:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/11371587/164559369.0.jpg)
Draft season is officially underway! It's still two and a half months away, yes, but let's take whatever light at the end of the tunnel we can get.
Early entry announcements are starting to roll in. In addition to two of the biggest names of McLemore and Oladipo, others who have already announced are big men Cody Zeller, Anthony Bennett, and point guard Michael Carter-Williams.
For those of you who haven't been obsessing about the draft since the Pistons delusions of playoffs plummeted in February, Ben McLemore is a super-athletic, sweet shooting two guard from Kansas who regularly draws Ray Allen comparisons. Victor Oladipo is an equally athletic shooting guard, but made his mark as a lock-down defender who made the jump to an elite NBA prospect by adding an incredibly efficient offensive game in his junior year.
Zeller is a heady, efficient (and, in this IU alum's onpinion, underrated) seven-footer who was the catalyst in putting Indiana basketball back on the map, but his average athleticism, weak rebounding, slight frame, and sometimes passive demeanor have caused concern. Bennett is this year's athletic perimeter big. Carter-Williams has three names, is a big, pass-first point guard, but can't shoot.
We're still waiting to hear from the rest of the lottery, including Nerlens Noel and his flattop, Marcus Smart and his awful play, Otto Porter and Trey Burke and their dreaminess, and Shabazz Muhammad and his indication that whoever gets him failed at tanking.
Folks have till April 16 to withdraw with eligibility still intact, so expect a slew of decisions to be coming in over the next week.
As it stands right now the 5 or 6 pick is Detroit's draft position, but there are a mass of teams breathing down their necks. They're in a tie with the Pelicans (get used to it), with the Kings, Raptors (which will go to the Thunder, of course), and Wolves right there. In case you're counting, that could be the 10th pick that the Pistons are using if they win out. With the Bobcats, 76ers, and resting Nets looming, it's possible.
Let's talk some draft.