Los Angeles Lakers are not among the losers of 2017 NBA Draft

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The Nuggets were another interesting yet confusing team on draft night. With a need for a playmaker, preferably at the guard position, they went in a different direction completely. They had a potential deal with the Phoenix Suns that would have sent Eric Bledsoe to Denver in exchange for Emmanuel Mudiay and the 13th overall pick, but hesitated and didn't make the move.

Apr 2, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) warms up prior to the game against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are coming off another lackluster season where they finished 31-51 and continued to fall further into irrelevancy. With the futures of Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis uncertain, the Knicks didn’t do anything that would catch your eye on draft night.

With Phil Jackson mishandling this team in every way possible, they held on to Porzingis instead of getting rid of him for more potential picks in the draft. This move will be questioned as Porzingis now seems unhappy playing in New York.

Next, the Knicks passed on the likes of Dennis Smith Jr. (NC State), Malik Monk (Kentucky), and Donovan Mitchell (Louisville) who are all closer to being NBA ready than who the Knicks actually selected.

With the eight pick, the Knicks selected Frank Ntilikina out of France. Ntilikina played for Strasbourg which is a team in the LNB Pro A league in France, one of the best international leagues in the world. He played in 32 games, averaging 18.3 minutes a game. During those minutes he averaged 5.2 points and 1.4 assists.

At 18 years of age, Ntilikina could turn out to progress into a great NBA player, but the Knicks passed up on other All-Star potential players that were still available at the 8th pick.

The Knicks also selected SG Damyean Dotson from the University of Houston and Ognjen Jaramaz who played overseas in Serbia. With uncertainty surrounding this whole team, it looks like the rebuilding situation will stick around for at least a few more seasons, as the direction the Knicks are going in is unclear.

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