There was only one real winner to come out of Thursday’s NBA Draft, while every other team that was feeling good about itself was simply a runner-up.
And the San Antonio Spurs could have actually declared themselves the 2023 draft champions back in May, when they strutted out of the lottery holding the keys for the No. 1 overall pick.
That’s the Victor Wembanyama Effect.
Could the 7-foot-4 French unicorn be a bust? Maybe. But with a skillset like he has and the size he brings to the floor, injury would seem to be the only deterrent.
Wembanyama should not only be an organizational shift for the Spurs, but a generational player to be talked about for years to come.
The type of player that hasn’t come with this amount of hype since Cleveland landed LeBron James back in 2003.
That’s why when breaking down winners and losers from this year’s draft, the Spurs are in a class all their own.
WINNERS [Not named San Antonio]
Houston Rockets – Amen Thompson (No. 4), Cam Whitmore (No. 20)
Whitmore was the hard-luck prospect of the night, projected to go either four or five leading up to the draft, but sliding down to No. 20 because of medical concerns. Not only did Houston steal Whitmore, but nabbed a high-ceiling guard like Thompson, who some scouts feel could be the second-best player in the draft. GRADE: A
Toronto Raptors – Gradey Dick and his ruby red jacket (No. 13)
Dick adds a legitimate outside shooting presence to a team that very much needs to space the floor better. Toronto went into the draft knowing exactly what a weakness was and then addressing it. Factor in Dick’s fashion choice to honor Kansas with Dorothy’s ruby red slippers made into his suit coat? An instant bump in the grading scale. GRADE: A
Dallas Mavericks – Dereck Lively II (No. 12), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (No. 24)
The Mavs went into draft night looking like a team with no direction, but in trading the contract of Davis Bertans, adding Richaun Holmes, and then nabbing these two first-round picks, Luka Doncic could finally have some help to overcome his poor defense. GRADE: A-
Utah Jazz – Taylor Hendricks (No. 9), Keyonte George (No. 16), Brice Sensabaugh (No. 28)
Danny Ainge loves acquiring first-round picks, and cashed in on that yet again. Hendricks is one of the top two-way bigs to come out of the draft, and will fit in with Lauri Markkanen’s offensive skillset, while George and Sensabaugh bring some more scoring to a rotation that could become very dangerous. GRADE: A-
LOSERS
Phoenix Suns – Toumani Camara (No. 52)
The Suns did their heavy-lifting before the draft, acquiring Bradley Beal from the Wizards. But with very little depth, Camara was a reach even as late as he went because he’s a tweener. Trayce Jackson-Davis went five picks after Camara, and has a chance to be a much better pro at this point. GRADE: D
Orlando Magic – Anthony Black (No. 6), Jett Howard (No. 11)
This is not a knock on Black and Howard, as much as a head-scratcher on what the Magic front office is doing. They now have Markelle Fultz, Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony and Black as the point guard depth chart, while Gary Harris, Anthony and Howard are listed as the two-guard depth chart. It’s nice to have young, talented backcourt players, but not six of them for two spots. Hopefully, there’s a trade coming. But if not … GRADE: D+
BULLS – Julian Phillips (No. 35)
Forget the fact that Phillips went scoreless when the Vols lost in the Sweet 16, and let go of the inconsistent play he displayed from February until the end of the season. Phillips just doesn’t fit in with what the team needs. They have enough high-energy wing defenders that can’t shoot from three-point range with any consistency. He’s a project at best. GRADE: C-