Frank Kaminsky to Hornets: Twitter Reacts as PF Is Selected in 2015 NBA Draft
Reigning Naismith College Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky had a tremendous career at Wisconsin, and he officially took the next step to the NBA in Thursday's draft. The Charlotte Hornets selected the former Badgers big man with the ninth overall pick in the first round.
Twitter had plenty to say about Kaminsky's landing spot.
FoxSports.com's Reid Forgrave believes Charlotte is the ideal destination for Kaminsky:
John Reid of NOLA.com also approved of the pick:
The Courier Journal's Steve Jones doesn't think New Orleans stretch 4 Ryan Anderson is a suitable comparison:
Myron Medcalf of ESPN dismissed the notion that Kaminsky isn't athletic enough to thrive in the NBA, alluding to the number he did on Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein, who were drafted before him:
Fox Sports' Stewart Mandel brought up a similar point in his analysis:
Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer noted the mostly positive reaction from Hornets fans in attendance at Brooklyn's Barclays Center:
"Mostly cheers by Hornets fans for Kaminsky https://t.co/9XwUU7xnzy
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) June 26, 2015"
Bleacher Report went Old School in reacting to Kaminsky going to Charlotte, alluding to his "Frank The Tank" moniker:
The official Twitter feed for Wisconsin men's basketball gave an inside glimpse at Kaminsky's draft attire:
Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel felt Kaminsky wound up where he was projected to be and also logged Kaminsky's relative surprise at how high he was selected:
Kaminsky is an increasingly rare breed in the modern era since he chose to stay in Madison all four years. The decision paid off, because he seemed to continue making strides as a player every season under coach Bo Ryan.
Synergy Sports Tech expressed just how far Kaminsky has come with a suitable table to illustrate his progress:
Prior to the draft, Kaminsky emphasized how formative his time at Wisconsin was and spun the prolonged collegiate stint into a positive.
"People who go to college have to grow up and find their way," Kaminsky said, per NBCSports.com's Scott Dargis. "It's not easy to make it for four years in college and maintain a level of success where you get better and better every year...I was able to do that. I was able to grow up as a person and grow up as a player.
CBS Sports' Seth Davis feels those who passed on Kaminsky in the draft will wish they hadn't:
The ball-handling skills, high basketball IQ and precise outside shooting Kaminsky possesses are extremely rare for someone who stands at 7'0". During his senior campaign, he was proficient in shooting 54.7 percent to average 18.8 points, along with 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 blocks.
As was evident in the Golden State Warriors winning the NBA Finals, the Association is becoming increasingly perimeter-oriented, which had to help Kaminsky's draft stock.
Although he doesn't have great lateral quickness and could be a defensive liability, Charlotte will have to live with that and hopefully see Kaminsky be the dynamic force on offense that he was in college.
Per ESPN.com's David Kiarsis and Jungkyu Lee, Kaminsky only had two major-conference scholarship offers out of high school. Those who are doubting his game and how it translates to the NBA will probably only fuel his motivational fire.
He has overcome detractors before to shine. It seems as though he's still getting better, and once Kaminsky finds his niche in the NBA, he figures to make the Hornets most pleased with their 2015 first-round selection.
