Every year, the NBA hosts it’s amatuer draft, in which the league issues in a new crop of talent. This year’s draft occurred on November 18th, and a few teams ended up with some absolute gems. Every draft has at least a few steals, players who were drafted way lower than their impact and ability would have you believe. The Memphis Grizzlies had arguably the best draft, coming away with potentially the two biggest steals of the draft, first with senior TCU wing Desmond Bane, who was the 13th pick. Bane projects to be the best shooter in this draft, with elite movement, standstill, and off the dribble shot making, paired with his incredible team defense, and his passing, Bane is the best non-guard passer in the draft, he sees the floor incredibly well and has the ability and willingness to find open teammates even in tight spots. The Grizzlies’ other steal comes from Michigan State’s Xavier Tillman. Despite being only 6’8”, Tillman is a masterclass defensive player in the paint, with the athleticism to switch out onto the perimeter and be a versatile defensive player, both as a team defender and in pick and roll coverage. While his jump shot isn’t anything special, there is reason to believe he can develop it into becoming at least averaging, which would be a huge addition to his already versatile game, enabling him to space the floor for Ja Morant to get easy looks at the rim. Tillman’s best offensive skill may be his passing out of the short roll, he is the best in the class at this, with only the Knicks’s Obi Toppin coming close to his ability to make plays as a big out of the pick and roll. 

The Philadelphia 76ers also landed themselves a steal in Arkansas’s Isaiah Joe. Joe fell all the way to the 49th pick, which is tremendous value for his upside. He’s a versatile shot maker and creator, he’s able to both pull up off the dribble and hit tough moving shots. With great defensive tools and some passing chops, the only thing holding back Joe is his dire lack of strength. It’s something that affects every aspect of his game, but if can add some serious strength, Joe will be a high impact wing for years to come.

The 56th pick was one of Charlotte’s newest additions in Grant Riller. Riller is an elite scorer, he was one of the most unguardable players in college basketball for all four of his college years. His elite scorer tools, from his lightning quick first step to his beautiful jumpshot, he’ll be able to carve up NBA defenses. Despite questionable decision making and bad defense, if his already improving playmaking becomes a plus skill for him, he’ll be an incredible combo guard that will be an instant source of offense. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder also landed a steal in this year’s NBA draft, with seven footer Aleksej Povusevski. When you watch Poku play, he looks like he was made to play basketball. Despite his towering stature, he moves incredibly well, more so resembling a 6’6 wing than a 7’1” behemoth. His incredible shot versatility from behind the arc, along with his high volume project him to be a high level shooter, both off the dribble and off of movement. He’s an incredible passer for a big, he will be among the best in the league in that category the second he steps onto an NBA court. He’s also shown some ball handling ability, and his instincts as a defensive playmaker bode well for his value. However, fears about his strength, role, and finishing at the rim are warranted, it’ll take an innovative coach to define Pokusevski’s role if he doesn’t improve upon these things, but he projects to have value no regardless even if he doesn’t develop the necessary skills to be an NBA big. 

The Detroit Pistons managed to get a steal at the number seven pick, drafting Killian Hayes. Many are making the argument for Hayes being the second best player in the entire draft behind Lamelo Ball. Coming from Ulm in the Bundesliga, Hayes has been a professional basketball player since he was 16. Since his beginning of being scouted for the NBA, he has nullified many concerns regarding him, such as his defense and athleticism. One skill he has always possessed, however, is top tier passing. He sees the game three steps before anyone else on the court. This instinct and intelligence enables him to be incredibly effective at running an offense. As a scorer, he’s a legitimate space creator, showing off a plentiful bag of sidesteps and stepbacks. He possesses an amazing floater with an immensely soft touch around the rim and on his jumpers, and his ability to pace himself and the game, with great deceleration skills, his scoring will create a lot of gravity for him to make plays out of. Pairing his offense with phenomenal team defense and much improved on ball defense, Killian Hayes projects to be an all around point guard who will lead efficient offenses and winning teams for his entire career.

This year’s NBA draft was one of many criticisms due to its lack of potential superstars, however it’s incredible depth for rotational pieces has enabled it to contain a ton of sleepers and potential steals. It will be fun to see how each and every player from this draft develops, seeing what teams got wrong and which teams were able to extract great value.