Last night at the NBA Draft, the West got better by picking some young talent (Greg Oden to Portland, Kevin Durant to Seattle) and the East got better by trading for talent (Zach Randolph to New York, Ray Allen to Boston). The Wizards got better by selecting USC shooting guard/small forward Nick Young. Young averaged just over 17 points per game last year at SoCal and is known for his mid-range jumper and fearless forays to the basket. He’s even played for a summer league team coached by Gilbert Arenas Sr. The knock on him is his defense, which means he’ll fit right in here in D.C. Look for him to supplant Jarvis Hayes as the designated shooter coming off the bench. Hopefully, unlike Hayes, Young’s jumpers will actually find the bottom of the net.
Georgetown’s Jeff Green was selected fifth overall by Boston but was immediately dealt to Seattle along with Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak for the aforementioned Ray Allen. He and Maryland native Kevin Durant figure to be the front line of the future in Seattle. New Seatle GM Sam Presti no doubt thought that Green’s all around game would be perfect next to Durant’s instant offense. Maryland’s D.J. Strawberry was selected by Phoenix with the next to last selection in the draft. The Wiz took Fresno State’s Dominic McGuire in the second round.
For those of you anxious to get a look at Young and McGuire, along with last year’s pick Oleksiy Pecherov, you won’t have to wait long. Summer league begins July 10th and Comcast SportsNet will be televising all the games.
