The 2017 NBA Draft is in the books and there is a great amount of talent going to NBA rosters.
Here are some thoughts from draft night.
A number of teams were winners. It starts with the Philadelphia 76ers getting Markelle Fultz to open the draft. He will team up with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid to provide a solid young trio. The Sixers used other picks to bolster the future roster.
I liked the Sacramento-Portland deal. Zach Collins will be a star up front for the Blazers. Caleb Swanigan also adds another big body up front. The Kings added De' Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson and Harry Giles, three guys with winning experience. If Giles can stay healthy, this is a big move.
The Chicago Bulls got a nice deal, adding Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn and Zach Lavine a trade for Jimmy Butler. Certainly Minnesota was thrilled to get Butler and Justin Patton.
Charlotte made a good decision in selecting Malik Monk at No. 11 overall.
Phoenix got Josh Jackson and he is my early pick for Rookie of the Year while Devon Reed is an outstanding defender.
If I had to pick a losing situation, is was the large number of underclassmen that had eligibility remaining and went undrafted.
That list included Kobi Simmons and Chance Comanche of Arizona, Antonio Blakeney of LSU, Isaiah Briscoe of Kentucky, PJ Dozier of South Carolina, Eric Mika of BYU, Jonathan Motley of Baylor, Cameron Oliver of Nevada, L.J. Peak of Georgetown, Devin Robinson of Florida and Melo Trimble of Maryland.
There were numerous underclassmen that missed out on going in the first round. They will try to make rosters without a guaranteed contract. Nigel Williams-Goss of Gonzaga went 55th overall.
There were more than half of the first-round choices from the freshman class. That tells you a lot about one-and-dones.