Which rookie will turn out to be the biggest draft steal?
Bub Carrington, Wizards: 5 votes
Kel'el Ware, Miami Heat: 3
Terrence Shannon Jr., Timberwolves: 3
Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls: 2
Kyle Filipowski, Utah Jazz: 2
Dalton Knecht, Lakers: 1
Jared McCain, Philadelphia 76ers: 1
Jamal Shead, Toronto Raptors: 1
Cam Spencer, Grizzlies: 1
One voter preferred not to answer
Many around the league are bullish on the long-term prospects for Carrington, who turned 19 last week and whom the Wizards maneuvered into the 14th pick to select. He had a solid showing at summer league and looked very comfortable, particularly for his age, appearing to be a strong development bet for Washington.
"[Carrington] has the size, quickness and game to be an All-Star," one Western Conference executive said. "I see some [Tyrese] Maxey in the way he plays."
"I think he will turn out to be the best pick that Washington made in this draft," another voter offered. (The Wizards also selected Alex Sarr at No. 2 and Kyshawn George at No. 24.)
Both Ware (No. 15) and Shannon (No. 27) had strong showings in Las Vegas.
Ware was a pleasant surprise, helping lead the Heat to the summer league title and performing like one of the top bigs at the event. He has continued to assuage concerns about his consistency and competitive motor, and landed in a strong situation with the Heat, who will develop him as a long-term answer at center next to Bam Adebayo.
"It's undeniable what Ware can do skill-wise," one voter said. "Based on summer league and what he might become, he has to be considered one of the better picks."
Shannon's explosiveness and defensive playmaking stood out in Las Vegas, with his first two games in particular leaving a good impression. He scored 25 points against New Orleans and 19 against Indiana and recorded multiple blocks in both games. His slide to the 27th pick could give Minnesota a useful bench contributor next season.
6 comments
I sure hope so because our Number 2 didn’t give us much hope in summer league.
Bub is so young. I thought he was 19 at the time of the draft and was about to turn 20. He turned 19 just 2 weeks ago.
So what was the cause of everyone’s miss on Bub? In summer league he was playing like a top-5 pick. Did he just not go to a very well-known high school or something?
He’s got that killer instinct you can see it in his game
This whole thing reads like they’re reacting entirely to the summer league results. I mean I’m excited about Bub too, but this means pretty little.
Looking forward to trading him for picks in 3 years…