With the No. 1 pick in tonight's NBA Draft long established, surprises would have to come elsewhere. The first three picks played out without much excitement, but the Cleveland Cavaliers provided the draft's first shock with the No. 4 overall pick. They took Dion Waiters, a shooting guard out of Syracuse.
He was expected to go in the lottery, with many forecasting somewhere between the seventh and 13th picks. He had stopped workouts weeks ago, not working out for Cleveland, as several reports told that Waiters received a promise from another team.
Still, his stock skyrocketed and the Cavaliers pulled off another draft that had them surprising everyone. Last year they chose Tristan Thompson with the fourth overall pick, roughly a half dozen picks higher than most expected. Now Waiters will go to Cleveland and share the backcourt with last year's top pick and St. Patrick product, reigning Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving.
But Waiters wasn't the only one who jumped up the draft boards.
Terrance Ross, a swingman out of Washington, did as well. He left Washington after two years and was expected to go in the second half of the first round. But with a superb body — only 3.2 percent body fat — and a soft shooting touch from three-point range, not to mention top echelon athleticism, he become a wanted commodity.
The Toronto Raptors took him eighth overall, higher than he even imagined.
"I didn't think I would go this high, but I'm happy I am," Ross said. "I know I can make an impact at the next level, and I'm just happy to be where I'm at."
• Damian Lillard is the sixth overall pick, taken by the Portland Trailblazers, but that doesn't mean he's a household name. He comes from Weber State.
Still, after a stellar senior year and an impressive showing at pre-draft camps, Lillard moved up in the draft. He will likely be a starting point guard next year for the Blazers, completing a whirlwind yearlong journey from unheralded player in the Big Sky conference to lottery pick.
"At the end of the season, there was still a lot of questions about me, whether I could do what I do against higher level players, and if I was really as good as advertised," Lillard said. "That was one of the main reasons I competed in Chicago both days.
"I think competing in Chicago and showing teams that I will go against whoever, and I played well. So I think that was one of the main things that helped me. In the workouts I showed that I was in good shape. I didn't really get tired, I made a lot of shots, and teams also got to see some things I did well that they didn't know I did well."
Mike Vorkunov: mvorkunov@starledger.com; twitter.com/Mike_Vorkunov