The most talent-rich NBA draft since the 2003 gold mine that featured LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, among others, is set to take place Thursday at the Barclays Center. The lottery-winning Cavaliers will officially be on the clock starting at 7pm EST, picking first overall for the third time in four years (insert clip of tortured Cavs fan here).
Who Cleveland should select with that first pick is a matter of some debate. Thankfully, I’m here to settle that argument and all the others about the lottery picks for the 2014 Draft. Without further ado, here’s what every team left out of the postseason a year ago needs to get back on track.
Tier 1: The Kyrie Irving Tier
These are players that have the potential to become All-Stars at some point in the future, according to the experts. Although the consensus is there is no LeBron-level megastar in this draft, there are more than a few players who could enter that next tier that Irving currently occupies, players that could eventually be the second-best guy on a championship team.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Jabari Parker SF – Duke
Up until a few days ago, the Cavs had seemingly locked in to Kansas center Joel Embiid with this pick. Now, however, Embiid will seemingly miss several months with a stress fracture in his foot and Cleveland, a team with restless fans in win-now mode will likely take the safer route with Parker.
The Chicago native brings immediate scoring and athleticism at the small forward position and, although his defense is suspect at the moment, he has the tools to become an above-average team defender with the right coaching. He also brings leadership to a team that might need it if Irving continues to act up as he did last year.
2. Milwaukee Bucks: Andrew Wiggins SF – Kansas
Wiggins is an ideal fit for this specific Bucks team, a scoring machine and someone who will make headlines for a team that is usually relegated to the back page. Wiggins isn’t the same type of vocal leader as Parker, but he is more explosive and much better on the defensive end. He’s a potential two-way star in the mold of Paul George.
3. Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid C – Kansas
It’s unclear how far Embiid will fall as a result of the problems with his foot. He still has the most upside of anyone in the draft, a highly skilled player who has only been playing basketball for a grand total of three years and improved by leaps and bounds in his one season at KU. The 76ers proved they’re not worried about drafting injured players as they picked Nerlens Noel and his torn ACL last season. Those two healthy and paired together would be devastating on the defensive end.
4. Orlando Magic: Dante Exum PG – Australia
Exum is still somewhat of a mystery to a lot of fans and even some GMs, who haven’t seen him play 5-on-5 against top competition since the FIBA Under-19 World Championships last July. His upside is tremendous, however; the a 6-foot-6 point guard has scouts salivating. Teaming him with Victor Oladipo in Orlando’s backcourt would leave the Magic just a quality big man away from serious contention in the East.
5. Utah Jazz: Noah Vonleh PF – Indiana
As a student at IU, I was able to watch Vonleh up close several times last year and it was remarkable to watch him show off his tremendous physical gifts while somewhat shackled in the Hoosiers’ perimeter-oriented offense. His length and shooting ability would give Utah an entertaining inside-outside presence when paired with Derrick Favors.
6. Boston Celtics: Aaron Gordon PF – Arizona
A lot of other draft gurus have Julius Randle ranked above Gordon as the top power forward in the draft, but I beg to differ. Gordon is by far the more explosive of the two and his athleticism makes him a terrific defensive player. His offensive game needs some polish, but this is the type of upside pick Danny Ainge likes to make.
7. Los Angeles Lakers: Marcus Smart PG – Oklahoma State
With Steve Nash on his way out, the Lakers need a distributor (read: guy that can get the ball to Kobe). They’d love it if Embiid slipped to them, but Smart is a solid choice. The former Cowboys star is a tough, physical guard, the type of player that Kobe enjoys playing with.
8. Sacramento Kings: Julius Randle PF – Kentucky
Randle was a double-double machine at UK, racking up 24 total, a Wildcat freshman record. The 6-foot-9 Randle is a beast on the boards and works extremely hard getting position. His length (he has a 7-foot wingspan) give him high upside on the defensive end, and the Kings badly need help in that department.
Tier 2: The Kawhi Leonard Tier
This is the stretch of picks where each team hopes to land a Leonard-type sleeper. You probably won’t find any stars here, but there are some valuable rotation players to be had. This is where your GMs earn their paychecks.
9. Charlotte Hornets: Doug McDermott SF – Creighton
This is a relatively safe pick for the Hornets, who are close to playoff contention and looking for a polished, league-ready player. Dougie McBuckets seemingly fits this profile, after averaging 27 points per game a season ago for the Bluejays. He is a bit weak defensively as he isn’t quickest player, but he could provide instant offense as the leader of Charlotte’s second unit.
10. Philadelphia 76ers: Zach LaVine SG – UCLA
LaVine is just the type of upside pick that Sixers GM Sam Hinkie values and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see the former Bruins high-flyer snapped up with Philly’s second lottery pick. He didn’t produce much under Steve Alford at UCLA, but his athleticism is off the charts and he’s a terrific shooter.
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11. Denver Nuggets: Jusef Nurkic C – Bosnia & Herzegovina
Nurkic has only been playing organized basketball since 2009 and he’s just 19 years old. He is a project to be sure, but he has a deft touch around the basket and is very good in pick-and-roll situations. He needs to work on his shooting, but his quick feet in the post make him intriguing.
12. Orlando Magic: Dario Saric PF – Croatia
Assuming the Magic opt for Exum with their first pick, they can go with the highly-skilled Saric here. The top scorer in the Adriatic League last season, Saric is only 20, but has seen plenty of top competition in Europe and is an ideal “stretch 4” who is quick enough to guard power forwards but savvy enough to hold his own against centers as well.
13. Minnesota Timberwolves: Gary Harris SG – Michigan State
The Timberwolves are trying to win immediately if not sooner, especially if they decide to keep Kevin Love until he becomes a free agent after the season. Harris is a versatile player and has a deft shooting touch that is needed in Minnesota’s backcourt thanks to bricklayer Ricky Rubio.
14. Phoenix Suns: Rodney Hood SF – Duke
Coming into a team that won more than 50 games a season ago, Hood would simply need to bring his fluid offensive game off the bench and help spread the floor with his terrific shooting.
Dylan Sinn is a freelance contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSinn or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
