The NBA’s night of nights tips off tomorrow and all dreams come true for plenty of draft prospects!
Jabari Smith is the favourite to land in Orlando with the Number 1 overall pick, closely followed by Chet Holmgren and a surging Paolo Banchero.
Banchero has been making plenty of noise in the lead up to the draft, with some experts tipping him to be selected ahead of Smith to Orlando!
Plenty of Aussies will have their eyes on the Draft tomorrow, and will be keen to see where Dyson Daniels lands in the Top 10.
Daniels has had rave reviews in the lead up to the Draft, and is looked after extremely well by Dan Moldovan.
If last year’s draft is anything to go by with Josh Giddey (also repped by Moldovan) being selected 6th Overall by OKC, it would be no shock to see Daniels fall anywhere between 5-8 overall.
Breaking down Dyson Daniels Pick by Team:
5th Pick: Detroit Pistons
Detroit have many needs, so taking the best player available is never a bad option. They will have plenty of options available, with the likes of Ivey, Keegan Murray, Bennedict Mathurin and Dyson Daniels to choose from.
Daniels could pair nicely with Cade Cunningham in a Detroit back court looking to rebuild and get back into Eastern Conference relevance.
6th Pick: Indiana Pacers
Just like Detroit, Daniels could be paired alongside Tyrese Haliburton and have themselves a long backcourt for the future.
Indiana are in the process of trading away Malcolm Brogdon, so Daniels could make a lot of sense here if Indiana are looking to fill that void with another young star.
7th Pick: Portland Trail Blazers
This landing spot makes the most sense, as Daniels could sit in behind Damian Lillard and learn from one of the best PGs in the league.
He would also have the ability to sit behind Anfernee Simons and be brought along slower than with the Pistons and Pacers.
Daniels could be a very nice sixth man piece for a team competing for a playoff spot.
8th Pick: New Orleans Pelicans
It’s hard to see Daniels not taken here if he’s still on the board, but if he is still here, the Pelicans have themselves a great find!
Daniels, Ingram, Zion, Herb Jones and Jonas Valančiūnas makes for a formidable defensive starting 5, and again, another team contending for a playoff spot.
Outside of Daniels, Luke Travers has potential to be a late 2nd round pick.
Travers would be the perfect draft and stash player, whether it be in the G-League or back in the NBL, where he could continue to flourish and work on his game at his own pace.
Travers has the ability to make it in the NBA as a point forward, and if he continues to work on his jump shot, there’s no doubting he will have his place in the league when it’s all said and done.
Plenty of NBL Star power will also look to have their names called tomorrow, headlined by Ousmane Dieng.
Dieng starred late in the season for the New Zealand Breakers, and there’s plenty of talk of him landing in the top 10.
There’s potential for a Daniels/Dieng 1-2 hit when the 8th and 9th overall picks come through, with the Spurs picking at 9 known for loving their European picks.
Hugo Besson (who was Dieng’s NZ team mate) has plenty of potential to be picked up as a mid to late 2nd round pick.
Besson was a sniper for the Breakers in the NBL, and someone who has already had some time in the pro leagues, will add plenty of value for teams contending for a title.
Kai Sotto is the last of the NBL hopefuls, and another player who would benefit from the draft and stash route. Sotto would be great again down under in the NBL with a bigger role, as he was just coming into his own as the season was coming to an end.
Good luck to all involved, it’s sure to be a great day for plenty of hoop dreamers!
Bauky