Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
If you were Ernie Grunfeld, would you have made the move? If not, what would you have done differently?
John: No, I don’t think I would have.
I probably would have gone with Jerian Grant or Bobby Portis. If I knew that Paul Pierce was staying, the decision would’ve been a bit easier to make. With Otto and Pierce pretty much giving us a sneak preview on how next year is going to look in the playoffs, I would think we could do without a wing for now and gone with a combo guard or another big that would be perfect in the new small-ball generation in the NBA.
David: A hundred percent yes.
We’ve reached a point in the development of NBA basketball where positionless small ball is not forward thinking anymore – it’s the best way to go.
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We just saw a team win the NBA title starting Andre Iguodala, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, in front of their 7-foot center.
This is a radically different basketball environment, one where traditional roles and ideas are losing their hold.
And into this breach comes Kelly Oubre. Guys like Oubre have always been valuable, but never before have they been so important. In another time, he and Otto Porter, traditional 3s, probably wouldn’t share a lineup much – but in this modern era, they will play alongside each other, stretching defenses with their shooting and athleticism and causing nightmares with their length.
The Washington Wizards have needed young legs for so long, and a core of John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre is perfectly equipped to step forward into this new NBA world. Even if Oubre looks way too much like Chris Douglas-Roberts.
Oz: I absolutely would have made the move if I was Ernie Grunfeld.
Frankly I don’t think they could have gone wrong with either Bobby Portis or Kelly Oubre at 15, but they took the player who they had ranked higher on the board. Drafting best player available versus drafting for need is the way to go.
This team isn’t one rookie away from winning a title so the best player available approach they took was refreshing and the correct one in my opinion. The cost was also minimal.
As I previously mentioned, since 2007 the only 2nd round selection to have an impact (limited) was Dominic McGuire. The Wizards frankly aren’t good in Round 2 so leveraging 2016 and 2019 2nd round selections is a no brainer, especially with Tomas Satoransky and now Aaron White likely stashed overseas.
The only thing I would have done differently was burn up the phone lines in an attempt to get back into the backend of Round 1 as Bobby Portis continued to fall.
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