Original pick: Zaccharie Risacher
What we saw from Risacher in Summer League was impressive — and maybe even better than I anticipated — so maybe Atlanta would roll with him again. But No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard looked nothing short of a superstar in his own tier for the Rockets’ Summer League team. CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish ranked Sheppard as his No. 1 player in the class for months leading into the draft in June, and while, yes, it’s way too early to draw anything from the class, he’s so far looking like he might’ve nailed his eval. Sheppard looks awesome.
Original pick: Alex Sarr
With Atlanta going in a different direction at No. 1, Washington scoops Risacher at No. 2 and lets its original pick, Sarr, remain on the board. Risacher looked very confident as an offensive weapon for the Hawks and was impressive in particular with the ball in his hands in the open floor.
The initial hope for Risacher was that he would excel in defense and 3-point shooting, but he has shown potential for more on offense, which is a positive sign.
Reed Sheppard was the original pick, but there were rumors that Clingan might go first overall to Atlanta. Surprisingly, Clingan fell to seventh on draft night, despite being a dominant force in blocks and rebounds, living up to his defensive reputation from UConn.
Stephon Castle had a promising start in the Summer League before his injury, showing great potential in limited playing time. He was ranked as the second-best player in the class and looks like a steal at fourth for San Antonio, where he will complement Wemby well.
The choice of Ron Holland for Detroit seemed questionable at the time, as the team needed more shooters around Ivey and Cunningham. Buzelis, his G League Ignite teammate, could have been a better fit, showcasing his versatility and highlight-reel dunks in the Summer League. He made a strong case for being considered for an earlier draft pick. If he had shot better last season, which seems ambitious, but I’ll split the difference here with the No. 11 pick and have him slotted at No. 5 in this redraft. Tidjane Salaun was the original pick. It’s hard to ignore how rough it looked for Alex Sarr in Summer League action on offense — he was held scoreless on 0-of-15 shooting in a game! — but Charlotte wouldn’t let him slip past No. 6 if we were redoing things. He was always a project on offense whose star power was predicated on his defensive impact. That much has not changed, even if what we’ve seen in recent weeks is … concerning. I wouldn’t panic too much if I’m the Wizards.
Portland snagged a surprise faller in Clingan at No. 7 the first go-round but here they reach up in a surprise to nab Edey higher than expected. The 7-foot-4 Purdue star was the national player of the year in each of his final seasons in college and looked dominant in limited minutes in Summer League for the Grizz. Donovan Clingan was the original pick.
There’s no reason to think Minnesota would go another direction here with this draft-night trade. The original pick was Rob Dillingham. It’s exciting to imagine Dillingham as a microwave scorer and facilitator for a competitive Timberwolves team.