Draft hype has begun!
Cooper Flagg’s terrific performance this summer with the Select Team vs. Team USA got people talking.
Actually, they’re still talking. In this case it’s Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren, who said this:
“It’s impressive. Not only can you see some of the different skills he has in his skillset. But also just understanding the situation. He’s 17, hasn’t played a college game and is coming, hooping against the highest level of basketball players in the world.”
The talk now, as you’ll see from the first link below, will move to tanking: should teams tank for a shot (no pun intended) at Duke freshman Flagg?
It’s kind of stupid actually, for a couple of reasons. First, with the weighted lottery, all you can hope for is better odds. In 1969, there were suggestions that Milwaukee and Phoenix tanked to get Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but in 1969, there was just a coin flip between the two worst teams.
The second reason why it’s stupid is because if you do that, your team culture has to accept losing as a virtue. And who in their right mind wants to bake that in?
Your culture is critical. No professional athlete should want to be associated with a team that loses on purpose.
However, if you want to game the draft, the best way to do it is with multiple picks. And a lot of NBA teams are probably nervous about the Spurs. Why?
Because the Spurs have a history of being lucky in draft lotteries. They won in 1987 for David Robinson, 1997 for Tim Duncan and and 2023 for Victor Wembanyama.
The Spurs have two lottery picks for 2025. Given their history, having two bites at the apple is pretty crazy. The idea of building a defense around Wembanyama and Flagg?
Crazier still.
