Kyrie Irving Drafted No. 1 | 2011 NBA Draft Picks
Last night’s NBA draft wasn’t a huge surprise at the top but the picks veered slightly away from our expectations as the first round progressed.
Let’s look at the top 10, plus some of the best and worst picks.
Irving will get a chance to become a star in the NBA right away, probably playing major minutes as a rookie with the talent-starved Cavs. Is he really a superstar in the making, though? I’m not totally convinced. The sample size in his injury-shortened Duke stay was too small.
Could Williams have gone No. 1? Maybe his ceiling isn’t as high as Irving’s. But he looks very ready to be a solid everyday contributor immediately. He can take on defenders off the dribble and get to the line in a very polished way. The T-Wolves will be happy they didn’t trade the No. 2 pick, as they were rumored to do.
Enes Kanter won the European Big Man Sweepstakes. He should be a great low-post center, even if he isn’t the best shot blocker, and will form a solid frontcourt in Utah with Derrick Favors for years to come.
Hmmm. When you have two of the top four picks, don’t you want to swing for the fences? I suppose the Cavs wanted to guarantee some success by playing it safe with their second pick. Thompson was projected to go a few picks later but it’s hard to dispute his motor ad rebounding ability.
Will the Raptors ever make a normal, safe pick in an NBA draft again? They went with the high-risk, high-upside center Jonas Valanciunas. He could be a star but has to fill out his 7’0”, 240-pound frame and may not play in the NBA for a year.
Pretty much everyone liked this pick, as Vesely could’ve gone higher. He’s a great athlete and should eventually mesh well and run the floor with John Wall.
His offensive skills are a big question mark but he looks like he could be a defensive monster in the mold of a Ben Wallace or Dikembe Mutombo. But do you want to use a No. 7 overall pick on a defensive juggernaut? It’s debatable.
Wow. How did Knight fall this far? Shame on the Raptors in particular for not grabbing a guy with Knight’s ceiling. The Pistons should have their best guard since Chauncey Billups in Knight.
Personally, I would’ve liked to see Walker go sooner. Yes, he’s small and yes, he has some knee issues, but he’s a proven winner. He has that intangible ability. Good on Charlotte for taking him.
And the Kings break Utah’s heart. Say what you want about his defense, but Fredette is a great pure scorer and shooter. The question is will he be the next J.J. Redick or something much more?
The Pistons did great to snag Brandon Knight. This is a guy some scouts rated as high as third. To me, he has as much upside as anyone in the draft, so the Pistons had to be thrilled that he was still there at No. 8.
Few people seemed to like Houston’s pick of Donatas Motiejunas at No. 20. He’s a 7’0” behemoth that reportedly has no toughness. Why go that big if there’s no defensive upside?
If Kemba Walker can overcome his lack of size, he could be a heart-and-soul type of guy that you build a team around. Other teams may kick themselves for passing on him down the road.
The consensus is that the Bobcats were insane to grab Biyombo at No. 7. Reports on his offensive game range from acceptable to atrocious.
1. Cleveland (from L.A. Clippers) PG KYRIE IRVING, 6-2, 180 pounds, Duke, Fr. 2. Minnesota F DERRICK WILLIAMS, 6-8, 241, Arizona, Soph. 3. Utah (from New Jersey) C ENES KANTER, 6-10, 255, Kentucky, Fr. 4. Cleveland PF TRISTAN THOMPSON, 6-8, 225, Texas, Soph. 5. Toronto C JONAS VALANCIUNAS, 7-0, 231, Lithuania. 6. Washington F JAN VESELY, 6-11, 239, Czech Republic. 7. Sacramento (trade pending with Charlotte) PF BISMACK BIYOMBO, 6-9, 243, Congo. 8. Detroit PG BRANDON KNIGHT, 6-3, 185, Kentucky, Fr. 9. Charlotte PG KEMBA WALKER, 6-1, 172, Connecticut, Jr. 10. Milwaukee (trade pending with Sacramento) G JIMMER FREDETTE, 6-2, 190, BYU, Sr. 11. Golden State SG KLAY THOMPSON, 6-6, 202, Washington State, Jr. 12. Utah SG ALEC BURKS, 6-6, 195, Colorado, Soph. 13. Phoenix PF MARKIEFF MORRIS, 6-10, 245, Kansas, Jr. 14. Houston SF MARCUS MORRIS, 6-9, 235, Kansas, Jr. 15. Indiana (trade pending with San Antonio) SF KAWHI LEONARD, 6-7, 225, San Diego State, Soph. 16. Philadelphia PF/C NIKOLA VUCEVIC, 6-10, 260, USC, Sr. 17. New York SG IMAN SHUMPERT, 6-5, Georgia Tech, Jr. 18. Washington (from Atlanta) SF CHRIS SINGLETON, 6-9, 220, Florida State, Jr. 19. Charlotte (from New Orleans via Portland, trade pending with Milwaukee) F TOBIAS HARRIS, 6-8, 225, Tennessee, Fr. 20. Minnesota (from Memphis via Utah, trade pending with Houston) F DONATAS MOTIEJUNAS, 7-0, 222, Lithuania 21. Portland PG NOLAN SMITH, 6-2, 185, Duke, Sr. 22. Denver PF KENNETH FARIED, 6-8, 225, Morehead State, Sr. 23. Houston (from Orlando via Phoenix, trade pending with Chicago via Minnesota) F NIKOLA MIROTIC, Montenegro, 6-10, 220. 24. Oklahoma City G REGGIE JACKSON, 6-3, 208, Boston College, Jr. 25. Boston (trade pending with New Jersey) SG MARSHON BROOKS, 6-5, 200 Providence, Sr. 26. Dallas (trade pending with Denver, via Portland) SF JORDAN HAMILTON, 6-7, 220, Texas, Soph. 27. New Jersey (from L.A. Lakers, trade pending with Boston) PF JAJUAN JOHNSON, Purdue, 6-10, 221, Sr. 28. Chicago (from Miami via Toronto, trade pending with Miami, via Minnesota) PG NORRIS BROOKS, Cleveland State, Sr. 29. San Antonio G CORY JOSEPH, 6-3, 185 pounds, Texas, Fr. 30. Chicago F JIMMY BUTLER 6-7, 220, Marquette, Sr.
1. Heat Bojan Bogdanovic SF 2. Cavaliers Justin Harper PF 3. Pistons Kyle Singler SF 4. Wizards Shelvin Mack PG 5. Kings Tyler Honeycutt SF 6. Nets Jordan Williams C 7. Clippers Trey Thompkins PF 8. Rockets Chandler Parsons SF 9. Bobcats Jeremy Tyler PF 10. Bucks Jon Leuer PF 11. Lakers Darius Morris PG 12. Pacers Davis Bertans SF 13. Bulls Malcolm Lee PG 14. Warriors Charles Jenkins PG 15. Hornets Josh Harrellson C 16. Lakers Andrew Goudelock SG 17. Clippers Travis Leslie SG 18. Hawks Keith Benson C 19. Grizzlies Josh Selby PG 20. 76ers Lavoy Allen PF 21. Trail Blazers Jon Diebler SG 22. Pistons Vernon Macklin PF 23. Magic DeAndre Liggins SG 24. Cavaliers Milan Macvan PF 25. Celtics ETwaun Moore SG 26. Lakers Chukwudiebere Maduabum PF 27. Mavericks Targuy Ngombo SF 28. Lakers Ater Majok PF 29. Spurs Adam Hanga SG 30. Kings Isaiah Thomas PG