After successfully picking Tatum at the fifth selection, the Kings immediately took Donovan Mitchell at the tenth selection.
Thus, the Kings suddenly had a superstar trio of Mitchell, Tatum, and Sabonis Jr.
If this were the Pirates world, this combination would be like Ace, Zoro, and Hawkins.
If this isn’t enough to make a name for themselves, then the Kings are truly rotten to the core.
The draft soon came to the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers held the 22nd pick this year, and they ultimately selected Kyle Kuzma from the University of Utah with this pick.
From Hansen’s perspective as a transmigrator, there were actually better options available at this position, such as Jarrett Allen from the University of Texas, and OG Anunoby from Indiana University.
The reason for choosing Kuzma over them was simple; Kuzma didn’t have a high ceiling, but he was highly capable in the short term.
After trading for Wade last season, the Cavaliers’ salary cap exceeded the luxury tax, making it difficult to gain anything in the free market unless they traded.
Under such circumstances, selecting rookie talents with immediate impact in the draft was a great way to strengthen the team.
The Cavaliers’ choice was somewhat surprising, and what Hansen didn’t know was that after the Cavaliers made this choice, social media suddenly lit up.
Even Ajalee handed him the phone to take a look.
"The Cavaliers chose the next ’Hansen’."
This description with quotation marks successfully caught Hansen’s attention.
After clicking on the news and reading, Hansen was dumbfounded and amused.
Old fans should remember that back in the day, before the draft, Hansen never thought he would end up with the Cavaliers. To earn points from black fans, he once made a statement:
"Howard averaged 5.3 fouls per series, fouled out three times in six games, but the Magic eliminated the Cavaliers 4-2."
That’s right, classic fact-bashing.
That made him a LeBron hater in the eyes of LeBron fans, leading to a series of stories once he was picked by the Cavaliers.
Unexpectedly, eight years later, the Cavaliers picked another LeBron hater.
Because as soon as Kuzma was selected, fans dug up a tweet he posted back in 2012:
"LeBron is from the East, but he decided to go South, his hairline went North, but his mom went West, hahaha!"
This one status simultaneously criticized LeBron’s decision, his hair, and the "mom gate."
To say the least, when it comes to hating LeBron, Hansen back in the day wasn’t even on the same level compared to Kuzma.
This guy is the real deal.
Of course, this matter had little to do with Hansen.
After all, if Kuzma were a Hansen hater and then got picked by him, that would be an exciting situation.
Though a few years ago, such a thing was possible. After all, Hansen hadn’t accomplished anything yet, just spouting off.
But now, after he fulfilled all those words, it’s impossible to hate on him.
After the first round of the draft ended, Hansen and Ajalee left Brooklyn.
A few days later, they dressed up and appeared at Manhattan’s Pier 36 Basketball City Park, attending the 2017, and the first-ever, NBA Annual Awards Ceremony.
Hansen arrived a little late, and when he appeared, the camera immediately focused on him, causing a burst of cheers from the audience.
As the contemporary Jordan, Hansen now causes a sensation wherever he goes.
His position was arranged near the front, but since the event hadn’t started yet, many people came up to greet him as he walked forward.
Some of these people were unexpected, like Wade.
After spending some time, Hansen didn’t get to his seat but instead first sat at Jokic’s table.
This guy had just finished a horse racing event and rushed to attend the awards ceremony.
Here we should mention the rules of this award ceremony; it’s basically modeled after Hollywood’s Oscar ceremony, with three nominees for each award. Chapters fırst released on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝓷𝓮𝓽
Jokic, in his case, was a nominee for this year’s Most Improved Player award.
So, as soon as Hansen sat down, Jokic started venting to him that he originally planned to come in early July.
But when Hansen asked him about the horse racing, his expression immediately changed like a face-changing in opera, his mouth barely holding back a smile.
This year, Jokic didn’t personally participate in the horse race but selected a professional rider instead.
With a professional rider and the best racing horse, in the finals, they made a direct lap. It couldn’t have been more thrilling.
When they were almost done chatting, the awards ceremony was about to start, and Hansen got up and went to his table.
The host this year was not the three guys from TNT, but Canadian artist Aubrey Drake Graham.
Using this host with a knack for speeches, it’s clearly to prevent awkward moments, considering this model was new for the league.
Of course, the TNT Big Three, or more accurately, the TNT squad, with the Big Three plus the barely noticeable Ernie Johnson alongside doing the broadcast.
After a series of build-ups and jokes, even pointing out events like the big3, the awards ceremony finally began.
Each award had a presenter, like the earliest started Best Rookie award presented by Grant Hill.
Last season’s three contenders for the Best Rookie were Embiid (Sixers), Brogdon (Bucks), and Jaylen Brown (Brooklyn Nets).