On June 27, Beijing time, the NBA first-round draft has ended, which team is the biggest winner? ESPN draft expert Givony mentioned three teams, with the Lakers being among them, the other two being the Timberwolves and Thunder.
Timberwolves: The No. 8 pick picks for Dillingham
The Timberwolves acquired the Spurs' No. 8 pick in a trade to select the fantastic guard. This selection is very targeted, after all, the Timberwolves' current starting point guard Conley is 37 years old, and Dillingham can be Conley's successor. Givony even referred to him as the Timberwolves' own Kyrie Irving.
Dillingham is the lightning, fastest player in this rookie class, and he's an underrated passer. He also has an excellent three-point shot, and in 2023-24, Dillingham is shooting 44.4% from three-point range, and he can play alongside Edwards.
Dillingham's biggest weakness is defense, but given that he plays for the Timberwolves, who have the best defense in the league, and Gobert, the Defensive Player of the Year behind him, his problems on the defensive end may be offset to some extent.
Lakers: Pick Knecht with the No. 17 pick
Knecht made a shocking fall from the lottery and fell into the hands of the Lakers, who happily selected him. Multiple NBA executives told ESPN that the main reason for his drop in the rankings was Kneckt's age (he turned 23 on April 19) rather than concerns about his medical exam or other reasons. Some executives also confirmed that his training and interviews were excellent.
Both the Heat and the 76ers are teams that need to win in the moment, but not choosing him still surprised everyone. Aside from Zach Edy, Knecht was the most prolific scorer in the draft, scoring 28 points per 40 minutes and shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range. He is also very well-rounded in his offensive arsenal, scoring both on the pick-and-roll and on the back, making him a fairly well-rounded offensive player.
A team source told ESPN that new Lakers head coach Redick was very pleased with the selection because he has been emphasizing the importance of adding shooting ability to the roster, which is not surprising considering Redick himself has shot more than 2,000 three-pointers in his career and shot a whopping 41 percent.
"None of us expected him (Knecket) to fall into this position. This is crazy. He's the most prepared player in the draft and is ready to play," Lakers sources said. It's worth mentioning that just the night before, Kneckert was still in No. 6 in the ESPN mock draft rankings. By all indications, the Lakers, who need plug-and-play players, have picked up a big leak.
Thunder: No. 12 pick picks Topeic
Less than a week after the Thunder traded starting point guard Giddey to the Bulls, they drafted the best point guard of the rookie in the tournament, Topitic, with the No. 12 pick.
The Thunder have built an incredibly talented team of young talents, along with a large pile of future draft picks, so they have the ability and patience to develop Topic for the long term. The Thunder have confirmed in their post-draft press conference that Topic will need surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the coming weeks and is expected to miss all games next season.
Even so, the Thunder's pick of Topic at this position is still considered a big winner. The 18-year-old is already one of the best pick-and-roll players in European basketball, and it's scary that point guards can improve as they get older and more experienced. He has an extremely good reading of the game and a good sense of the big picture, which is a rare and coveted talent in today's NBA game.
Even if he doesn't play for a year, Topic can adapt to the team in advance, which is also a kind of learning. Look at his teammate Holmgren, who played very well in the 2023-24 season, despite a year off, and didn't look like a rookie at all.