It was uncharted territory for Arturas Karnisovas on several fronts.
Not only was the Bulls’ executive vice president of basketball operations making final draft decisions at the head of the table for an organization for the first time, but was picking fourth overall on Wednesday night.
“I never picked that high,” Karnisovas said, referring to his days in the Denver front office. “In the draft, when you pick four, you have to like four guys. In a way, it was a little bit easier than liking 20 guys.
“We realized that we’re hopefully never going to be in that situation again and pick that high.”
That remains to be seen.
As good as the Bulls felt walking away from the 2020 draft with versatile forward Patrick Williams and then grabbing a draft-and-stash in Marko Simonovic in Round 2, there are a dozen other teams in the Eastern Conference that likely felt the same way about the business they conducted once the draft concluded.
The easiest way for Karnisovas to ensure he’s not picking top five annually? Get better than those teams.
Easier said than done, as the East isn’t just sitting around and waiting for the AK takeover to commence.
Milwaukee Bucks — Acquiring Jrue Holiday was the good news for the Bucks this offseason, but the Bogdan Bogdanovic deal disintegrating was a bad look. Adding a shooter like Jordan Nwora with a second-round pick was also solid, but until MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo puts his name on a max deal … be afraid Milwaukee, be very afraid. POST-DRAFT GRADE: Incomplete
Toronto Raptors — Guard Malachi Flynn will likely become Kyle Lowry’s understudy as Fred VanVleet will be one of the more sought after free agents in a weak class, and second-round pick Jalen Harris is a shot in the dark for an organization that has hit on those before. POST-DRAFT GRADE: B
Boston Celtics — Collecting draft picks has become a hobby for Danny Ainge, and he cashed in on potential outside shooting this week, first nabbing Aaron Nesmith and then Payton Pritchard as a backup point guard. An already elite team got slightly better even with Gordon Hayward opting out of a crowded forward spot. POST-DRAFT GRADE: B+
Indiana Pacers — Malcolm Brogdon was really their first-round pick as they used that asset to acquire him, but grabbing the ultra-athletic Cassius Stanley in the second round was sneaky good. Stanley has a chance to be an impact player off the bench eventually. POST-DRAFT GRADE: A-
Miami Heat — It’s like Pat Riley has a machine that manufactures hard-nosed, tough-minded players to fill his roster. The latest is Memphis big man Precious Achiuwa, who could have been a lottery pick. He will be the perfect backup for Bam Adebayo. POST-DRAFT GRADE: A
Philadelphia 76ers — Added outside shooters in acquiring Danny Green and Seth Curry, while getting away from the disaster that was the Al Horford signing. Then pulled Tyrese Maxey with pick No. 21? POST-DRAFT GRADE: A
Brooklyn Nets — Used their first-round pick to acquire Landry Shamet, and is poised to challenge Milwaukee for top spot in the East with Kevin Durant playing Batman and Kyrie Irving realizing he’s still only Robin. POST-DRAFT GRADE: B+
Orlando Magic — Cole Anthony has a lot to prove in the wake of his stock falling so far from the start of last season, but the combo guard does have some solid weapons around him. Orlando remains a borderline playoff team. POST-DRAFT GRADE: C
Charlotte Hornets — LaMelo Ball still can’t shoot and often ignores defense, but does he make the Hornets better? Remains to be seen. He does, however, make them an instant reality show. POST-DRAFT GRADE: B+
Washington Wizards — If Deni Avdija proves to be better than the Bulls’ Williams, well, AK has some explaining to do. Then Washington adds tough-minded Cassius Winston in Round 2? Solid. POST-DRAFT GRADE: A
New York Knicks — The Knicks grab high-flying Obi Toppin, who is about to learn how to play defense from Tom Thibodeau — like it or not — and then reached a bit on Immanuel Quickley. But the real news? Shedding $40 million in cap space. Something big could be happening. POST-DRAFT GRADE: B+
Detroit Pistons — Talk about jumpstarting the flip-the-roster process? The Pistons may have had the best draft night of anyone, landing Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey, while acquiring a future draft asset in moving Luke Kennard. POST-DRAFT GRADE: A+
Atlanta Hawks — Onyeka Okongwu is no doubt a solid top 10 pick, but the Hawks already have Clint Capela and John Collins, who basically do the same thing at the forward spot. POST-DRAFT GRADE: C-
Cleveland Cavaliers — Not drafting yet another point guard should earn them at least a B-. Adding defensive-minded Isaac Okoro, however, was a great move for a team that is still in post-LeBron hell. POST-DRAFT GRADE: A-
