NBA Draft 2019: Final predictions and analysis for all 60 selections
50. Indiana Pacers – Luguentz Dort (Weber)
Indiana and Luguentz Dort is a better fit than Humphrey Bogart and noir films. Like with that duo before this, I believe this pick is the start of a beautiful friendship. When I think Pacers basketball, especially recently, I think grit, defense, toughness, competitiveness, and raw offense. Those words are on the masthead of Dort’s basketball profile. He’s a bulldog–both in build and in his attitude towards basketball.
I like what Desus Nice said about Russell Westbrook, that “He plays basketball like he hates basketball. Like some alien gave him the ability to play basketball as a curse.” That sentiment applies to Lu Dort perfectly. Dort plays pissed off. Whenever I watch him, I feel like he’s hunting his own opportunity to recreate the Artest Melee. He just wants to hit his opponent in the face with a sledgehammer. But that’s a good thing. There is not a player more competitive or aggressive as Dort is on the basketball court in this draft. I’ll bet on those traits.
With a build that body-builders envy and the aforementioned aggressiveness, Dort is an enforcer on both ends. He plays and looks like Marcus Smart if he was thieved from Boston and thrust into Bobby Hurley’s system. With Dort, his floor is very high. That’s my general approach on dudes who bust their tails every minute they’re on the court. On the other side of the coin, Dort is actually an intriguing offensive player with a bevy of potential. The Arizona State guard is a freight train on the drive who happens to have a very impressive handle and the ability to execute LeBron-like two-hand bolts across the court to corner shooters. He also can shoot the basketball, but he’ll need to overhaul his weird side-spinning form.
I’m high on Dort as somebody who, at worst, will play for a decade-plus as at least a role player who brings energy and defensive edge off the pine. Though, if everything breaks right, Dort could rise as one of the League’s premier two-way guards, and no better place suits that possibility than Indiana under Nate McMillan.
49. San Antonio Spurs – Yovel Zoosman (Marks)
If the San Antonio Spurs have a draft pick, let alone three, it’s all but a guarantee that one (or more) of them will be spent on an overseas talent that can be stashed for a year or two, considering the front office’s extensive history of drafting international talent year after year. Yovel Zoosman stands out as a prime candidate for the Spurs at No. 49, both for the international ties and his legit skill level.
The 21-year-old Israeli wing is currently averaging 5.7 points (.455/.361/.736), 2.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game in just over 20 minutes a night through 71 games with Maccabi Tel Aviv, getting real minutes for one of the better teams (in one of the better leagues) overseas. He really stood out for Israel at the 2018 FIBA U18 Championships in Germany, sporting averages of 14.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 points en route to a championship title and MVP award.
His passing is attractive, as he has an array of passes in his toolbox that he can make regardless of defensive pressure, and he projects to be a fine secondary ball-handler in the NBA. He’s a solid shooter and defender too, making the most of his 6-foot-7 height and supposed 7-foot-1 wingspan. Zoosman would be a fine pickup for any team, and he makes so much sense for San Antonio here at No. 49.
48. Los Angeles Clippers – Zach Norvell Jr. (Freeman)
The third Gonzaga player to get selected, Norvell Jr. averaged nearly 16 ppg as a sophomore and is one of the purest three-point shooters in the draft. The 6’5 guard is an impressive athlete who demands attention on the perimeter while having the ability to blow by them if they get too close. Los Angeles shot the ball well from deep last season but took some of the fewest attempts as well. Norvell would be a microwave option off the bench and would greatly benefit from playing alongside elite slashing point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
47. Sacramento Kings – Deividas Sirvydis (Marks)
With three picks in the second round, Vlade Divac and the Sacramento Kings have little need to bring in three rookies into training camp for the upcoming season, especially not when the front office is eyeing potential high-dollar free agents (e.g., Nikola Vucevic) to fill out a roster that just posted its highest win total (39) in 13 years.
Given the team’s interest in perimeter shooting, drafting and stashing 6-foot-9 Lithuanian sharpshooter Deividas Sirvydis, one of the youngest players in the class having just turned 19 this month, would serve as a smart draft night acquisition for the Kings. Through 60 games overseas (LKL, Eurocup, NKL), Sirvydis is averaging 5.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.9 assists on a solid 41.8 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from the perimeter (on a super high .709 three-point rate given his small role), and 77.4 percent from the line in about 15 minutes per game.
His mechanics are smooth and compact, helping him get shots off against length. He’s competent shooting off movement and off screens going in either direction, boding well for his potential as a versatile shooter in the NBA. He’s probably a year or two away from being brought over to play stateside, given his age and how thin he is (193 lbs) at his height, but the Kings aren’t unfamiliar with drafting and stashing wings, so they can afford to be patient.
46. Orlando Magic – John Konchar (Weber)
Hold on, I see all the raised eyebrows and site-wide disagreement against passing on Zach Norvell for a white Purdue-Fort Wayne guard. Sorry, it’s my pick and I want Konchar. You may not know who he is, but here’s why his contributions in the NBA might far exceed those of his in college.
Konchar is a combo guard not because of his lack of defined role, but rather due to the fact that he’s an elite playmaker and extremely threatening guard off the ball. John is simply a remarkable scorer who recorded unusual scoring efficiency. His career two-point FG% is over 60, and his three-point numbers exceed the 40% clip. The man can score the basketball–in more ways than a few. Konchar is an acrobat in the paint who finishes ambidextrously and has a full arsenal of moves off the dribble.
Watching his film reminds me of Virginia’s Ty Jerome, except more athletic. I can’t speak to Jerome’s legendary basketball mind, but Konchar has every mechanical nuance of Jerome’s game within his own–just in a body that can jump higher and run faster, A LOT faster. To quote Rocky, “you know, he just fills gaps, ya know.” Shooter? Got it. Lead ballhandler? Sure. Spot-up shooter? If you must. Get us a bucket? Pick your poison–got a locker of moves. Konchar’s sheer array of positive skills on the basketball court, to me, make him someone who can follow in (this is a cliche by now) Fred VanVleet’s footsteps as a multi-faceted difference-maker on an NBA franchise.