2013 NBA Draft: What Do NBA Teams Prioritize Higher When Making Their Picks?

As mentioned previously, this year's NBA Draft is sort of unique and unlike most others in many regards.

This year, there's no Dwight Howard...no LeBron James...no Kyrie Irving. In other words, there's no clear cut player to 100% take the cake and become a number one selection.

With that in mind, where do NBA teams go from here? What's the latest going on in their war rooms? The decision as to who a team will select comes down to a few things, based on a said squad's priorities.

Is it easier to draft based on simply the talent level available, or should executives make it a priority to draft based upon roster needs and attempt to fill immediate holes?

With plenty of talent expected to be available in free agency this summer, holes can always be fixed via a signing of a more experienced player who's better prepared to step right in and make an impact.

The NBA Draft should be about taking the best player available, and then working it to your advantage that such a move benefits the overall squad in some way. Taking the most talented player on the board not only provides a team with an immense amount of promise and potential at that position (if not immediately, then it'll remain for years to come), but also provides them with a very special trading chip and/or asset.

That's certainly one line of thinking. Another prospective to take is that of targeting the position that finding a talented player is constantly most difficult to come by: center.

Though he's set to be sidelined with an injury until Christmas time, Nerlens Noel is recognized as the likely first overall pick for Thursday night (as definitive or as unclear as making such a distinction may be in this year's draft). Though he'll likely spend the first couple of months of his rookie season watching his team from the sideline in a suit, Noel undoubtedly has a tremendous amount of upside. He's athletic, explosive, has long arms, and can grab rebounds and pester opponents down low.

Noel's overall strong skill set and size (coupled with the fact that such a combination is rather scarce in the NBA) makes it easy for the Cavaliers to favor him with the first overall selection. That said, Alex Len is also receiving some interesting consideration with regard to being selected as a high lottery pick as well. The big man is quick, athletic, and a bit more polished on the offensive side of things. Len is sure to be a top ten selection, and there may be other more talented players on the board between he and Noel.

Still, the rarity that is a big man with Noel and/or Len's respective abilities make them each a candidate to go number one. It's just a matter of whose versatility a team like Cleveland chooses to favor.

Nevertheless, a skillful big man, regardless of who it may be, is likely to dictate the Cavaliers' selection. Which NBA teams go on to draft based on position, need, and/or overall talent level remains to be seen.