1. Rui Hachimura, drafted ninth overall by the Wizards, is the first Japanese-born player drafted in the first round. It was also a bit of a surprise. He had never met with anyone from the Wizards. Here’s a nice story on his journey from Japan to the U.S.
2. Ja Morant’s dad, AKA Ja Morant’s first hater, came dressed like a 1950s jazz musician. Also, this video of his teammates celebrating Morant getting drafted is wholesome fun.
3. UNC’s three draftees had an interesting night: Coby White, ranked 27th in his class last year, went seventh to the Bulls. Nassir Little, ranked third in the same class, went 25th to the Trail Blazers. Cam Johnson, a graduate transfer who wasn’t considered an NBA prospect before his only year in Chapel Hill, went 11th to the Suns. (He’s older than Devin Booker.) White stole the show, losing it when Johnson got drafted and shouting out Roy Williams: “Tell him I daggum did it.” He was fun to watch in college, and he’ll be a bright spot for the Bulls.
4. Bol Bol, a mid-first rounder in some mock drafts, ended up going 44th to the Miami Heat, who shuffled him over to Denver in a trade. Bol, Manute’s son, has immense talent and potential but his stringy and injury prone 7-foot-3 frame is likely why he slid.
5. Led by RJ Barrett, six players from Canada got drafted last night, the most-ever for our northern brothers and sisters.
6. There was an absurd amount of draft picks flying around last night in last-minute trades, most notably New Orleans’ No. 4 pick, acquired in the Anthony Davis trade, which went to the Hawks for the No. 8 and No. 17 pick, plus the salary dump of Solomon Hill. All this led to a few players wearing hats of NBA teams they would never actually play for, which is not a big deal. UNLESS: You’re looking for clicks, like these guys.
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