Mystery at the top could spark chaotic NBA draft as intrigue surrounds rising Aussie: Ultimate Guide

According to ESPN, Furphy is generating interest as early in the draft as Memphis at ninth overall. He is expected to go in the back half of the first round and has received an invite to the NBA Draft green room, which is generally a good sign of a prospect’s chances of going in the first round.

Furphy’s brother Joe is currently on AFL side Geelong’s rookie list – at 203cm, he is unsurprisingly a ruckman.

BRONNY JAMES

Most mock drafts have Bronny going to the Lakers at 55th overall and some experts even believe the 19-year-old should’ve gone back to college basketball, spending another year to refine his game.

But Bronny has declared for the NBA Draft and, as LeBron’s son, he has quickly become the most talked about second-round prospect in history.

Bronny put up underwhelming numbers in his one season with USC, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals while shooting 36.6 per cent from the field and 26.7 per cent from deep.

He also shot just 19.6 per cent on catch-and-shoot threes, according to Synergy Sports.

To put those numbers in context, Bronny averaged only 19.3 minutes and started just six games for the Trojans.

He also missed the opening month’s action after suffering a cardiac arrest during a pre-season practice.

With that in mind there were concerns Bronny may not be able to return to the court, although he was later medically cleared to play and now, be drafted into the NBA.
Bronny has only worked out with the Lakers and Suns, with his agent Rich Paul being incredibly specific when it comes to the teams he wants his client to be involved with.

Again, this is rare for a second-round talent to be that selective, although Paul insists it is nothing unusual, telling ESPN it is “nothing new” for him to “find a team that values your guy and try to push him to get there”.

The Lakers are picking at 17th and 55th overall with the Suns at No. 22 while Paul also mentioned Dallas (No.58), Minnesota (No.27 and 37) and Toronto (No.19 and 31) as other teams that have shown interest in Bronny.

The Mavericks and Timberwolves don’t make much sense as potential landing spots for Bronny though given he is so much of a project and won’t produce right away.

Although Paul said Bronny won’t be signing two-way contracts, which allow NBA teams to move developmental players between the NBA and G-League.

WHY NBA MADE DRASTIC CHANGE TO DRAFT NIGHT

Another interesting element of this year’s draft is that for the first time ever, the event spans two days.

Unsurprisingly, the first round will take place on the first day and the second round on the second.

But why did the NBA decide to alter its draft format?

Well, the belief is that by holding the event over two days it allows the respective front offices more time to make decisions and potentially allow for further trades between teams.

In previous years the draft had happened all at once, leaving teams with little time to manouevre when it comes to floating trades with opposition teams or working out who to draft.

Additionally the decision to push the second round back by a day adds more of a spotlight to the talent given they’d typically be buried late in the broadcast.

How could we forget when Nikola Jokic was drafted with the 41st pick in 2014 during a Taco Bell commercial?

Time will tell whether this change does indeed spark more transactions between teams, but at least they have proven themselves willing to change.

WHEN IS THE DRAFT?

The first round of the NBA Draft takes place on Thursday June 27 and the second round will occur on Friday June 28.

WHERE IS THE DRAFT?

This year’s NBA Draft takes place at two different locations.