NBA franchises need better scouts
NBA scouts are entrusted with the responsibility to find the next NBA superstars. NBA teams rely on these scouts and mock drafts to find the best talent and fit that their organisations require.
The NBA draft is one of the most important events in the NBA, and it plays a far greater role than just a draft. It helps level the playing field, so to speak. It gives the worst NBA teams the opportunity to draft the best players of the batch, thus strengthening themselves for the future.
It would not be wrong to say that the NBA draft is like the heart of the NBA. It pumps fresh blood (new talent) into the league and is vital for the league's future, as clearly shown by history that the league popularity depends on superstars.
A flawed 2017 NBA Draft
But in the 2017 draft, which was considered loaded by most general managers, scouts and NBA analysts and was said to be full of great talented young players, it has seemed to be a grave error up to this point.
Out of the top 10 picks, only the Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks seem to have made the right choice. Out of the top two picks, second pick Lonzo Ball is not nearly as good as predicted and first pick Markelle Fultz, who was considered as the safest bet to be a superstar by many experts, has been seen on the court for a very short time, a time in which he has appeared disgraceful.
Finding NBA talent late
Of the NBA rookie power rankings for 2017, only Jayson Tatum, who was the third overall pick, out of the top five draft players is in the top five. Meanwhile, Kyle Kuzma, who was drafted 27th overall, and Donovan Mitchell, who was drafted 13th, are playing great basketball and have already been labelled by many as the future of their teams.
Of the other top 10 picks, Dennis Smith Jr. (ninth) and Lauri Markkanen (seventh) are the only ones showing promise. As of now, this draft can be clearly labelled as a mistake on the part of the scouts, which leads to the question: Are NBA scouts good enough to be trusted by their organisations?
NBA scouts article conclusion
We obviously cannot arrive at the conclusion by looking at just one draft, but as we continuously hear stories about #1 overall picks turning out to be busts and players like Isaiah Thomas and Kawhi Leonard, who were picked late, turning out to be superstars, it seems that NBA franchises need to select their scouts with more care than they have been doing, or else they might be picking a bust early in next year's draft.