Hoosier State Hoops: Assessing the State’s Draft Stock

The NBA Draft is coming up on the calendar for June 20. There are a couple of players from Indiana, such as Romeo Langford and Juwan Morgan, who look to get a call from an NBA organization. Carsen Edwards from Purdue is also being considered on draft boards. Multiple teams are interested in each player, but I think that some of these teams could maximize their potentials.

 

Carsen Edwards

The Philadelphia 76ers are interested in Carsen Edwards and I think there would be a role for him on that roster. Their bench play was not great throughout the season but it got better in the postseason. To me, it seems that the 76ers could use a guy off their bench to just get buckets. Edwards is a guy who knows how to score and I think that he could be a great addition to backup Ben Simmons. Veteran sharpshooter JJ Redick could be a great mentor for Edwards as well, if he chooses to stay with the team this offseason.

Another great fit for Edwards could be the Brooklyn Nets. Everything Brooklyn does will be determined by their pursuit of marquee free agents like Kyrie Irving, but Edwards makes sense as a good bench piece. In this year’s playoffs, the Nets were very isolation dependent. That led me to think that they could use more off-ball movement and I could see Edwards fitting in well there over time.

 

Romeo Langford

My favorite “what-if” for Romeo would be the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets own the 12th pick and I think they could really use a wing to go along with their team. Obviously, All-Star Kemba Walker will be priority one; if he stays, I think adding Langford makes sense. With a perimeter of Walker, former Kentucky standout Malik Monk, and Langford, the Hornets could be dangerous and buzzing in the east.

The Atlanta Hawks are also a team that could use Langford. They started Kevin Huerter at the shooting guard position and they traded Taurean Prince, who was their small forward last season. That is a void that I think Romeo could help fill. He may not even be their starter due to the Hawks having multiple selections in the first round. I think he is a good fit regardless, even if Atlanta does not see him as a starter immediately. Langford has a ton of potential that people don’t realize due to injuries, so he could be a sleeper when assessing this draft class in the future.

 

Juwan Morgan

A team out west that I like for Morgan is the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves could really use some help for Karl-Anthony Towns in the frontcourt and Morgan’s versatility could be important. I could see Dario Saric and Juwan Morgan being a good combination to go with Towns since Minnesota has struggled to find depth along the front line. I think the Timberwolves had a miserable season last year and Morgan could help them a lot as they look to get back to the playoffs after missing it this past season.

In a similar role, I could see Morgan fitting in well with the Phoenix Suns. The Suns again could use some pieces to go along with their dynamic duo of DeAndre Ayton and Devin Booker. Morgan is a player who can guard multiple positions and has the ability to step outside and knock down the 3-point shot. Morgan can be someone that gives Ayton some much needed spacing on the block help the Suns be more creative. Last season, it felt like their offense was only Ayton and Booker.