On the day before the NBA Draft Lottery, the NBA’s senior director of scouting operations says it’s officially time to get excited.
“We’ve got one of the deepest drafts in years,” Ryan Blake said in an interview with Andy Baskin and Jeff Phelps on 92.3 The Fan on Monday.
Now, before we go any further, know that Blake is saying pretty much the opposite of what we’ve heard. Most people have said this draft stinks -- featuring no clear-cut choice at No. 1 and almost zero star power anywhere.
That may be true, Blake admitted. But that doesn’t mean this draft will be a total waste.
“What you have are a lot of different talented players and a lot of different positions,” he said. “A lot of teams will try to hit a home run, and find that franchise player.”
According to Blake, those players are out there -- but it won’t happen overnight.
“You usually don’t know for sure about a guy until after three years,” Blake said. “Even Kobe (Byrant) and (Kevin) Garnett took some time. In this draft, there are so many good players who could develop into that first- or second-option guy.”
One way for rookies to get playing time is via defense, Blake said. In fact, without defense, it’ll be hard to stay on the floor as a first-year player.
And when it comes to defense, this draft has it.
“There are a lot of really good defenders, deep into the second round,” Blake said. “In fact, we’re gonna have a lot (undrafted rookie) free agents that, as soon as the draft is over, teams will be fighting over to get them on their summer team.”
Blake mentioned Kentucky center Nerlens Noel, Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore, Indiana shooting guard Victor Oladipo and Georgetown small forward Otto Porter as the best of the best.
Porter is one name that’s been linked to the Cavaliers should they hold their current spot and draft No. 3.
“I really like Otto,” Blake said. “He played well within the system. At 6-foot-8, he can shoot the ball from the perimeter, and if you’re at Georgetown, you have to show that you can pass. When you have that size from the perimeter, that’s hard to guard.”
