Semaj Christon drafted in the second round

The Charlotte Hornets used the Miami Heat's pick to take Semaj Christon, but it looks like he's going to end up as property of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder have apparently acquired Christon for cash after his pick was initially part of the Shabazz Napier deal between the Heat and Hornets. As a second-round pick, Semaj is not guaranteed an NBA contract, so his first order of business will be to play well enough or show enough potential in the summer league that the Thunder decide he is part of their future.

It's unreasonable to do anything but wish Semaj all the best, but you have to wonder what factored into his decision to declare for the draft after just two years at Xavier. The Musketeers' recruiting class this year is loaded with talent, and having Christon on board would have made the team an obvious contender for the conference. In the meantime, every draft report on Christon said the same thing: great athlete, silly fast off the bounce, needs to work on weak hand and jump shot, not universally seen as a pure point guard. Those strengths weren't going to tarnish with another year in school the way the notoriety of a deep run in the tournament does, and those weaknesses could have only been improved upon if he came back to campus.

Assuming he isn't going to challenge Russell Westbrook's starting position, Semaj figures to be fighting Andre Roberson, Reggie Jackson, and Jeremy Lamb for minutes if he makes the Thunder. I don't know much about the NBA, but a quick glance at the roster reveals that Roberson can't shoot a lick and doesn't seem to be much of a passer, but Jackson and Lamb both got good minutes and put up decent numbers. I do hope Semaj finds a home in the league and ends up cashing checks to play basketball for years.

When given the opportunity to draft Sean Kilpatrick, all 30 NBA front offices responded "Who?"