The 2015 NBA Draft ended as an interesting and bizarre one, finishing with multiple questionable picks and debatable decisions. From Jahlil Okafor being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the third pick, to the Boston Celtics selecting Terry Rozier with the sixteenth pick; many NBA fans were left shaking their heads after watching the picks their favorite NBA teams had made. Out of the thirty prospects drafted in the first round of the 2015 Draft, these were the most disappointing selections:
Philadelphia 76ers: Jahlil Okafor
The first of five centers selected in both rounds by Philadelphia, Jahlil Okafor was drafted with the third pick behind D’Angelo Russell. After being the top prospect in this draft class for quite some time, Karl Anthony-Towns snatched that spot from Jahlil and was, therefore, selected first by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Okafor was then predicted to be drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers and become one of the infamous big men to don the purple and gold, but that would also turn out to be incorrect. Following a lackluster workout for the Lakers, Los Angeles drafted D’Angelo Russell with the second pick because of his superstar upside, creative handle, and shot creating ability. Russell may just be the superstar that L.A has been looking for to replace Kobe Bryant once he retires, or L.A could regret not drafting the franchise big man that could have added on to their line of historic centers. Unless Okafor is traded by Philadelphia, we may never see the true potential that he possesses. Philly drafted the best prospect on the board at that point which isn’t necessarily a problem. However, with Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid manning the middle Jahlil has no reason to be on the roster. Although Joel Embiid has shown to be injury prone, he is still a high upside player. So instead of possibly making him feel like the team he plays for has no faith in him, they should have drafted either Emmanuel Mudiay to be the future floor general or Justise Winslow to be the future All-Star for the franchise.
New York Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis
A very unpopular pick by New York Knicks fans everywhere, Kristaps played overseas and showed out in his workout with the Knicks. Not many europeans selected in the lottery have been All-Stars, (Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, and Pau Gasol) so the chances of Porzingis becoming one is pretty slim. However, this is was a pick for future upside and not one for the present. With this pick, Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks plan to continue to rebuild and not rush to seek playoff contention. Carmelo Anthony may not be happy with this decision to keep rebuilding but Porzingis was a pick that will pay off in a couple seasons once he develops into a sharper player. However, Knick fans in the building at the Barclays Center thought otherwise as they booed him when he walked across the stage to receive his handshake from Commissioner Adam Silver. Knick fans enjoy instant gratification, and they don't feel like Kristaps will give the team the same instant improvement that Emmanuel Mudiay would or Justise Winslow would. Kristaps will be a efficient and productive player wants he gets use to the NBA game and speed and he will prove to New York that he belongs and that they should embrace him. Additionally, New York will always be a top spot for free agents so there is the possibility they will sign a couple players that will advance them out of the lottery.
Boston Celtics: Terry Rozier
This was a very questionable pick for the Boston Celtics as they just added another guard to their coalition of guards. Isiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Evan Turner, Marcus Smart, Phil Pressey, R.J. Hunter, Marcus Thornton, James Young, and now Terry Rozier. There is no real reason that Boston should desire to have so many guards, several of which don’t have a consistent jump shot. Of the nine guards listed here, six of them played last season for the Boston Celtics and of those six only Avery Bradley shot over 34% from beyond the arc. R.J. Hunter should improve their very poor shooting, but Terry Rozier is also not much of a knock down shooter so that won’t help the Celtics in an area that they are lacking heavily in. Rozier is a high volume scorer and has a good eye for finding open teammates, but nonetheless his poor shot selection mixed with somewhat of a small size may hinder Rozier from progressing in the NBA. Boston instead should have went with a wing that was still available where names such as Sam Dekker and Kelly Oubre were still in the green room. Rozier lucked out being selected with such a high pick as he projected to slip to even the second round, but now he has to prove himself as a commodity to the Celtics in this upcoming season.
Charlotte Hornets: Frank Kaminsky
Michael Jordan is now seemingly making a habit of banking on floor spreading forwards with this selection of Frank Kaminsky. First Josh McRoberts, then Cody Zeller, then Noah Vonleh, now Kaminsky. This obviously wasn't a terrible pick for the Hornets as Frank led Wisconsin to the National Championship game to face Duke with his excellent shooting, post moves, and rebounding. However, seeing as he failed with his drafting of Vonleh in the previous draft and Zeller in the draft before that, picking yet another floor spreading forward may not have been the smartest decision for Jordan. Frank won’t be the scorer that he was in college, but his shooting could conclude him shaping his career around a Spencer Hawes type build where he provides rebounding and three point shooting. Spencer Hawes was even starting at points of his career, so if Frank strived to be Hawes that wouldn’t be head-scratching player choice. If Kaminsky’s game translates to the NBA, then Al Jefferson would surely be happy as he hasn't had a vast amount of shooters to kick out to from the low block. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Gerald Henderson, and Noah Vonleh are all inefficient shooters to kick out to; as a matter of fact two of those players now play for the Portland Trailblazers via draft day trades. Al Jefferson would now have Nicolas Batum and Kaminsky, so for the Hornets sake Frank Kaminsky needs to practice hard, get stronger, and keep his shooting stroke in order to not be perceived as a bust or a waste of a No. 9 pick.
All statistics came from Basketball Reference unless stated otherwise.
All statistics came from Basketball Reference unless stated otherwise.
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