Basketball from a fans perspective

Kristaps Porzingis

We are here June 1, the NBA draft will be held June 26 and 27 in New York City. Although you might note the headline the Celtic center is only a small portion of the story. In the 2015 draft a certain bombastic ESPN media person questioned the Knicks drafting him although he indicated no knowledge of Porzingis. Later in Porzingis’s rookie season this media person was forced to admit Porzingis indeed had skill to play at the NBA level. For yours truly it was a different matter, I had no idea if Porzingis could play in the association but at least I was familiar with his name.

It’s important for me to scrutinize mock draft sites for international players because we don’t often know their names in this country. I knew Porzingis was from Latvia, the same could be said for 2024 pick Alexandre Sarr. No, Sarr’s not from Latvia he’s from France and 2 of the 3 mock draft sites I utilize list Sarr as the number one pick in the 2024 draft. I’m going to begin at the present and work his timeline backwards, Sarr just completed his “rookie” season with the Perth Wildcats of the NBL. Prior to that he spent two years in the U.S. playing for YNG Dreamerz and Team Overtime. Sarr is 7 feet tall and 224 pounds and just like fellow countryman Victor Wembanyama he’s only 19-years old as he approaches the draft. Now you are prepared for draft night and are familiar with his name, it's Alexandre Sarr.

The NBA is different

Jason Kidd is no longer the top-notch point guard we witness play, he’s moved into another role. That role is NBA head coach however the road contained plenty of potholes. In 2013 the Nets hired Kidd despite zero experience coaching at any level. I was not critical of the move however I did have a question taking over a team the with no coaching background. What occurred, the Nets finished with a 44-38 record and the Bucks must have believed he was ready. In 2014 the Bucks decided the time must have been right however in four seasons the team never improved and Kidd was eventually fired.

Kidd would then spend time as an assistant coach with the Lakers and was part of the 2020 NBA championship team. In June 2021 Kidd was hired as head coach by the Mavs. The balance of the story is history, let’s fast forward to the present-day, Kidd’s Mavs team will now play for the 2024 NBA championship and a portion of it I believe is due to his coaching. Although Kidd had an outstanding NBA career adjusting to the role of a coach caused some difficulty however he’s made the jump. It would have been great if the Lakers had managed to hire him since he was already on staff but that is wishful thinking at this point.

What does the future hold

In 2020 the NBA set up Team Ignite in its G-League, this team would be to develop high school basketball talent to eventually matriculate to the NBA. A quick count indicated at least 9 players from its founding date up through 2024 managed to make the jump to the NBA, this number includes the latest Scoot Henderson with the Blazers. The 2024 NBA draft will likely contain at least two additional Ignite players but there will be no more after this.

The changing basketball landscape has caused the NBA to re-think this effort, the conclusion there is no requirement for the team to exist. That’s one down, but what about the other…OTE or Overtime Elite? OTE was founded in 2021 by Dan Porter and Zack Weiner and it’s intent was the same to develop basketball talent. Porter’s bio indicates he’s an American internet entrepreneur while Zack Weiner is listed as an influencer. OTE took in high school players to develop and in addition to paying them a salary they were also provided studies to complete their high school education. The league has 8 teams and is headquartered in Atlanta Georgia. OTE just completed its third year of operation, the biggest names thus far are the Thompson twins, Ausar finishing his rookie year with the Pistons while Amen has done the same with the Rockets.

Similar to the G-League there will be at least two OTE players in the 2024 draft, but the question remains what does the future hold? Rest assured a primary reason Team Ignite ceased operations was Name, Image & Likeness. With college basketball players able to earn salaries equal to or exceeding those of Team Elite that might have been the basis for “closing shop.” I certainly have no inside information however it would appear OTE might be in operation longer due to the manner of its operation.

I did them a disservice

It was unintentional but I might have given you the wrong impression. I may have pointed out the Mavs would not have been able to continue play without the efforts of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. That is mostly true however there are additional members of the Mavs who were key contributors allowing them to compete for the NBA championship. At the center position is 6-foot 10 234-pound Daniel Gafford, he arrived in a trade with the Wizards in February 2024.

Gafford played his college basketball at Arkansas. The steady power forward is PJ Washington obtained from the Hornets in February 2024, Washington played his college ball at Kentucky and is 6 foot 7 and 230 pounds. August 2023 saw Derrick Jones Jr. signed with the Mavs as a free agent, he is the starter at small forward Jones Jr. played his college ball at UNLV. These are the players who receive the most playing time with the Mavs. There are other Mavs receiving minutes however the bulk are Luka-Kyrie and those named.