That dream has come true for two Kiwis. Sean Marks was the 44th pick by the NY Knicks back in 1998 and more recently Steven Adams was the 12th pick by the OKC Thunder in 2013. Though he went un-drafted Kirk Penney has also played a few games for the Miami Heat and LA Clippers during his career...Lastly for Breakers fans Ced Jackson has played alongside LeBron James in Cleveland while also playing a few games for the Spurs and the Wizards
Although I find the entire thing entertaining to watch my favourite part is the late second round. The first round is obviously fun but everybody knows who the top prospects are and it can be somewhat predictable. Most years somebody who was expected to be taken high slips and someone who was expected to be taken a little later gets taken earlier and on occasion someone who nobody has ever heard of gets selected (Like Bruno Caboclo last year) Plus Danny Ainge of the Celtics likes throwing a spanner in there from time to time and make a few big trades. But the late second round (picks 45-60) is truly unpredictable...A lot of the time little known prospects from Europe and other countries get selected here and while they may not join the team right away, their progress is monitored by the team while they ply their trade elsewhere.
This is where it could get quite exciting for NZ basketball fans...Isaac Fotu, who is surely a house hold name for basketball fans by now, is eligible to be selected and with his excellent showing at last years world cup and highly impressive rookie season in the Spanish ACB, one of the best leagues in the world outside the NBA, don't be surprised one bit if his name gets called. Just looking at the draft order the OKC Thunder have the 48th pick and how cool would it be to see him along side his old mate Steven Adams and the Spurs are known for liking their foreigners and they have the 55th pick. Regardless of whether it happens or whether it doesn't Isaac is definitely on the NBA radar and would still be a chance to crack the big league over the next few years even if he goes un-drafted...But how cool would it be to see his name get called? Thats the beauty of the draft! You just never know...6'8'' athletic and versatile forwards are quite sought after these days with the way the game is evolving and becoming smaller and quicker, hopefully someone will pick him up tomorrow.
Plus who doesn't love tuning in to see the Knicks faithful boo every pick and give commissioner Adam Silver a tough time up on the podium...The Knicks had one of the highest chances to get the top pick and were almost guaranteed a top two pick and one of the highly sought after big men Karl Anthony-Towns or Jahlil Okafor, but wound up slipping to the fourth pick. The reaction to whoever they pick will be worth tuning in for haha
AP
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