National Basketball Association

NBA: Which Will Be The Next Great Team Built From The Draft

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Jan 4, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) looks for an opening past Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 109-99. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Within the NBA there are great teams who get established with the help of free agency and trades and then there are teams who do it the natural way; through the draft

There are a couple of NBA teams who have drafted promising young talent and have hopes to be as lucky as some other great teams who were built through the draft (a la Warriors & Thunder).

The Thunder are known for drafting great players ever since they landed Durant with the No. 2 pick in 2007 even though they were in Seattle at the time. They moved to OKC the very next season. Since then they have drafted Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka and Reggie Jackson.

Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka led their team to the NBA finals pretty early in their careers back in 2012. If that group was never broken up who knows what could’ve happened.

Warriors oh Warriors… I’m sure you’re tired of hearing about them by now. Before Durant’s arrival they had already won 67+ games for two straight seasons, winning 73 games last season setting a new NBA record. Not to mention two straight finals appearances. The Warriors are responsible for drafting three players between 2009-12 who would eventually become all-stars.

Those guys are Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green as you know.

Going into the 2016-17 season there are three teams to look for with young promising players that they’ve drafted. These players could potentially be all-stars and lead their respective teams to consistent playoff spots in the future.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota Timberwolves

Now this is a team who has so much young talent and most likely will make the playoffs before the Sixers and possibly before the Lakers. In 2015, they drafted Karl-Anthony Towns with the number one pick and trust me that was no mistake.

Already considered one of the best bigs after just one year, you can expect to hear KAT’s name plenty during the 2016-17 season. Although the Timberwolves did not draft Andrew Wiggins, we might as well pretend like they did. In a situation similar to Kobe Bryant, Wiggins was traded by the team he was drafted by before stepping foot on the court for them.

Wiggins didn’t even make it to the Cavs training camp before he was traded for Kevin Love. There are clearly some things that Andrew Wiggins needs to improve on but coming off of a season where he put up nearly 21 ppg, it’s easy to see that he’s on the rise.

Zach LaVine is such a talented young player. Lavine knows how to score the basketball. His superior athleticism gives him an advantage when driving to the rim. He doesn’t get compared to Westbrook for no reason. Once he develops a consistent jumpshot, beware.

Just a few months back during the 2016 NBA draft, the T’wolves selected Kris Dunn with the 5th overall pick. This is someone who is in consideration for rookie of the year. If he wins it that’ll be 3 years in a row that someone from the Timberwolves has won the award. This teams potential is unbelievable.

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers Nation has been pretty supportive of their team over the last three years. Even through tough times it’s not hard to see why they’re excited about their team’s future.

They selected Brandon Ingram with the 2nd pick in 2016. There are high expectations for him as there should be for a No. 2 pick. Going into this season he won’t be starting but the Lakers coaching staff is hoping he brings a scoring punch off the bench.

D’Angelo Russell is predicted to be the Lakers go to guy. During the preseason Russell hasn’t been hesitant to let it fly and that’s a good sign for the Lakers.

His rookie season was up and down but he believes that “it was bad”. He has high expectations for himself. If Russell can improve his playmaking ability that’ll be a “major key” for the Lakers.

Drafted in the second round in 2014, Jordan Clarkson felt like he had a lot to prove. Clarkson has gotten a nice two seasons under his belt. Averaging 15.5 points last season (Second on the team), he has shown how aggressive he can be. When asked about how he felt coming off the bench, he stated

“It don’t matter to me as long as I’m on the court, playing minutes,” said Clarkson. “I’m going to impact the game some way, if that’s defensively or offensively. I’m always going to be aggressive on both ends of the floor, that’s where I’m going to make my mark.”

You love to see young players talk like that. Whatever his role is on this team, he’s ready to take it on. Luke Walton still isn’t quite sure what the best starting lineup is for the Lakers anyway.

Julius Randle, the high energy guy that the Lakers need. Drafted with the 7th pick in 2014 (considered a steal by some), he had to miss his entire rookie year after suffering a fractured right tibia. This came after just 14 minutes of playing time in his first game.

The next year after that he proved he can play. Julius Randle is a big who’s already a double-double machine, and can push the ball up the floor. Randle’s impact on the Lakers will not go unnoticed.

Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons during an introduction press conference at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia 76ers

The injury of No. 1 pick Ben Simmons has set the 76ers back. Injuries slow down progression and you hate to see guys go out like that. Have no worries Sixers fans, he is expected to return in January. He’ll be back strong and motivated. A versatile 6-foot-10 forward who has the abilities of a guard is always dangerous for opposing teams.

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Jahlil Okafor is coming off of an impressive rookie campaign despite off the court issues and suffering a knee injury which caused him to miss a handful of games. He averaged 17.5 ppg and 7 boards. Okafor is a below average rebounder for his size and that’s an area of his game where the 76ers will be looking for improvement.

Nerlens Noel just had knee surgery but this is just a minor setback for the Sixers franchise. He’s expected to miss around 3-5 weeks so he’ll still get a lot out of this season. Noel’s length can really be a factor on defense and the Sixers will be glad to have him back once he returns.

Since being drafted 3rd overall in 2014, Joel Embiid has not played a single regular season game. This is due to a broken navicular bone in his right foot. He didn’t break it once, he broke it twice! Finally healthy, Embiid is ready to prove that he belongs. He’s shown a bit of his skills in preseason and should be ready for the real action on October 26th in the 76ers season opener.

It seems like the 76ers have been in the lottery forever and they’ll probably be a lottery team once again at the end of the season.

They might have their fair share of injury problems but once their key guys get healthy and get some experience playing together they will definitely be one of the most exciting young teams to watch.

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