Nearly six years later, we reflect and re-draft the 2014 NBA Draft
The 2014 NBA Draft was thought of as a very good draft at the time. However, due to certain players underperforming and others experiencing significant injuries it hasn’t looked quite as amazing over time.
Six years into their NBA careers, it seems like a good time to look back and see where these players stand when re-drafting the 2014 NBA Draft.
For the sake of this article, I will only be re-drafting the first round as there were really only 30 solid players taken out of this draft. The second round would include guys like Tyler Ennis, C.J. Wilcox, and Josh Heustis…not incredibly interesting stuff there.
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With that said, let’s see where these players would be drafted if we had to do it all over again right now.
The Lottery
- Cleveland Cavaliers – Joel Embiid
- Milwaukee Bucks – Nikola Jokic
- Philadelphia 76ers – Andrew Wiggins
- Orlando Magic – Aaron Gordon
- Utah Jazz – Spencer Dinwiddie
- Boston Celtics – Marcus Smart
- Los Angeles Lakers – Clint Capela
- Sacramento Kings – Zach LaVine
- Charlotte Hornets – Bogdan Bogdanovic
- Philadelphia 76ers – Jusuf Nurkic
- Denver Nuggets – T.J. Warren
- Orlando Magic – Julius Randle
- Minnesota Timberwolves – Joe Harris
- Phoenix Suns – Dario Saric
The rest of the first round
15. Atlanta Hawks – Jabari Parker
16. Chicago Bulls – Rodney Hood
17. Boston Celtics – Kyle Anderson
18. Phoenix Suns – Jordan Clarkson
19. Chicago Bulls – Jerami Grant
20. Toronto Raptors – Glenn Robinson
21. Oklahoma City Thunder – Dwight Powell
22. Memphis Grizzlies – Shabazz Napier
23. Utah Jazz – Doug McDermott
24. Charlotte Hornets – Noah Vonleh
25. Houston Rockets – Elfrid Payton
26. Miami Heat – Dante Exum
27. Phoenix Suns – Bruno Caboclo
28. Los Angeles Clippers – Jordan McRae
29. Oklahoma City Thunder – Nik Stauskas
30. San Antonio Spurs – Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Biggest leaps up:
Nikola Jokic, if we did this draft again, would very likely go in the top 2. This is a huge jump considering he was drafted 41st in 2014. Jokic has established himself as an All-NBA center in this league and could certainly be argued to go No. 1 if this draft was done again.
Spencer Dinwiddie was taken 38th in 2014 and would absolutely go in the top 10, more likely top 5 if we had to do it again. Dinwiddie has worked himself into being a legitimate star in the NBA and could very likely make his first all-star appearance this year.
Clint Capela went 25th overall the Rockets in 2014 but he would likely be sporting the purple and gold if this draft was done over. Capela was an incredibly raw player when he came into the league which is likely why he fell to 25 but the Rockets certainly go a steal there.
Biggest falls down:
Jabari Parker was taken second overall by the Bucks in 2014 and they likely wish they could take that back. Parker experienced two torn ACL injuries in two of his first three NBA seasons which undoubtedly derailed his career. However, if the Bucks didn’t take Parker and instead took Jokic they could have one of the most talented frontcourts of all-time with Antetokounmpo and Jokic.
Dante Exum, who was taken 5th overall by the Jazz, would likely drop all the way down into the 20s if this draft was repeated. Exum has had somewhat of a disappointing career so far, and like Parker, he has had his fair share of unfortunate injuries. If the Jazz didn’t end up with Exum and instead took Spencer Dinwiddie, they could have a pretty dynamic young backcourt with Dinwiddie and Mitchell.
Lastly, Nik Stauskas. Stauskas is an amazing shooting and could still get a job in the NBA in the future. However, considering he was taken 8th overall by the Kings was far too high. If this draft was done over again he would barely sneak into the first round. I’m sure the Kings would have much preferred to have taken Zach LaVine over Stauskas.
Biggest what-ifs:
If Joel Embiid is taken first overall by the Cavaliers, is he still traded to the Timberwolves for Kevin Love? If so, do the Timberwolves still draft Karl-Anthony Towns?
If the Bucks drafted Nikola Jokic second overall instead of Jabari Parker would the Jokic/Antetokounmpo Bucks have a championship by now? How many chips would that duo accumulate over their career together?
How would the Sixers look with Wiggins/Simmons as opposed to Embiid/Simmons? How would this affect the development of Wiggins and Simmons individually?
A lot of things in the NBA would be different had this draft went this way. Obviously we can’t go back in time and re-draft these players. However, it is cool to look back and see just how much one draft pick can affect the whole NBA landscape.