ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla dubbed Indiana forward O.G. Anunoby, who was slipping through the first round, a “sexy blogger pick.”
While I appreciate the compliment, Fraschilla was also right about another point: Those analyzing the draft for websites clearly valued Anunoby more than NBA teams. Fraschilla cited Anunoby’s limited offense, but it’s hard to get past Anunoby’s knee injury as a primary reason he fell to the Raptors at No. 23.
The 76ers adjusted us to the idea of picking an injured player high in the draft, with Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid in recent years. Even though Ben Simmons was healthy when picked, a later injury that cost him his entire rookie year conditioned us to the idea that sometimes top rookies don’t begin their pro careers ready to play.
But the 2017 NBA draft pushed back against that as a new norm. Most of the biggest tumblers on my board had injury concerns, from where I ranked them to where the went:
- 12. O.G. Anunoby, SF, Indiana – No. 23, Raptors
- 13. Harry Giles, PF, Duke – No. 20, Kings
- 18. Isaiah Hartenstein, PF, Zalgiris – No. 43, Rockets
- 19. Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA – No. 47, Pacers
Anunoby had the aforementioned knee injury that even he, trying to paint himself in the most favorable light, said would cause him to miss some of the upcoming season. The strength of his game is a defensive versatility that would be undermined by a decline in athleticism.
Giles looked like a potential No. 1 pick in high school until three knee surgeries in three years derailed him. He was limited at Duke as a freshman, though reportedly acquitted himself in pre-draft workouts.
Hartenstein’s and Anigbogu’s medical issues were less widely know, but teams were apparently concerned.
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress:
Isaiah Hartenstein dropped dramatically when he was red-flagged by NBA doctors with a back condition. Landed at 43 with Houston in the end.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 23, 2017
Ended up at 47. Was red-flagged by NBA teams with a knee condition that decimated his stock. Steal if he can find a way to stay healthy. https://t.co/emjRzC103Z
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 23, 2017
The 7-foot-1 Hartenstein is big enough to put a heavy load on his back. Just 19, he has nice vision as a passer and a developing outside shot that could allow him to spend more time on the perimeter and better take advantage of his passing.
Anigbogu was the youngest player drafted. He’s big and strong and mobile and throws his body around like a wrecking ball. He must develop better awareness and maybe even some ball skills, but there’s a path toward productivity.
Will these players blossom as hoped?
As I wrote when ranking Anunoby and Giles 12th and 13th before the draft, “I’m somewhat shooting in the dark” and “I’m mostly guessing here.”
This is the disconnect between the public perception of these players’ draft stocks and where they’re actually selected. We don’t have access to their medical records like teams do. We’re operating with far less information.
Still, it’s not as if teams always know how to interpret medical testing. Even with more information, this is hard.
I’m confident Anunoby, Giles, Hartenstein and Anigbogu would have gotten drafted higher with clean bills of health. So, this is an opportunity for the teams that drafted them. If the players stay healthy, they provide excellent value.
It’s obviously also a risk. If the player can’t get healthy, his value could quickly approach nil.
There are no certainties in the draft, but these four players present especially wide ranges of outcomes, which makes them among the more exciting picks to track in the years ahead.