8p9s Roundtable: Draft Lottery Dreaming
By Jared Wade
2. If you were the GM with the number-one pick, who would you take?
Washburn: I would take Karl Anthony-Towns and laugh my head off at the poor sucker who has to settle for Jahlil Okafor. In three years, Towns will protect the rim at a Hibbert-esque level while also being versatile enough to stay with smalls on the pick and roll. Offensively? He could be a poor man’s Boogie. Please and thank you, basketball gods.
Gibson: Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor both are worth the pick and expected to play center/power forward in the NBA. Physically they are similar, but there seem to be fewer concerns about Towns. Both could be the replacement needed at center if the Pacers are moving on from Roy Hibbert. I’d take Towns.
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Bishop: I’m on the Justise Winslow bandwagon, but I’d go with Karl-Anthony Towns. Out of the four lowest seeds, sliding in the 6’11” Towns at forward or center immediately gives a team a shot-blocking presence and hyper-active inside scorer. He sent back 2.3 shots in just over 21 minutes per game at Kentucky. At just 19-years-old, his 81% free-throw shooting leads me to believe he could grow to stretch the floor regularly by the time his rookie contract is over.
Ochoa: I would probably have to go with Jahlil Okafor. The skill set he displayed in college is highly advanced, and I think he is ready to take on the league at a high level. His ceiling is incredibly high and he seems like a high-character type of person off the court. I could see him turning into an NBA All-Star within three years. I just want to point out that I’m a big North Carolina basketball fan. Typing these nice words about Okafor was really difficult for your boy.
Medworth: I’m totally taking Karl Anthony-Towns. He’s big, he can move, he can shoot. Oh what’s that? That’s everything the Pacers need? O.K, cool.
Next: Lottery Sleepers?