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I'll start with the Atlantic and add the rest when I am done writing them.
Atlantic
Boston Celtics (No. 6 Marcus Smart; No. 17 James Young) A-
I think Boston really scored well with both picks. Marcus Smart would have been last years’ number one and James Young projected in the top 10 for most of the year. Young’s ability to score improves them on the wing however he has very little offensive moves. Smart however is just a bowling ball of a force and score at will. Smart struggles from shooting from outside but does almost everything else well. His ability to play ball hawk on defense is what I like for Celtics as they rebuild. The reason the Celtics get an A- is because they didn’t address the biggest glare, which is a small forward or a player who can put the basket easily. The team struggled to put up points last year (26th in PPG) and will do the same next year. With drafting these guards it’s a matter of time before Rondo has his bags packing and Smart starting at the point.
Brooklyn Nets (No. 44 Markel Brown; No. 59 Xavier Thames; No. 60 Cory Jefferson) C
Brooklyn started the night with absolutely no draft picks. However, they stuck with it at the end of the night and may have found two gems in Markel Brown and Cory Jefferson. Markel Brown is an undersized shooting guard who is and outstanding athlete and has the ability to put the ball in the basket, however he is a bit streaky. His game reminds me a lot of Cuttino Mobley who found a niche in this league. Brown’s shooting numbers improved all four years at Oklahoma State, and will definitely improve as a pro. Brown brings athleticism to a lackluster Nets bench. The other player I like is Cory Jefferson. He is a strong athlete who does a little bit off everything. I think he can come in and bring some energy and help stuff the stat sheet. Overall, the Nets added two quality role players to their bench while spending a few dollars.
New York Knicks (No. 34 Cleanthony Early; No. 51 Thanasis Antetokounmpo; No. 57 Louis Labeyrie) B-
The Knicks came through on the eve of the draft by swapping two bad contracts in Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler for a couple second round picks and Jose Calderon. The Knicks weren’t shy either by taking Wichita State’s Cleanthony Early. Early had a strong showcase in the NCAA tournament and looked like a quality pick between 15-20. He can be a lights out scorer and is out to prove that his name should have been called earlier. Early slipped because he is more of a tweener with no defined position. However, Phil Jackson knows players who will fit in the system and who will not. I compared Early’s role in the triangle to that former Laker and former Jackson player Devean George. The other pickup I like is Thanasis Anteokounmbo who at this point in his career is a high-energy defensive stopper. Thanasis needs to work on his offensive game at this point but has the potential to be a quality role player like a Thabo Sefolosha. With hopes of re-signing Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks added talent to the team out of nothing in the second round, which is impressive. With or without Carmelo, Phil Jackson is already to make the nessecary changes to the Knicks’ culture.
Philadelphia 76er’s (No. 3 Joel Embiid; No. 13 Dario Saric; No. 32 KJ McDaniels; No. 39 Jerami Grant; No. 52 Vasilje Micic; No. 58 Jordan McRae) D+
Some maybe surprised at the D+ grade I gave the Philadelphia 76er’s. The pick of taking a risk on Embiid shows the Sixers are not scared on taking the best potential talent. Pairing Joel Embiid with Nerlene Noel makes the frontcourt incredibly scary with length and shot blocking ability for a team that ranked 26th in defense last season. However, taking Elfrid Payton and shipping him to Orlando for Dario Saric and a couple future 1st was crafty for the future but doesn’t help put the ball in the basket in the immediate future. Saric will stay overseas for two years and the Sixers will struggle again on offense, where they rank 30th last season and will again this year. They could have added a quality shooting guard like James Young or Gary Harris who can score at pick 10 but opted to wait and hope to draft a future franchise player. The addition of KJ McDaniels is a great pickup for a quality small forward. He is a great defensive player but outside of that he is mediocre offensively. If he improves his jumper he has a chance to become a starter in the league. Jerami Grant is another player I am unsure of. They basically selected a cheaper version of Thaddeus Young (who's time is limited in a Sixers uniform). Grant plays good defense, great athlete but will need to work on his jump shot. Vasilk Micic was a player some scouts project 25-30. He has impressive court vision and size for the point guard position. His game is built for a pick and roll system and will be a quality backup to Michael Carter-Williams. Finally, the Sixers bought Jordan McCrae a standout offensive player from Tennessee. He led the Volunteers in scoring this season and had one of the better offensive games in this draft but lacks consistency and strength. Sounds a lot like James Anderson a few years ago who took 3 years of development to become a mediocre at best starter for the Sixers last year. Overall, the Sixers missed out in the first round taking a gamble on Saric and adding a few picks in hopes of drafting a franchise star in the future. At least Brett Brown’s defense should be ranked in the top 10 this year.
Toronto Raptors (No. 20 Bruno Caboclo; No. 37 DeAndre Daniels) F
I don’t think this grade really needs any explanation. The Raptors who needed to find a backup plan for Kyle Lowry opted to draft a guy no one knew, Bruno Caboclo. It was reminiscent of the day the Knicks drafted Renaldo Balkman. That pick is literally a swing for the fences, and more than likely is a miss for the Raptors, especially when you passed on a National Champion like Shabazz Napier. However, the quote of the night for Bruno was “two years away from being two years away” which means what? He’s four years away from even being a bench player. I hope he can come over and play in the Summer League this year for the Raptors and begin his stint in the D-League ASAP. They missed out on adding a quality post player like Clint Capella or a wing like Rodney Hood. The addition of DeAndre Daniels is nice but he really doesn’t do anything particularly well. Has great length and shooting stroke but lacks consistency, strength, and size to defend. Overall, Toronto better be all in to pay Lowery or they’ll be in the lottery next year for sure.
Central
Chicago Bulls (No. 11 Doug McDermott; No. 49 Cameron Bairstow) B
I like what the Bulls did to improve floor spacing. Adding Doug McDermott gives them an elite shooter on the wing and by trading picks number 16 & 19 they freed up cap space to go get a big name free agent. However, if the Bulls fail to lure in Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James (more Carmelo) they lost out on the draft by not drafting a guy like Tyler Ennis (went to Phoenix 18th), and/or Gary Harris who the Nuggets selected with their 19th picks. The also had good shooters like James Young (went to Boston at 17) and Rodney Hood (went 22 to Memphis) available with the picks they trades. The Bulls did address shooting with the McDermott trade, where they ranked 12th. A healthy Derrick Rose will love McBuckets on the wing. I also like the pick of Cameron Bairstow at number 49, Bairstow will do well in the pick and roll since he can knock down the mid-range shooter. It gives them a solid role player behind Taj Gibson to replace Carlos Boozer once he is amnestied this off-season. Overall, it was a solid job to open up cap space to lure Carmelo.
Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 1 Andrew Wiggins; No. 33 Joe Harris) B+
I’ll be honest, I was wrong with Cleveland’s intention with the first pick but by selecting Andrew Wiggins they must believe in Anthony Bennett as their future small forward or hope they can lure LeBron into Cleveland to play with Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins. The best talent was drafted number one and he reminds me of a Tracy McGrady type player and hopefully he doesn’t carry T-Mac’s work ethic. Wiggins is a freakish athlete, who attacks the basket at all costs and has all the tools to succeed in the NBA. He can grab rebounds, pass, handle the ball, score, shoot, and play defense. The sky’s the limit for him. The reason I gave the Cavaliers a B+ is their next pick, Joe Harris. Harris is a great shooter off the pick and roll and that’s about it. He has good size and hustle but not really athletically incline. I don’t see where he fits in Cleveland when they could have addressed the need of bringing in a big man or trying to draft Anthony Bennett some competition at the three. Guys like Cleanthony Early, Glenn Robinson III, and Jerami Grant who had first round talent would have been better options with pick 33.
Detroit Pistons (No. 38 Spencer Dinwiddie) B+
The Pistons scored really well with their only pick of the night. After losing their first round pick in Ben Gordon, Corey Maggette swap with the Hornets they manage to grab a lottery-potential talent in Dinwiddie in the second. I had Dinwiddie slated to go between 25-30 who could give a gamble on a player of his type. If it hadn’t been for a knee injury we could have seen Dinwiddie creep into the lottery or been a lottery pick next year. The guy is an outstanding scorer and shooter shooting a FG% of 42%, a 3PT% of 41%, and FT% of 85%. Dinwiddie is a large PG but lacks court vision but fits what Van Gundy likes in a point guard. They have Jennings who’s been inconsistent since coming into the league, Billups who is aging and possibly considering retiring this offseason, and Payton Siva who I don’t think can start in this league but be a consistent bench player. Also, Will Bynum is showing his age last season and gave a very inconsistent product off the bench. Adding Dinwiddie can bring great shooting to the shooting guard and or point guard position depending on how Van Gundy plans on using him. They grabbed a lottery talent in the 2nd round due to an injury. The Pistons had a great draft to adding a great shooter late since they finished 29th in true shooting percentage last season.
Indiana Pacers (None)
Milwaukee Bucks (No. 2 Jabri Parker; No. 31 Damien Inglis; No. 36 Johnny O’Bryant) B
A lot of criticism will be made of my Milwaukee Bucks and Cavaliers grade. I honestly thought they would have gone Exum in the draft versus Parker. They certainly fooled me. I enjoy watching Parkers game, he brings instant offense to a team that lacks scoring. I believe now that Giannis now will be asked to bulk up and learn to play the power forward position much like Josh Smith did in Atlanta. Giannis grew again before the draft now he measures 6’11’ and that’s incredible for his skill set. Now back to Parker, he is a lights out scorer from almost anywhere on the court. However, he doesn’t play much defense, which his game reminds me a lot of Carmelo Anthony. Hopefully he commits on learning to play defense for the Bucks. Also, he has said all the right things saying he’d like to stay with the Bucks for the rest of his career. The next pick Damien Inglis is a great potential player. His game resembles a lot of Nicolas Batum and could become that type of guy for the Bucks, however, I don’t know where he fits into the lineup with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Carlos Delfino, and Chris Wright all on the roster at the small forward position. It seems like a bad choice where they could have selected a point guard like Jordan Clarkson or shooting guard behind OJ Mayo. There is a lot of what ifs with this team going into the future. Johnny O’Bryant will turn out to be a quality bench player but again behind a lot of power forwards in a team glutted at the 3 and the 4. The B is given for filling up positions they already had filled.
Atlantic
Boston Celtics (No. 6 Marcus Smart; No. 17 James Young) A-
I think Boston really scored well with both picks. Marcus Smart would have been last years’ number one and James Young projected in the top 10 for most of the year. Young’s ability to score improves them on the wing however he has very little offensive moves. Smart however is just a bowling ball of a force and score at will. Smart struggles from shooting from outside but does almost everything else well. His ability to play ball hawk on defense is what I like for Celtics as they rebuild. The reason the Celtics get an A- is because they didn’t address the biggest glare, which is a small forward or a player who can put the basket easily. The team struggled to put up points last year (26th in PPG) and will do the same next year. With drafting these guards it’s a matter of time before Rondo has his bags packing and Smart starting at the point.
Brooklyn Nets (No. 44 Markel Brown; No. 59 Xavier Thames; No. 60 Cory Jefferson) C
Brooklyn started the night with absolutely no draft picks. However, they stuck with it at the end of the night and may have found two gems in Markel Brown and Cory Jefferson. Markel Brown is an undersized shooting guard who is and outstanding athlete and has the ability to put the ball in the basket, however he is a bit streaky. His game reminds me a lot of Cuttino Mobley who found a niche in this league. Brown’s shooting numbers improved all four years at Oklahoma State, and will definitely improve as a pro. Brown brings athleticism to a lackluster Nets bench. The other player I like is Cory Jefferson. He is a strong athlete who does a little bit off everything. I think he can come in and bring some energy and help stuff the stat sheet. Overall, the Nets added two quality role players to their bench while spending a few dollars.
New York Knicks (No. 34 Cleanthony Early; No. 51 Thanasis Antetokounmpo; No. 57 Louis Labeyrie) B-
The Knicks came through on the eve of the draft by swapping two bad contracts in Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler for a couple second round picks and Jose Calderon. The Knicks weren’t shy either by taking Wichita State’s Cleanthony Early. Early had a strong showcase in the NCAA tournament and looked like a quality pick between 15-20. He can be a lights out scorer and is out to prove that his name should have been called earlier. Early slipped because he is more of a tweener with no defined position. However, Phil Jackson knows players who will fit in the system and who will not. I compared Early’s role in the triangle to that former Laker and former Jackson player Devean George. The other pickup I like is Thanasis Anteokounmbo who at this point in his career is a high-energy defensive stopper. Thanasis needs to work on his offensive game at this point but has the potential to be a quality role player like a Thabo Sefolosha. With hopes of re-signing Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks added talent to the team out of nothing in the second round, which is impressive. With or without Carmelo, Phil Jackson is already to make the nessecary changes to the Knicks’ culture.
Philadelphia 76er’s (No. 3 Joel Embiid; No. 13 Dario Saric; No. 32 KJ McDaniels; No. 39 Jerami Grant; No. 52 Vasilje Micic; No. 58 Jordan McRae) D+
Some maybe surprised at the D+ grade I gave the Philadelphia 76er’s. The pick of taking a risk on Embiid shows the Sixers are not scared on taking the best potential talent. Pairing Joel Embiid with Nerlene Noel makes the frontcourt incredibly scary with length and shot blocking ability for a team that ranked 26th in defense last season. However, taking Elfrid Payton and shipping him to Orlando for Dario Saric and a couple future 1st was crafty for the future but doesn’t help put the ball in the basket in the immediate future. Saric will stay overseas for two years and the Sixers will struggle again on offense, where they rank 30th last season and will again this year. They could have added a quality shooting guard like James Young or Gary Harris who can score at pick 10 but opted to wait and hope to draft a future franchise player. The addition of KJ McDaniels is a great pickup for a quality small forward. He is a great defensive player but outside of that he is mediocre offensively. If he improves his jumper he has a chance to become a starter in the league. Jerami Grant is another player I am unsure of. They basically selected a cheaper version of Thaddeus Young (who's time is limited in a Sixers uniform). Grant plays good defense, great athlete but will need to work on his jump shot. Vasilk Micic was a player some scouts project 25-30. He has impressive court vision and size for the point guard position. His game is built for a pick and roll system and will be a quality backup to Michael Carter-Williams. Finally, the Sixers bought Jordan McCrae a standout offensive player from Tennessee. He led the Volunteers in scoring this season and had one of the better offensive games in this draft but lacks consistency and strength. Sounds a lot like James Anderson a few years ago who took 3 years of development to become a mediocre at best starter for the Sixers last year. Overall, the Sixers missed out in the first round taking a gamble on Saric and adding a few picks in hopes of drafting a franchise star in the future. At least Brett Brown’s defense should be ranked in the top 10 this year.
Toronto Raptors (No. 20 Bruno Caboclo; No. 37 DeAndre Daniels) F
I don’t think this grade really needs any explanation. The Raptors who needed to find a backup plan for Kyle Lowry opted to draft a guy no one knew, Bruno Caboclo. It was reminiscent of the day the Knicks drafted Renaldo Balkman. That pick is literally a swing for the fences, and more than likely is a miss for the Raptors, especially when you passed on a National Champion like Shabazz Napier. However, the quote of the night for Bruno was “two years away from being two years away” which means what? He’s four years away from even being a bench player. I hope he can come over and play in the Summer League this year for the Raptors and begin his stint in the D-League ASAP. They missed out on adding a quality post player like Clint Capella or a wing like Rodney Hood. The addition of DeAndre Daniels is nice but he really doesn’t do anything particularly well. Has great length and shooting stroke but lacks consistency, strength, and size to defend. Overall, Toronto better be all in to pay Lowery or they’ll be in the lottery next year for sure.
Central
Chicago Bulls (No. 11 Doug McDermott; No. 49 Cameron Bairstow) B
I like what the Bulls did to improve floor spacing. Adding Doug McDermott gives them an elite shooter on the wing and by trading picks number 16 & 19 they freed up cap space to go get a big name free agent. However, if the Bulls fail to lure in Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James (more Carmelo) they lost out on the draft by not drafting a guy like Tyler Ennis (went to Phoenix 18th), and/or Gary Harris who the Nuggets selected with their 19th picks. The also had good shooters like James Young (went to Boston at 17) and Rodney Hood (went 22 to Memphis) available with the picks they trades. The Bulls did address shooting with the McDermott trade, where they ranked 12th. A healthy Derrick Rose will love McBuckets on the wing. I also like the pick of Cameron Bairstow at number 49, Bairstow will do well in the pick and roll since he can knock down the mid-range shooter. It gives them a solid role player behind Taj Gibson to replace Carlos Boozer once he is amnestied this off-season. Overall, it was a solid job to open up cap space to lure Carmelo.
Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 1 Andrew Wiggins; No. 33 Joe Harris) B+
I’ll be honest, I was wrong with Cleveland’s intention with the first pick but by selecting Andrew Wiggins they must believe in Anthony Bennett as their future small forward or hope they can lure LeBron into Cleveland to play with Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins. The best talent was drafted number one and he reminds me of a Tracy McGrady type player and hopefully he doesn’t carry T-Mac’s work ethic. Wiggins is a freakish athlete, who attacks the basket at all costs and has all the tools to succeed in the NBA. He can grab rebounds, pass, handle the ball, score, shoot, and play defense. The sky’s the limit for him. The reason I gave the Cavaliers a B+ is their next pick, Joe Harris. Harris is a great shooter off the pick and roll and that’s about it. He has good size and hustle but not really athletically incline. I don’t see where he fits in Cleveland when they could have addressed the need of bringing in a big man or trying to draft Anthony Bennett some competition at the three. Guys like Cleanthony Early, Glenn Robinson III, and Jerami Grant who had first round talent would have been better options with pick 33.
Detroit Pistons (No. 38 Spencer Dinwiddie) B+
The Pistons scored really well with their only pick of the night. After losing their first round pick in Ben Gordon, Corey Maggette swap with the Hornets they manage to grab a lottery-potential talent in Dinwiddie in the second. I had Dinwiddie slated to go between 25-30 who could give a gamble on a player of his type. If it hadn’t been for a knee injury we could have seen Dinwiddie creep into the lottery or been a lottery pick next year. The guy is an outstanding scorer and shooter shooting a FG% of 42%, a 3PT% of 41%, and FT% of 85%. Dinwiddie is a large PG but lacks court vision but fits what Van Gundy likes in a point guard. They have Jennings who’s been inconsistent since coming into the league, Billups who is aging and possibly considering retiring this offseason, and Payton Siva who I don’t think can start in this league but be a consistent bench player. Also, Will Bynum is showing his age last season and gave a very inconsistent product off the bench. Adding Dinwiddie can bring great shooting to the shooting guard and or point guard position depending on how Van Gundy plans on using him. They grabbed a lottery talent in the 2nd round due to an injury. The Pistons had a great draft to adding a great shooter late since they finished 29th in true shooting percentage last season.
Indiana Pacers (None)
Milwaukee Bucks (No. 2 Jabri Parker; No. 31 Damien Inglis; No. 36 Johnny O’Bryant) B
A lot of criticism will be made of my Milwaukee Bucks and Cavaliers grade. I honestly thought they would have gone Exum in the draft versus Parker. They certainly fooled me. I enjoy watching Parkers game, he brings instant offense to a team that lacks scoring. I believe now that Giannis now will be asked to bulk up and learn to play the power forward position much like Josh Smith did in Atlanta. Giannis grew again before the draft now he measures 6’11’ and that’s incredible for his skill set. Now back to Parker, he is a lights out scorer from almost anywhere on the court. However, he doesn’t play much defense, which his game reminds me a lot of Carmelo Anthony. Hopefully he commits on learning to play defense for the Bucks. Also, he has said all the right things saying he’d like to stay with the Bucks for the rest of his career. The next pick Damien Inglis is a great potential player. His game resembles a lot of Nicolas Batum and could become that type of guy for the Bucks, however, I don’t know where he fits into the lineup with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Carlos Delfino, and Chris Wright all on the roster at the small forward position. It seems like a bad choice where they could have selected a point guard like Jordan Clarkson or shooting guard behind OJ Mayo. There is a lot of what ifs with this team going into the future. Johnny O’Bryant will turn out to be a quality bench player but again behind a lot of power forwards in a team glutted at the 3 and the 4. The B is given for filling up positions they already had filled.
