NBA Draft 2019: 5 worst draft selections on the night

By Alex Weber | Jun 22, 2019

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: (L-R) NBA Draft prospects Kevin Porter Jr., Nicolas Claxton, Sekou Doumbouya, Goga Bitazde, Keldon Johnson, Nassir Little, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Rui Hachimuri, Jarrett Culver, Cam Reddish, Coby White, Zion Williamson, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Ja Morant, De'Andre Hunter, Darius Garland, Brandon Clarke, Romeo Langford, Jaxson Hayes, Tyler Herro, Bol Bol, PJ Washington, Matisse Thybulle and Mfiondu Kabengele stand on stage with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver before the start of the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

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ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 28: Nassir Little #10 of Orlando Christian Prep is congratulated by teammates Keldon Johnson #23 of Oak Hill Academy and Darius Bazley #15 of Princeton High School after he won the MVP trophy in the 2018 McDonald’s All American Game at Philips Arena on March 28, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Darius Bazley (Thunder)

This isn’t necessarily a strike against Bazley, I’m just confused by Oklahoma City’s decision to select an unproven former 5-star whose basketball resume past high school solely features an internship with New Balance. The logic behind taking a late-first round flier on an athletic forward who can pass the ball is sound, but I wish another franchise, one with less of a win-now mess on its hands had taken him. Bazley will certainly serve a stint in the G-League–perhaps the one he announced he would this season but never did.

Say what you will about the overall strength of this draft and its perceived lack of star power, but there are impactful role players in this draft, and here at Busting Brackets we spent months discussing why some of our favorite and most productive players in college can carve out nice complimentary roles at the next level, immediately, and in a winning culture. The Thunder made a mistake by not taking one. Here’s why:

Currently, Oklahoma City has a payroll nightmare on its hands. It’s like they went to a bar on a Saturday night, which happened to be June 30th, opened a tab and started binge-spending, too drunk to notice of course. That lost night at the bar is called handing Steven Adams a deal where he earns $25 million a year, and then giving Westbrook an extension worth north of $40 million a year which includes a $47 million option when he’s 33. I have a sneaking suspicion that he’s going to go ahead and pick that up. And then I have to mention Paul George’s behemoth contract and Schroder’s $15 million and injured non-shooting Andre Roberson’s $10 million and who could forget the great Carmelo disaster of yesteryear!

Point being: they screwed their salary situation up for the foreseeable future. It’s not a complete disaster like Washington has with John Wall because, at the end of any discussion about OKC, it must be noted that they do have George and Westbrook, two top-15 guys in the league. With their All-NBA duo and Steven Adams on the books for $96 million alone in 2020, Oklahoma City is in desperate need of cheap labor. And the easiest way to enlist cheap labor is through the Draft. Instead of taking a project like Bazley, the Thunder should have picked a Ty Jerome, Admiral Schofield or Dylan Windler who are older, yes, but are proven college stars certain to contribute right away. They got Lu Dort on the UDFA market though, which I’m a HUGE fan of. So the night wasn’t a total disaster.

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