Start coaching the Thunder, starting with Westbrook

Chapter 241
On June 2014, 6, the new draft was held in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

This time the Thunder have only two picks in total, one at the end of the first round and the other at No. 47 in the second round.

Li Sheng and Presti, who had just finished the championship parade, immediately entered the preparations for the new season, and came to the draft conference together, preparing to participate in the draft.

"you sure?"

Li Sheng laughed and said, "Are you questioning the vision of the 'God of Draft'?"

I don't know what ESPN thinks. In the latest episode, they talked about the Thunder's four draft picks last season, and even gave Li Sheng the title of God of the draft. Li Sheng was speechless.

But the media and fans are quite keen on this, so it is estimated that at this time, many people are already watching which rookie Li Sheng plans to pick, and who is optimistic about who will be selected in the new season.

But Li Sheng's choice will definitely surprise them!

Compared with last year, this year can be said to be a big year in the draft. Needless to say, Wiggins, a genius who is rare in ten years, is no surprise. Jabari Parker and "Process" Embiid, as well as the uncrowned king of the slam dunk contest, Gordon, have nothing to say about their potential.

Of course, whether it can be fulfilled in the end is another matter. Parker's injuries, Gordon's other conditions other than physical hardware, and the team's poor training made him eventually reduced to mediocrity.

Then there were Randall, LaVine and other players who eventually became All-Stars. In fact, the success rate of this draft is very high, including many players in the second round. It can be said that they are indeed worthy of the title of the draft year.

However, the much-anticipated "draft god" chose center Nikola Jokic from Serbia at the end of the first round of the Thunder.

Thinking about the Thunder's current Greek monster and "Baguette", it's not surprising that he would make such a choice. Because of his arrival, the Thunder seems to have learned the "International Column" like the Spurs. In addition, there is no other good choice for this pick itself.

But last year's Robertson and Gobert were also selected with this pick, so everyone naturally had different expectations for Jokic, and even his information was quickly circulated.

Jokic is currently playing in Serbia's professional basketball league KLS in Serbia's Mega Leks team. Next is his third season. Because of the contract, he will not be able to log in to the NBA for another year.

This kind of situation is actually not uncommon in the NBA. This is actually another reason why many European players have low draft picks. After all, it is equivalent to using this year's draft pick to select next year's player. Generally speaking, teams are not willing to waste a pick unless the player's talent is enough for them to value.

And this thing is the least guaranteed, and who knows what will happen in a year?

But thinking about the current situation of the Thunder, everyone seems to suddenly understand Li Sheng's choice, because after a season of training, Antetokounmpo and the others will definitely need more possessions in the new season. It is somewhat wasteful to choose a rookie who needs to be trained.

It's better to play for a year first, and wait until next year when there are new contract options, including the contracts of Reggie and Lamb, which will have to be considered separately. At the same time, it will not be too late to decide how to arrange it after looking at Jokic's league performance.

For the Thunder, now is a happy trouble, because there are too many people in the team who can play, and most of them are not very old.

Fisher has officially announced his retirement after winning the championship, and then in view of the fact that Gentry will leave and choose another coaching opportunity-he was originally here to be gilded, Udoka was successfully promoted to the chief assistant coach, and Fisher also directly joined the Thunder coaching staff.

As for Perkins, the Thunder does not intend to renew his contract, and will use him as a bargaining chip to trade. Li Sheng needs to discuss this with Presti again.

After all, although Perkins won the championship with the team this season, judging by his performance, the market is destined to plummet. That is to say, the kind of poor teams or rookie teams will rely on his experience as a champion veteran to lead a new team, and may choose to accept his expiring contract.

If you want to find a good trading partner, then it is estimated that Sefolosha, Reggie, Lamb, Thabeet, Alton and others must join the consideration of the transaction.

After all, among the remaining people, Dewey and Ibaka must not be able to make a deal. The value of training the four rookies is far greater than the value of the deal. Of course, Li Sheng also informed Presti of Ennis' intention to leave, and he may also join the deal.

But if other people are traded out, Ennis' chances in the new season may not be less, and it is not a bad idea to keep him.

To put it bluntly, Ennis has a better understanding of the Thunder's tactical system than the others who were traded, and is a rookie in the direct line, so he has more training value.

And Collison is the captain and has been conscientious. Although he didn't have many roles, Li Sheng thought about it in his previous life. He was in the Thunder until he retired and retired his jersey. It's better to keep it. After all, the team also needs this kind of veteran and totem-like figure to build the culture of the locker room.

Among the remaining players, Reggie is undoubtedly the one with the greatest trading value. When Westbrook was absent, he played a little bit. Later, when Westbrook returned, his possession of the ball decreased, but after adapting to the system arranged by Li Sheng, he also played very well. In the finals, he and Antetokounmpo led the bench to average 8.5 points and 3 assists per game.

The most important thing is that he is young and still has a new contract signed last year. There must still be teams willing to gamble on his future.

Historically, Reggie and Perkins were traded to the Pistons in 15 years in exchange for another dead dog.

Of course, it is definitely impossible for Li Sheng to trade that dead dog now, but if Reggie continues to stay, it may not be a good thing for him or the team. Li Sheng's idea is to change to a shooting point guard and come back. In fact, he already has a goal in his heart, and he will wait for the negotiation after the draft.

Back to the draft...

The subsequent draft list is the same as before, except that the order of the names is slightly different, but the teams still have their eyes on the rookies they were originally optimistic about.

Of course, even in this kind of draft year, the value of the second-round pick is not that high, and the further it goes, the more common it becomes.

When it came to the No. 47 pick in the second round, Li Sheng actually chose Thanasis Antetokounmpo, which is really confusing.

Of course, many people can also guess the truth, probably because of Brother Antetokounmpo.

Because this is the second brother of Antetokounmpo, brother Antetokounmpo...

It can only be said that Antetokounmpo's physical talent is an anomaly in itself. None of his brothers can catch up with him. Thanasis can swing between the third and fourth positions, but in terms of physique and style of play, he is more suitable for the third position.

Li Sheng's idea is also very straightforward. Choosing the second brother is also to increase the bargaining chip for the Thunder to keep Antetokounmpo. After all, this is what the Bucks will play in the future.

What's more, Thanasis is not completely useless, and it is still possible to play a rotation for a specific period.

The Thunder has identified seven players for the new season, and Durant, Westbrook, and Antetokounmpo all need the ball and shots, especially Westbrook and Antetokounmpo. Last season, one returned from injury and the other was a rookie. They will definitely have more scoring needs in the new season.

In this case, there are not many opportunities for role players, that is, they are required to do a good job of defense, shooting, and eating cakes.

The Thunder's style of play in the new season will definitely be different from before. Antetokounmpo has grown faster than in the same period. Li Sheng can't wait to see the effect of the new season's small letters on the outside and Serena Williams on the inside with Ibaka's defense and Durant's scoring.

"Okay, now that the selection is over, it's time for me to go."

"..." Presti couldn't help but slander in his heart, letting himself finish every time.

But think about it, this is his job as the general manager. On the contrary, Li Sheng has successfully completed his task as the head coach, and then he will have to wait until the start of the season.

He also knew what Li Sheng was going to do, so he smiled helplessly: "Have fun!"

"certainly……"

(End of this chapter)