The lottery draft is tonight. Any of these 14 teams would pick Anthony Davis in a split second. This is a LeBron James, Yao Ming, Tim Duncan draft. There is no debate. The draft will start with the second pick. What direction do I think these 14 teams will go in if they land the second pick? There are four guys in the second tier right now in my opinion. That is Andre Drummond, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bradley Beal and Thomas Robinson. My thoughts on the best and worst fit for each team. Enjoy!
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Best Fit: C Andre Drummond, Connecticut
Worst Fit: None.
The Bobcats are going to be absolutely heartbroken if they don't land the top pick. No franchise needs a shot in the arm more then Charlotte, who has never had a superstar player on their roster. There is a 75% chance they will have to settle on another player. There really is no "worst fit" for a team that needs so much. The team could gamble on the upside of Andre Drummond, even though he will immediately be compared to Kwame Brown because of the Michael Jordan connection. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would be the teams best on the ball defender, Bradley Beal it's best scorer and Thomas Robinson it's best inside presence. The Bobcats are going to come out of the draft with one of those players.
Best Fit: SG Bradley Beal, Florida
Worst Fit: C Andre Drummond, Connecticut
The Wizards have done a good job of ridding their roster of headcases, so I doubt they would want any part of the Andre Drummond experiment. Thomas Robinson is also a poor fit. The Wizards have a few young big men they would like to develop. That leaves Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Bradley Beal as the best fits. I like Jordan Crawford more as a scoring guard off of the bench. Beal would form an ultra athletic back court with John Wall and cause all sorts of matchup problems on offense. Kidd-Gilchrist would not help the Wizards with scoring that much, but would give them the defense they hoped they were getting when they drafted Chris Singleton.
Best Fit: SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky
Worst Fit: PF Thomas Robinson, Kansas
The Worst fit is easy. Thomas Robinson reminds me too much of Tristan Thompson for both players to coexist. The other three guys would all be good fits. Kidd-Gilchrist would be a great slasher and defender, and shore up that small forward position LeBron James used to hold down. Andre Drummond would be an interesting player to gamble on. Every team in the NBA dreams of that elite center/point guard duo, and the Cavs are already halfway there with Kyrie Irving. With Beal in the back court with Irving, they could average 40 points per game between the two.
Best Fit: C Andre Drummond, Connecticut
Worst Fit: SG Bradley Beal, Florida
Showing Andre Drummond some love. The Hornets will have two picks in the top 10, and could very well be the team to gamble on the tremendous upside. Carl Landry and Chris Kaman are free agents and Emeka Okafor has become a plodding, injury prone statue in the middle. If Monty Williams, one of the most underrated coaches in the league, and his coaching staff can develop Drummond they have the new face of their franchise. It is a gamble I would take. Bradley Beal is the worst fit only if the Hornets can come to an agreement with Eric Gordon. The two players have similar games and would not coexist on the court together.
Best Fit: SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky
Worst Fit: SG Bradley Beal, Florida
The Kings would get a guy who can really help their team here. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson and Andre Drummond would all be huge additions to the roster and fill big needs. No slight to Bradley Beal, but Sacramento already does not have room in their back court for another guy who needs the ball in his hands. Kidd-Gilchrist plays very well off the ball and would instantly become Sacramento's best defender. Robinson does not have tremendous upside, but would be an upgrade over Jason Thompson. Drummond could very well fall to Sacramento at 6, and I think the team could snatch him up. Imagine the possibilities with Drummond and DeMarcus Cousins together in the front court.
Best Fit: SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky
Worst Fit: SG Bradley Beal, Florida
I really hate to say none for worst fit, but all four guys would provide a huge upgrade for what the Nets already have. If I have to pick a "none" I guess it would be Bradley Beal, but he is a much better overall player then MarShon Brooks, and the two guys both have 20 point per game potential. The Nets need more then two scorers on this team, if Deron Williams leaves. Thomas Robinson would provide some of what Kris Humphries gives the team and would allow Hump to leave as a free agent. Kidd-Gilchrist would be a tremendous fit, as the Nets can't play a lick of defense. He would slide right into that vacant small forward spot and match up against the other team's best wing player nightly. Drummond, while a project, could eventually allow Brook Lopez to move to power forward, where he will be a nightmare matchup offensively.
Best Fit: SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky
Worst Fit: C Andre Drummond, Connecticut
The Warriors, as always, need help everywhere. What they need more then anything though is a wing player who can do more then hit jump shots. MKG's all around game would allow Dorrel Wright and Klay Thompson to concentrate on scoring. Golden St. could also go with Bradley Beal, who is a much better all around player then the two aforementioned shooting guards. He is an all around player who can play defense as well. Thomas Robinson and Andre Drummond are good players, but the Warriors have an absolutely dreadful track record of developing young big men and have three guys (Andrew Bogut, Andris Biedrins, David Lee) clogging up the middle and making a ton of money.
Best Fit: SG Bradley Beal, Florida
Worst Fit: PF Thomas Robinson, Kansas
The Raptors have a nice collection of big men so unless Anthony Davis falls in their lap they would definitely go with Bradley Beal or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist here. I like Beal as a better fit because of his ability to handle the ball and hit jump shots. The Raptors are a pretty poor perimeter team, and really need some scoring punch out of their wing players. His game would compliment DeMar DeRozan's quite well. Kidd-Gilchrist would be a very nice fit at small forward as well, even though he does not provide the scoring output Toronto desires. He would keep Linas Kleiza out of the lineup, which is win enough for Raptors fans.
Best Fit: PF Thomas Robinson, Kansas
Worst Fit: None
I hate to put none here, but the Pistons would grab any of the four players in a heartbeat. I wanted to show Thomas Robinson some love, so I have him as the best fit. His inside presence would be a nice contrast to Greg Monroe's game. Bradley Beal would do what Rodney Stuckey is supposed to do, but much better. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will give the Pistons a worthy heir apparent to Tayshaun Prince. Andre Drummond, if developed correctly, would form a great front court duo with Monroe.
Best Fit: SG Bradley Beal, Florida
Worst Fit: PF Thomas Robinson, Kansas
I would put Drummond as the best fit but I think Portland is still shell shocked with the whole Greg Oden fiasco. Their two best players and building blocks are unquestionably forwards LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum, which would eliminate Thomas Robinson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. That leaves Beal, who would be a perfect back court compliment. He can handle the ball, shoot the rock and play defense and would help make up for the loss of Brandon Roy.
Best Fit: SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kansas
Worst Fit: SG Bradley Beal, Florida
You know Scott Skiles would love to have a guy like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist who can play off the ball and provide defense after having to deal with a black hole back court of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings. MKG would be a welcome addition. Thomas Robinson is a nice fit as well, and would be the leader of a deep front court full of role players. If the Bucks want to be anything more then a team that picks in the 10-12 range every year they might want to gamble on the potential of Drummond.
Best Fit: SG Bradley Beal, Florida
Worst Fit: C Andre Drummond, Connecticut
The only player worth building around on the Suns is Marcin Gortat, so Drummond would not be an option. I don't think Thomas Robinson is a great fit either, as Markieff Morris held his own last year and Channing Frye is still around. That leaves Bradley Beal and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who are both infinitely more talented then the mediocre options the Suns have on the wing. Beal, especially, would step right in and provide minutes and production for a back court that is completely bare at the moment.
Best Fit: C Andre Drummond, Connecticut
Worst Fit: PF Thomas Robinson, Kansas
The Rockets have approximately 684 undersized big men on the roster. What they lack is a true difference maker in the middle. If the Rockets beat immeasurable odds and land a pick in the top three, they will definitely take Drummond. The roster is deep enough that they can afford to gamble on the project with immense upside. No team in the NBA has been searching for an answer in the middle quite like the Rockets, who have gone through a dozen big men since Yao Ming retired. Beal and Kidd-Gilchrist would also be an upgrade over the guys already there, but they definitely would go with Drummond.
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