THE 2016 NBA Draft Reaction: What happened? Who won? WEEKENDER With the 23rd pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the select.....WHO? - Youth Movement Who even is that? That happened to Celtics fans at least twice, and more When adidas decided not to renew its contract as the official apparel of the than one other fan base, as international players flew off the board in draft NBA, it committed to investing in more players. With four of the top five picks and stash decisions and high-risk high-reward gambles on talent. A and the 7th pick in the 2016 NBA draft in , , Dragan whopping 14 of the first 30 picks and 26 total players drafted on Thursday Bender, , and signing contracts with the Three Stripes night were international players, a record to date. If anyone is still foolish this past week, it did just that. The fresh new group of standard-bearers brings enough to discount basketball as a global game, this had to erase doubts. incredible talent and potential to Recent international talents like Kristaps Porzingis and Nikola Jokic as well the adidas athlete lineup across as a draft and stash success like Nikola Mirotic have made NBA scouts go every position except (a looking, and general managers more confident in their triggers. We are position that generally doesn't sell also experiencing an Australian-born takeover in recent years with Ben shoes). This is a legitimate power Simmons, Dante Exum, Dellavedova, and even move for adidas and suddenly has of finals dagger infamy. Nike looking lonely with Ben However, after it is all said and done, let's discuss who made the best draft Simmons. What do you think? day decisions. What fan base should be the most excited? Will the Timberwolves roll out one of the lankiest, dauntingly energetic defensive - This Week in Performance - lineups in Rubio-Dunn-Wiggins-Dieng-Towns next year? Did the Spurs scoop up another of a talent at the end of round 1 in ? Am I the only one excited to see silence the doubters and prove he can contribute right away as a shooter and a facilitator? Are the Kings just the worst run franchise in the history of the league? (Whoops that's unrelated) How about in regards to draft steals? Maybe not Isaiah Thomas level steals (60th pick), but who do you have outperforming their draft position? I've got my eye on four 2nd round picks. , , and (sure, call me a homer on those two). They will make their teams very happy. Let's hear it from you, sound off!

June 25, 2016 | NBA Draft Reactions | Sole Engineer NBA Draft pg. 1 The Age of Positionless Basketball You heard all of the analysts on Thursday: "He can really stretch the floor from the forward position, he can defend four positions, he can handle the ball right off of a , he'll bring versatility to their frontline." The mindset is changing, the Warriors and their uber-successful lineup of death has changed the narrative. Their championship and then record-breaking success has influenced even more than the glory days of the Steve Nash and D'Antoni Suns and their offensive principles. Everyone wants to be able The four key cogs in positionless to roll out lineups oozing with versatility and spacing. The Thunder put former 'Lineup of Death' Durant at the 4 and Ibaka at the 5 in spurts and nearly steamrolled through the Western Conference en-route to a rematch with LeBron and the Cavs The Bucks rangy, versatile starters across all 5 positions will lineups featuring him operating at the power forward position. be possible with their selection of When the Bucks selected , a 7'1 center who can dribble, shoot, Thon Maker, who will likely and move like someone much smaller with the 10th pick, I started to imagine. replace a plodding Monroe. Tomorrow, they could deploy a lineup of Carter-Williams, Middleton, Giannis, The Thunder debuted a small Parker, and Thon Maker sharing the court. Opponents would have a hard lineup with Durant at the 4. His time passing, dribbling and shooting around what would feel like hundreds length and activity terrorized of feet of arms all around them. All five can dribble, all five could switch and GSW while Roberson played generate havoc across positions on defense. Imagine the wingspans and inside and collected rebounds and second chance points. then tell me again how you disagree with the Bucks pick? As I've played full court pickup around four to five nights a week during the summer at the University of Maryland gym, I've realized position-less teams Shoe Deals of the Week: in pickup are near unstoppable. If you run with a group of five guys that can dribble, rebound, shoot to an extent, and guard anyone from 5'8" to 6'6" or so, you become unstoppable. Moreover, being able to switch on pick and rolls, the foundation of pickup offense, stifles the other team. Do you agree?

Sources FinishLine.com adidasgroup.com/pressrelease Jordan XX9 Low - $105 Nike Lunar Flyknit 3 Multicolor Nike.com/clearance NBA.com Nike.com/clearance $99 - FinishLine.com/sale Uproxx.com (roster photos) June 25, 2016 | NBA Draft Reactions | Sole Engineer NBA Draft pg. 1