Daniels and more: 2022 NBA draft from an Aussie hoops lens
Australia locks in yet another NBA draft with solid representation, and more.
Another NBA draft is now in the books. With it, yet another young Australian’s life has changed forever, with Victorian guard Dyson Daniels becoming the latest hooper from down under to get drafted in the lottery, going eighth overall to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Plenty of rumours swirled in the days leading up to the draft, particularly pointing Daniels in the direction of the Indiana Pacers, where it was said that Daniels had “one of the greatest workouts a lot of people in the Indiana organization have ever seen”. It was one of many positive pieces of intel we received through the predraft process, including Jonathan Givony declaring Daniels’ pro day the best of any showing, and a strong interview process pushing him firmly into the top 10.
While the Trailblazers would end up taking Shaedon Sharpe at 7, leaving Daniels to the Pelicans, it was still a meteoric rise from where Daniels had been pegged on mock drafts prior to the season.
You would also be hardpressed to find a better fit for Daniels in the draft lottery. Given the eighth overall pick was not one the Pelicans owned, but courtesy of the underperforming Lakers, New Orleans finds itself in the rare position of adding a top ten talent to a playoff level roster.
A concern would be Daniels’ immediate opportunity on a team primed for winning basketball games, but a clear roster need standouts amongst their sea of existing talent, and that is in the form of a big, defensive guard that can play a complementary offensive role. At 6’8 and as one of the draft’s best defenders, Daniels will likely be tasked with defending opposition teams’ strongest backcourt threat on most nights.
Daniels’ true playing position can appear ambiguous, but his role should not necessitate a high degree of on-ball creation, given the shared on-ball responsibilities between McCollum and Ingram. The lack of positional definition may work in his favour, as his ability to float across four positions will help plug rotational holes through the season.
It’s a big ask for any 19 year old to step in to the rotation of a playoff team and make an impact, but given the Pelicans’ current needs and Daniels’ high floor as a player, there’s a clear path for Daniels to not just contribute, but play a significant role for a good team this year.
We saw a mightily successful season from fellow Melbournian Josh Giddey last season, as triple-doubles and other statistical milestones rolled in thanks to a generous usage rate afforded in Oklahoma City. Success for Daniels under significantly different circumstances should be gauged under different metrics - having less to do with individual box score numbers and more to do with minutes earned and impact made on a winning roster.
Of course, Dyson Daniels wasn’t the only Australian whose name was called on draft night this year, as West Australian Luke Travers was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 56th pick.
It was a welcome surprise to see the Perth Wildcat’s name called, given the forward scarcely appeared on any projected draft boards leading up to the draft, but those who follow the NBL know that selection was well-deserved, after watching him grow from bench warming development player to key contributor over the past three seasons in the NBL.
The big question now remains: what exactly the Cavaliers’ plans for Travers are going forward. After competing in Summer League next month, it will be determined whether Travers will stay in the States, potentially joining the team’s G League affiliate Cleveland Charge, or whether he returns to Australia as a ‘draft and stash’, where he could potentially continue his current contract with the Wildcats, of which he is still committed to for next season unless the Cavaliers choose to buy out his contract.
We also saw two Frenchmen get selected out of the NBL ranks, with New Zealand Breakers recruits Ousmane Dieng and Hugo Besson managing to get their names called also.
Ousmane Dieng managed to become the second Oklahoma City draft pick on a row to be taken out of Australia, as he is set to join the Josh Giddey and the Thunder as they appear intent on continuing their experimental roster creation full of 6’9+ jumbo initiators.
Unlike the Knicks who officially took Dieng before he was traded off to the Thunder, OKC seems like a perfect spot for Dieng to patiently evolve into the player he has shown glimpses of being. Yes, there are many players in his mould currently on the Thunder roster, but they have so far shown an ability to make multiple smart, on-ball players co-exist up to this point, and Dieng’s modern skillset will not only be welcome but embraced by the forward thinking organisation.
As for Besson, the streaky scorer was snapped up lucky last at 58th by the Milwaukee Bucks after impressing for New Zealand this year. So far, reports indicate he will be stashed back overseas, but given Besson was signed as an import, and not a Next Star, by the Breakers last season, it precludes Besson from returning to the Breakers or another NBL team under the Next Star rule, meaning his days in our league appear all but over.
The second round also drew intrigue as certain international draftees bring upon fresh draft and stash possibilities.
Brazilian Gui Santos, a talented 6’8 wing out of Brazil, was drafted 55th overall by the Golden State Warriors. Up until now, Santos has been playing for Minas in Novo Basquete Brasil, but to further his growth as a presumable stash candidate, a more competitive league would be suitable. There are several links that could tie Santos to NBL teams - for one, Santos is represented by the same agent as former Next Star Didi Louzada. Furthermore, Golden State are the same team that stashed Justinian Jessup to the Illawarra Hawks over the course of the last two years.
Other international second round picks include talented but raw big man Yannick Nzosa (Washington Wizards, 54th), Karlo Matković (New Orleans Pelicans, 52nd), Matteo Spagnolo (Minnesota Timberwolves, 50th), Ismael Kamagate (Detoit Pistons to Denver Nuggets, 46th), Khalifa Diop (Cleveland Cavaliers, 39th) and Gabriele Procida (Portland Trailblazers to Detroit Pistons, 36th).
Also of note was Davidson-alumni and former NBA Global Academy member Hyunjung Lee, who went undrafted. Lee had legitimate draft interest as one of the NCAA’s best shooters this season, but an untimely foot injury during the draft workout process, reportedly requiring months of recovery time, shot whatever hopes of a second round selection he had down.
It may have dashed his draft aspirations, but Lee will still be requiring a professional home this upcoming season, and his injury timeline would still leave the sharpshooting wing healthy for the upcoming NBL season. Though his UDFA status leaves him inapplicable for Next Star consideration, his status as a Korean-born player does mean he could be signed as a Special Restricted Player for an NBL team at any time. If he was picked up, he would rival Zhou Qi as the most lucrative Asian pickup in NBL league history.
Addendum: An original version of this article noted that Shaedon Sharpe was picked at 7 by the Indiana Pacers. This has been corrected.