Zach LaVine is getting ripped for dropping what looked like an F-bomb after the Timberwolves picked him 13th overall in last night’s NBA Draft, but that isn’t stopping NBA experts from giving Flip Saunders and the Wolves excellent grades for taking the athletic freak from UCLA.
Let’s start with the mean stuff.
Fox Sports called LaVine a “loser” for his reaction, saying he “looked like he’d just watched his dog get hit by a car.”
Sports Illustrated put LaVine in the “losers” category, too. They weren’t quite as hard on the 19-year-old for his stunned reaction.
Afterwards, he said all the right things about Minnesota as a destination, and it would be going too far to come down hard on a 19-year-old who looked a bit overwhelmed by what was obviously a life-changing moment.
Enough with the reaction, the grades being handed out for the LaVine pick are outstanding.
CBS Sports gave the pick – not the reaction – an A-minus: “Raw, but can get above the rim and is extremely versatile. As he develops, he could become the face of the franchise.”
Minnesota’s second-round pick of Michigan small forward Glen Robinson III received a B-plus. CBS Sports says the son of former Milwaukee Bucks star Glen “Big Dog” Robinson could look like a steal if his shot normalizes.
A-minus was the grade offered up by USA Today, too.
Both of these guys slid from where they easily could have gone, as LaVine was projected by some to be in the top seven while Robinson at one time had lottery hype and would’ve been a reasonable first-rounder. That means the T’wolves got value.
Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports gave the Wolves an A for picking LaVine. Spears’ counterpart Jeff Eisenberg, however, thinks LaVine may need to season himself in the D-League for a year before helping the Wolves.
So far so good as far as the analysts are concerned. Any bad reports out there?
Nope.
Bleacher Report loved the LaVine and Robinson picks, saying both players bring tremendous athleticism on both ends of the floor. Granted, LaVine and Robinson will need to hone in on their defensive skills, but their athleticism, ability to attack the rim and stroke the ball from the outside are exactly what Minnesota needed. Grade: A.
If you want to see why the scouts think LaVine can be a start, just take a look at how he wowed onlookers during a pre-draft workout with the Lakers, courtesy of USA Today.
Off the Minnesota with my fam!! Let's start this journey @MNTimberwolves pic.twitter.com/Fg5YDzfVgv
— Zach LaVine (@ZachLaVine) June 27, 2014
