Yes, it’s the season that never ends. We go from the New York Knicks winning the NBA Finals last week to the NBA Draft a little over a week later, followed by Summer League action about a week later.
Let’s take a look at some of the top winners and losers of the NBA Draft.
(odds from DraftKings)
Winners
1)Washington Wizards: A.J. Dybantsa at No. 1 wasn’t an easy decision with Darryn Peterson around, but he fits the team well. His upside and athleticism are off the charts. They also made an underrated move by trading their late 2nd-round picks to move up to 46 to take Felix Okpara from Tennessee. He’s a bit of a project on offense, but he can protect the rim and rebound. They have little depth up front, so this made sense.
2)Memphis Grizzlies: Good for the Griz to not only take Cam Boozer at No. 3 and he should fit well with Zach Edey, But they also added two second-rounders and flipped 3 of them for C Isaiah Stewart from Detroit. Karim Lopez is a slight reach at 21, though he can really shoot it.
3)San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs didn’t need a lot of help, but they needed some toughness. That could come with the addition of Tarris Reed in the first round from UConn. But to add to that, they also picked Jayden Quantaince from Kentucky at 20, but he’ll miss the season due to a second knee surgery. They are talented enough that they can afford to take a chance on a potentially great defensive big man.
Losers
1)Dallas Mavericks: Dallas reached for Morez Johnson Jr. from Michigan at No. 9. Most felt that they’d take a Michigan player with Dusty May taking over but they really need to give Cooper Flagg some offensive help.
2)LA Lakers: Taking a thin shooting guard in Cam Carr makes even less sense now that the Lakers re-signed Austin Reaves. What they really needed was a small forward who could defend (3 and D).
3)Milwaukee Bucks: They gave up on Giannis Antetokounmpo and had two late lottery picks. Brayden Burries and Nate Ament are not exciting picks, as one was not even a starter in college and the other was very disappointing as a freshman.
Future Awards
Rookie of the Year
Cam Boozer +240/AJ Dybantsa +300, Darryn Peterson +330.
It’s interesting to see Boozer as the favorite, but Memphis has very little talent and might trade Ja Morant, who rarely plays now. Washington has Trae Young and Anthony Davis, so Dybantsa might be the third option.
MVP
Victor Wembanyama +200. He’s the favorite for a reason. He’ll likely spend most of the offseason lifting weights and working on a post-game. SGA is +350 to win his third straight MVP. An interesting longshot would be Giannis at +1200, now with Miami. He’s now playing with Bam Adebayo, which is an incredible post duo.
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Upcoming Events at ATS:
- The World Cup runs through July 19. Consists of 48 teams and 12 groups in the Group Stage, mainly playing in the United States. It’s the biggest event in the world.
- Wimbledon Tennis Championships (June 29-July 12)
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- UFC FIGHT NIGHT FIZIEV VS TORRES / BAKU AZERBAIJANSaturday June 27th*Projected +25 units as $250 /u clients expected to win $5,000+
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