts that his stock had been falling. Most of us assumed that meant he would be a late first-round pick and maybe end up with a contender instead of a rebuilding team.
I have to admit, when the Boston Celtics made the final pick Wednesday night at No. 30, I fully expected them to take the 6-foot-11 Filipowski. If there exists a need on the reigning NBA champions’ roster, it’s frontcourt depth, a want underscored by Al Horford’s age and Kristaps Porzingis’ injury proclivity.
When the Celtics added a five-year senior wing in Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman to an already-crowded position, it was more than surprising – especially considering there were other younger options at the position still on the board in Kansas freshman Johnny Furphy, Minnesota freshman Cameron Christie, and Kentucky freshman Justin Edwards. The 6-6 Scheierman, who will turn 24 in September, was ranked No. 27 on ESPN’s draft list, while Furphy was No. 17, Christie No. 32, and Edwards No. 39. It’s hard to see Scheierman at his age as a long-term asset. Filipowski was listed at No. 21.
Filipowski and Furphy reportedly were the only two players invited to the draft who remained in the green room at night’s end.
It’s safe to say that when the second round of the draft begins Thursday at 4 p.m., Filipowski should be one of the first picks off the board.
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DUKE’S STREAK CONTINUES: The Blue Devils weren’t shut out of the first round, however. Freshman combo guard Jared McCain, the No. 15 prospect, was taken 16th by the Philadelphia 76ers. He became the 56th first-round selection in Duke history, second all-time to Kentucky’s 60. It gave the Blue Devils at least one first-rounder in 11 straight drafts and 13 of the last 14. Duke has had at least one player drafted in 25 of the last 27 drafts, including 41 in the first round.
McCain was the third first-round pick in second-year head coach Jon Scheyer’s tenure, joining Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead from a year ago. However, since Scheyer joined the Duke staff in 2013-14, there have been 23 first-round choices.
“This is the best moment of my life … other than committing to Duke,” McCain said after hearing NBA Commissioner Adam Silver – a Duke grad – call his name.
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AN ACC QUARTET: McCain was joined by three ACC rivals selected Wednesday night, two of them also freshmen.
Pitt point guard Carlton (Bub) Carrington was the first ACC player chosen, taken by the Portland Trailblazers with the 14th pick. The Blazers, however, shipped Carrington to the Washington Wizards in a draft-day trade that netted them veteran forward Deni Avdija. In return the Wizards also received former Virginia guard and 2017 Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon, two second-round picks, and a 2029 first-round pick.
The Wizards, who seemed intent upon rebuilding their roster from the jump, later acquired the No. 24 pick from the New York Knicks and used it on Miami guard Kyshawn George. That trade gave the Wizards, who had taken 7-footer Alex Sarr of France with the second pick, three first-round draftees on the night.
The fourth ACC player drafted in the first round, Virginia sophomore wing Ryan Dunn, was expected in pre-draft talk to go to the Knicks, who at times Wednesday night held the 24th, 25th and 26th picks. Those selections went without picking Dunn, but he would go 28th to the Denver Nuggets, who immediately sent him to the Phoenix Suns. Dunn, pronounced the best all-around defender in the draft by ESPN analyst Jay Bilas, became the fourth UVa player drafted in the first round in the past six seasons.
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VIVE LA FRANCE!: For the first time in draft history, a country other than the United States landed three picks among the top 10 players.
Zaccharie Risacher, a 6-8 small forward, went No. 1 to the Atlanta Hawks before the Wizards followed by drafting Sarr at No. 2.
It was the second year in a row that a French player was the No. 1 pick. Last year the San Antonio Spurs took 7-4 forward Victor Wembanyama, and all he did was win Rookie of the Year honors.
France wasn’t done for the night, though. The Charlotte Hornets, undoubtedly perplexing their fans with bigger names still on the board, took 6-9 power forward Tidjane Topic at No. 6, and the Knicks finally used one of their picks for themselves in getting 6-8 wing Pacome Dadiet at No. 25.
There might even be another member of the French Connection in 6-7 shooting guard Melvin Ajinca or 6-9 power forward Armel Traore (No. 65 prospect), although Traore has announced his intention to play in France instead of playing in the U.S. college ranks. If the NBA comes calling, that could change his mind, however.
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BIG NIGHT FOR BIG MEN: It was a big night for big men in the lottery picks.
Two high-profile centers from March’s Final Four were drafted early. UConn 7-2 sophomore Donovan Clingan was the seventh pick to Portland, while 7-4 Purdue center Zach Edey went ninth to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Neither draft came as much of a surprise. The experts have raved about Clingan’s defensive prowess and all-around game, a big reason why his Huskies were able to repeat as NCAA champions.
Edey was more of an acquired taste. The native of Toronto was a latecomer to basketball, having grown up playing baseball and hockey (of course). A year ago, when Edey won the Wooden Award as national player of the year, he opted to return for his senior season in large part because mock draft projections had the back-to-the-basket post going undrafted. He led Purdue to the NCAA championship game and won another Wooden Award for good measure.
NVBA experts have since warmed to his throwback ability to rebound, set screens, score inside, and even play defense, something he wasn’t allowed to do much at Purdue so as to keep him out of foul trouble. Right away he could contribute off the bench and in time even become a starter in the right lineup.
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DOUBLING UP: No surprise, two-time reigning NCAA champion UConn had two players drafted in the first round, with more probably on the way.
Before Clingan went at No. 7, freshman point guard Stephon Castle was taken at No. 4 by the Spurs. Poor guy will have to play with Wembanyama next season instead of going for the UConn three-peat.
There are two more Huskies on the board for the second round, redshirt senior shooting guard Cam Spencer and redshirt senior point guard Tristen Newton.
Kentucky had two picks in the top eight, with freshman wing guard Reed Sheppard going third to the Houston Rockets and freshman point guard Rob Dillingham taken eighth by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who got the pick on draft night from the Spurs.
Waiting in the wings for a second-round call are the aforementioned Edwards, redshirt senior shooting guard Antonio Reeves (No. 54 prospect), and redshirt senior power forward Tre Mitchell (No. 85).
However, the school with the most first-round picks Wednesday night was Baylor, which had three players selected. Besides Boston’s pick of Scheierman, Baylor was represented by freshman shooting guard Ja’Kobe Walter, who went 19th to the Toronto Raptors, and freshman center Yves Missi, 21st to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Colorado had freshman shooting guard Cody Williams go 10th to the Utah Jazz and senior forward Tristan da Silva 18th to the Orlando Magic.
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SENIORITIS: The NBA continued to look down its nose at college seniors, preferring to look for upside among younger players.
Of the 30 players drafted in the first round, 22 were collegians. Only four of those were seniors, including three five-year seniors. There were four juniors, three sophomores and 10 freshmen.
Edey was the first senior taken and one of only two four-year seniors. The other was da Silva.
Dalton Knecht, a fifth-year man, was the second senior drafted, but even he saw a decline in his fortunes. The SEC Player of the Year as a 6-5 wing at Tennessee, he was ranked the No. 7 prospect but dropped out of the lottery picks before going 17th to the Los Angeles Lakers. His age – 23 – was seen as the big reason.
The other two fifth-year seniors drafted, both wing guards, were Terrence Shannon Jr. of Illinois, 27th to the T-Wolves, and Scheierman, 30th by the Celtics.
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CHALK TALK: For the most part the draft pretty much followed script. For example, the top 17 ranked prospects were taken among the first 19 picks.
Then it got crazy. The Cleveland Cavaliers started things at No. 20 by reaching down and taking No. 31 prospect Jaylon Tyson, a junior wing from California.
The next two picks also raised some eyebrows when Dayton junior power forward DaRon Holmes II (No. 38) and NBL shooting guard AJ Johnson (No. 35) went to the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks, respectively.
The biggest reach came at the 26th pick, when Weber State junior wing Dillon Jones, the No. 51 prospect, ended up with the Oklahoma City Thunder on a draft pick that began with the Wizards and went through the Knicks during the night.
By the way, kudos to Virginia’s Dunn and Johnson, the latter having played for Illawarra in the Australian league last year. They weren’t invited to draft night by the NBA but had enough faith in themselves to show up anyway and sit in the stands with their entourages. Then they made their way to the podium where Silver was able to congratulate them.
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BIGGEST NAMES LEFT: Besides Furphy (No. 18) and Filipowski (No. 21), Marquette point guard Tyler Kolek (No. 25) and former Wake Forest forward Bobi Klintman (No. 29) of Sweden are still on the board. The 6-9 power forward spent one year with the Deacs before playing professionally in Australia last season. Bronny James, the freshman point guard from Southern Cal and the son of Lakers forward LeBron James, is the No. 55 prospect.
Other players with ACC connections are UNC junior small forward Harrison Ingram (No. 44), Boston College redshirt senior center Quinten Post (No. 60), Clemson senior center PJ Hall (No. 61), Virginia senior point guard Reece Beekman (No. 70), Pitt redshirt senior forward Blake Hinson (No. 73), and Syracuse sophomore point guard Judah Mintz (No. 81).
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