There are two conventional ways in the NBA to build a team and compete for a championship. The first one is to get enough cap space, sign two or three great players, and hope for the best. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement has made it harder, but teams are still trying to. Or, you can bottom out for a few years, draft some top 10 players, and wait for them to develop. Yet, these conference finals are showing that drafting smarter, not higher is the best way to compete.
Beyond the Lottery: Smart Drafting Powers NBA Conference Finals
Looking at the roster and starting five units of the four teams in the NBA Conference Finals, one thing is certain. Getting a top-10 pick doesn’t always mean success. In fact, many impact players on teams in the NBA Conference Finals were drafted outside of the lottery, or with picks from 10 to 20.
Oklahoma City Thunder – Turning Undrafted Players into Stars
Lu Dort is the perfect example of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s development program. They turned him from an undrafted player to a star role player who recently made an All-Defensive team. The Thunder also have Alex Caruso on their roster, another undrafted player.
Yes, they didn’t draft all of their players. But their two best players, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams were drafted 11th and 12th respectively. Looking deeper, Isaiah Hartenstein was drafted 43rd overall, Aaron Wiggins was a 55th pick, Isaiah Joe was drafted 49th, and Ajay Mitchell was drafted 38th overall.
New York Knicks – A Career Change Destination
Here is the deal, only Mitchell Robinson has been drafted by the New York Knicks with the 36th overall pick out of the players in their postseason rotation. All of their starters were drafted by other teams. But New York has found a way to turn above-average players into stars. Jalen Brunson was considered overpaid when he got to New York. Josh Hart was a decent role player who has begun piling up triple-doubles. Mikal Bridges had some success in Brooklyn as a star but didn’t contribute to winning. Brunson was drafted 33rd, Hart 30th, OG Anunoby 23rd, and Bridges 10th. Karl-Anthony Towns is their lone high-draft pick.
Indiana Pacers – Strong Collective
The Indiana Pacers have one of the most unconventional rosters in the league. Even in the playoffs, they play 10 guys on a regular basis. They have built depth by finding the perfect pieces that fit together. They have two top 10 draft picks, but neither of them is the main guy on the team. Bennedict Mathurin was drafted sixth overall, while Obi Toppin went 8th overall.
Their entire starting five were drafted outside of the top 10. Tyrese Halliburton was drafted 12th, Myles Turner 11th, and Pascal Siakam 27th. Looking deeper, Aaron Nesmith was drafted 14th overall, and Andrew Nembhard 31st overall.
Minnesota Timberwolves – One Star, Good Role Players
The Timberwolves are the only team in the NBA Conference Finals with two stars drafted in the top 10. Anthony Edwards was the No. 1 pick and Julius Randle was drafted seventh overall. The rest of their roster has quality role players drafted either deep in the first round, or late in the lottery. For example, Rudy Gobert was drafted 27th overall, Jaden McDaniels 28th overall, Nickeil Alexander-Walker 17th overall, Donte DiVincenzo 17th overall, and Naz Reid was undrafted.
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