Los Angeles Clippers
Players and Grades:
Kobe Brown (Pick 30 ) --> B+
Jordan Miller (Pick 48 ) --> B-
Overview:
| |
The Clippers had an excellent draft night. No trades for them and the team did not address the Point Guard need but nonetheless got two great players ready to come in and contribute right away. Kobe Brown was one of my favorite players in the draft and I think his fit with this team is perfect. He's sort of a mix of Marcus Morris and Nicolas Batum but younger and cheaper. I think Kobe can play in lineups with PG and Kawhi and fill in when one (or both) eventually get injured as well. He's 23 and played a lot of basketball but for a team looking to compete for championships there is no time for project players. The same can be said with Jordan Miller who is a slightly lesser version of Brown and can provide forward depth. Reliability, High IQ, and lack of mistakes is how rookies can get minutes on these already good NBA teams and I believe Brown and Miller have these qualities. Overall, I just loved both selections for the Clippers and think they both have a strong chance to come in and contribute on this team right away.
Overall Grade: B
| |
Memphis Grizzlies
Players and Grades:
Gregory Jackson II (Pick 45 ) --> B
Tarik Biberovic (Pick 56 ) --> N/A
Overview:
The Grizzlies had a solid 24 hours. They traded for Marcus Smart who will come in and set the tone for this locker room right away. The loss of Tyus Jones hurts the backcourt depth in Memphis but Smart can play the 1 and 2 for them and is an upgrade defensively. Hopefully, he brings a sense of maturity and accountability to the locker room as well. In addition to letting go of Jones, the Grizzlies traded 2 firsts that was less than ideal for them, but in my opinion got a player in the second round here with a first round grade. GG Jackson is the youngest player in the draft and will most likely not contribute on this team right away but his shot making potential is top tier. He will get a couple of years for the Memphis development staff to work with him and polish his game up, but the potential to turn into a Michael Porter Jr is there. This was more of an upside pick then a win now pick for them, but at this value I just like this too much. As for Tarik, he will be Draft and Stash player so not much needs to be said about him here. Overall, I liked what the Grizzlies did in this 24 hour span and they have improved their roster.
Overall Grade: B
| |
Utah Jazz
Players and Grades:
Taylor Hendricks (Pick 9 ) --> B+
Keyonte George (Pick 16 ) --> A
Brice Sensabaugh (Pick 28 ) --> A-
Overview:
The Jazz had themselves a night. At pick 9, they commit to the full time Lauri at the 3 and add PF Taylor Hendricks. Not only is he an elite shot blocker and help defender he can switch onto some perimeter players and shoot the lights out from beyond range. He and Kessler will be instrumental in making the Jazz one of the most feared teams in the league to drive on. At 16, they take a spark scorer with more to his game than given credit for in Keyonte George. He helps the Jazz with any offensive woes they might have next year, and provides spot playmaking, tough shot making, and hard nose defense. Sensabaugh at 28 was a steal and he is simply just a scorer. He will come in and make scoring from the midrange look effortless. He is a great shooter from all 3 levels and can simply get you a bucket when needed. Overall, they took 2 players I had top 12 grades on and the other I had in top 25. They addressed scoring, on ball creation, defense and shooting and come away with one of my favorite classes in this draft.
Overall Grade: A
| |
Sacramento Kings
Players and Grades:
Colby Jones (Pick 34 ) --> B+
Jalen Slawson (Pick 54 ) --> C
Overview:
| |
The Kings only took 2 guys (both in the second round) but did pretty well for themselves while still getting off of Richaun Holmes contract and opening up cap. Colby Jones was a steal in the second round and I think he can come in and contribute right away as a lead ball handler on the bench. He doesn’t make very many mistakes at all, and for a team that had the second unit run by Malik Monk, the consistency of Jones will allow Mike Brown to feel a little better when he decided to give Fox some breaks. Slawson at the end of the draft was a solid pickup as well, overall another smart player who makes his mark on defense and downhill driving but a solid shooting stroke and connective passing can allow him to contribute sooner rather than later. Overall, they freed up cap and got two good smart players, one who will contribute right away and another that has a chance to as well.
Overall Grade: B
| |
Los Angeles Lakers
Players and Grades:
Jalen Hood Schifino (Pick 17 ) --> B+
Maxwell Lewis (Pick 40 ) --> B+
Overview:
The Lakers came into this draft with a lot of questions. Russell, Schroeder, Reaves and Rui are all free agents and LeBron has probably one year left in purple and gold. The logic thing to do is probably to package these picks and a couple of guys to bolster this roster for win now but instead they stood pat on draft night. JHS at 17 was a great pick as he was a top 12 player for me and should fill the void of ball handling duties if one or both of Russell and Schroeder leave. JHS is a master of the mid range and a great pick and roll player that should take pressure off of Lebron and work amazingly with AD but I’m afraid this team fit won’t necessarily allow him to expand on his game as much as I’d like him too. In addition, they take the scorer in Max Lewis in the second round to add more shooting, length and some on ball creation to the rotation. They picked up 2 very good rookies, but for how this team is setup, I don’t think this was the right thing to do. Rookies typically aren’t main contributors on championship contending teams and I think one of both of these players is traded at some point.
Overall Grade: B+
Dallas Mavericks
Players and Grades:
Dereck Lively (Pick 12 ) --> B
Olivier Maxence Prosper (Pick 24 ) --> B
Overview:
| |
The Mavs did much better on draft night than I expected. The roster wasn’t very good, some bad contracts in the roster, not a very good spot in the draft for them and I couldn’t see how they could get better. But they managed to trade back a couple spots, still get the player they wanted, get off the Bertrans contracts, and then acquire a TPE to use in a trade for the 24th pick in the draft as well. Lively was never my favorite prospect and taking him at 10 would have been a pretty mediocre move but ultimately trading Bertrans and your pick 10 for the player you were gonna take anyway in Lively along with OMax Prosper, Holmes and some cap space was a huge win for the Mavs. They get some interior athletic presences that can block shots and finish lobs, and an athletic 3 and D player to play legitimate minutes at the 4 as a rookie. Overall, liked what the Mavs did a lot.
Overall Grade: B+
| |
Denver Nuggets
Players and Grades:
Julian Strawther (Pick 29 ) --> C-
Jalen Pickett (Pick 32 ) --> C
Hunter Tyson (Pick 37 ) --> C-
Overview:
The Nuggets made some good moves getting some quality picks in this draft but I think whiffed on taking some players with those picks. They spent two picks on strict shooters that don’t offer much else and 1 pick on a very old school type PG who’s game might not fit great with this team or even in this league. Strawther is a very good 3 point shooter with a quick release but I think he struggles defensively and could find himself low on minutes until he managed to be OK on that end. Same goes for Tyson but as for Pickett he provides a very Andre Miller type backup PG role to this team. He’s a solid player that knows how to play and has a ton of experience and could be the one making the biggest impact for the Champs right away especially if Bruce Brown leaves. Ultimately, there were players I thought were better at every pick they had but I get what they were doing.
Overall Grade: C-
New Orleans Pelicans
Players and Grades:
Jordan Hawkins (Pick 14 ) --> C+
Overview:
| |
The Pelicans took a very solid player at 15. They go and add more shooting to the team but I think they were in great position to take a swing on a player like Whitmore, Bufkin, or Hood Schifino. I don’t mind this pick at all and Hawkins will be a good NBA player for sure, but the others provided upside Hawkins did not and with the whole Zion situation I think it might be time to see if you can find another star and this pick was a good place to take a shot for one. Overall, I get the pick, I like the pick, but I just think they could have made more of it.
Overall Grade: C+
| |
Houston Rockets
Players and Grades:
Amen Thompson (Pick 4 ) --> A
Cam Whitmore (Pick 20 ) --> A
Overview:
| |
Everyone can probably agree that the Rockets are one of the biggest winners of the draft. They took the most athletic person in the draft probably with the best vision to play PG for them at 4. Amen probably offers more 2 way upside than anyone in this draft outside of Victor. And then trying to trade back up multiple times while Cam started to slide to no success but managing to still get him at 20 was perfect. Cam was easily the most talented player on the board and most athletic too. He’s strictly a scorer and needs to work on the other parts of his game to reach his ceiling, but nonetheless the get a top 10 consensus player at pick 20 who fits with what they already have. A masterclass draft from GM Stone and should be instrumental in turning this team around.
Overall Grade: A+
| |
San Antonio Spurs
Players and Grades:
Victor Wembanyama (Pick 1 ) --> A++
Sidy Cissoko (Pick 44 ) --> B+
Overview:
| |
The won’t he draft the second the Lottery ended about a month before the draft. Victor is a generational prospect with a mature attitude and willingness to be the best of all time. It was the clear choice and perfect team fit, and nothing else really needs to be said. In the second round they get fellow Frenchman Sidy Cissoko who I ranked higher than Leonard Miller and liked a ton. He is young with high upside and just acts as a complete Swiss army knife on the court. I had him ranked in the top 30 and he fell to 44 so I loved the value and his ability to learn in San Antonio will help speed his development to the point where he can be a key rotation guy in as little as 2 years. Overall, amazing draft from the Spurs that will change the trajectory of the franchise.
Overall Grade: A++
| |
Phoenix Suns
Players and Grades:
Toumani Camara (Pick 52 ) --> D+
Overview:
The Suns didn’t have much to do in this draft and won’t have much to do in any draft for the next 5-7 years. With the only pick of the night, late isn’t he second round, the Suns took the forward from Dayton who projects as a defensive slasher type of player who can hit the 3 point shot solidly but so far only on low volume. He provides athleticism and some shooting ability that can be useful for a top heavy Suns roster that is in need for 3 and D role players. Maybe this pick work out as a rotation piece, maybe it doesn’t. I thought there were some better players still available but I don’t hate the pick and can’t complain that it doesn’t move the needle for the team as players in the 50s rarely do. Overall, nothing special from the Suns.
Overall Grade: D+
Oklahoma City Thunder
Players and Grades:
Cason Wallace (Pick 10 ) --> B
Keyontae Johnson (Pick 50 ) --> B
Overview:
| |
The Thunder once again had a good draft, which should shock absolutely no one. The trade up for Wallace did not cost them much and they get a player that will contribute right away and be sort of a Lu Dort 2.0 with playmaking and on/off ball versatility. He can play as the backup PG or even in lineups next to Shai and Giddey as well. With the 50th pick, they take Keyontae Johnson who on tape just seems like an ideal NBA role player but injury concerns allowed him to fall. If he stays healthy, OKC walks away with two guys who will make immediate impacts in their rotation. Overall, another great job by Sam Presti.
Overall Grade: B
| |
Minnesota Timberwolves
Players and Grades:
Leonard Miller (Pick 33 ) --> B-
Jaylen Clark (Pick 53 ) --> C+
Overview:
| |
The general consensus seems to be that the Wolves had a great draft and I can understand that. I wouldn’t say great, but for sure a good one. I was lower on Miller than most as the jumper just looks very weird and his development might not go as far as some assume. But regardless, he did produce for the ignite last year and should slot in a play backup 4 minutes only next to Reid or Towns though. As for Clark, I like this pick as an athletic 3 and D player and think he has opportunity to contribute to the bench of this team right away. Overall, I think they had a good draft and took Miller right away where I had him on my Big Board and Clark who I Had slightly higher.
Overall Grade: B-
| |
Portland TrailBlazers
Players and Grades:
Scoot Henderson (Pick 3 ) --> A+
Kris Murray (Pick 23 ) --> B-
Rayan Rupert (Pick 43 ) --> C
Overview:
| |
The Blazers get the consensus number 2 player in the class at pick 3. The only reason Scoot slipped to 3 was fit and that’s not too big of an issue but I believe almost everyone has Scoot higher on their big boards than BM and therefore that makes this a steal. They get a great PG prospect and fiery competitor in Scoot that should fit nicely next to Shaedon Sharpe and spear head the eventual rebuild once Dame gets traded. Later on, they take an older prospect that can provide good minutes at the 4 on any team in the league and should contribute right away with Kris Murray. With the last pick they select French project wing Rupert that will be given time to develop a jumper and could eventually be turned into a quality player. Overall, the Blazers got a high end caliber player, a quality rotation piece and a high upside project so this draft was a big success for them.
Overall Grade: A
| |
Golden State Warriors
Players and Grades:
Brandon Podziemski (Pick 19 ) --> C
Trayce Jackson-Davis (Pick 57 ) --> B+
Overview:
| |