Who is really going to picked picked First overall in the NBA?
Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman, LaMelo Ball, and Cole Anthony; these names might sound familiar to savvy basketball fans, and for good reason. These names are some of the biggest names entering this years draft class for the 2021 season.
Today I will answer a question that many people have been puzzled about. What decides first round pick material? And how do you know they won’t end up like Anthony Bennett (One of the biggest busts in league history)?
I’m going to answer this question as if we are deciding who to draft. This way you will feel like you are getting first-hand experience of it. Right now, the Golden State Warriors are the team most likely to land that first pick, so I will draft for their team.
We first have to understand what our team will look like in the 2021 season. Steph Curry will be back, and so will Klay. We still have Draymond and Andrew Wiggins as well. So this creates two choices. The first choice is to draft a player who plays the same position as any of these players (PG,SG,SF,PF) and draft for bench depth and player development. The second choice is to draft to contend, which would be drafting a center spot to fill the void in the starting lineup and to develop experience.
Since the Warriors have three great players who are 30+ years old, the Warriors are probably going to draft to contend. (The Second Option)
This really filters our options, as the two best center/forward players are clearly Obi Toppin and James Wiseman.
James Wiseman is a dominant center. He doesn’t shoot many three-point shots, but he dominates the boards, and scores easily. He also provides great rim protection, something the warriors have lacked in this season. He is also very efficient shooting at over 70%.
Obi Toppin is a decent perimeter threat. He doesn’t offer as much in rim protection and scoring, but he is a much better perimeter defender. He doesn’t dominate the boards but has decent numbers overall. He is pretty efficient shooting 66%
So now we know the biggest strengths and weaknesses of each player that we are considering. Now we need to know which one fits best into the Warriors system.
Steph and Klay are the primary scorers. Klay and Draymond are the defensive specialists. Andrew Wiggins goes across the board and is pretty versatile.
Considering this, James Wiseman would be an interior threat, causing a ton of worries for any opposing team. He takes a lot of attention of the Splash Bros, allowing them to score much more freely. James can also thrive off of a Steph Pick-n-roll and offensive putbacks. He can also provide rim protection that is lacking in the Warriors system. (As I mentioned earlier) He is also very athletic.
Obi Toppin would add another perimeter threat and another good perimeter defender. However, since he is not very consistent from beyond the arc, he may also be a liability. And since he will be running a center spot, he has to dominate from that area or he will struggle scoring on the inside.
All things considered, James Wiseman seems like the better choice here. James Wiseman helps the warriors on the inside, which is somewhere they have struggled in as of late. He is efficient and dangerous from the inside. Rim protection is another great thing about James, averaging 3 blocks per game is no easy feat.
