NBA Draft Team Grades 2019

Atlanta Hawks
No. 4: De'Andre Hunter, SF/PF, Virginia
No. 10: Cam Reddish, SF, Duke
No. 34: Bruno Fernando, C, Maryland

I thought this was a very solid draft for the Hawks.  I generally don't think it's a good idea to trade up in the draft, but they still managed to add three good prospects who should be great fits on their roster.  Hunter provides much needed defense and shooting even if it was a slight reach.  Reddish should at least be a solid 3 and D wing with the potential for more.  And Fernando should be an NBA quality rim running center.  I think they gave up a little bit too much to move up to number 4, but other than that they got some great fits and solid players.

Grade: B

Boston Celtics
No. 14: Romeo Langford, SG, Indiana
No. 22: Grant Williams, SF/PF, Tennessee
No. 33: Carsen Edwards, PG, Purdue
No. 51: Tremont Waters, PG, LSU

Romeo was a bit of a reach here, the main question with him is how much his thumb injury affected his shot.  If he's really as bad of a shooter as he was for Indiana, then this is probably a bad pick.  However, if his thumb made a big impact, this could be a steal.  My guess is the truth is somewhere in between.  Williams is a fantastic pick at 22.  He'll be a high impact player on both ends of the floor through his foul drawing ability, shooting, rebounding and defense.  I'm not sure why they drafted two tiny guards in Edwards and Waters.  Edwards should be a useful bench scorer, but I doubt Waters will ever be much of anything in the NBA.  That's not because he's too small, but more because he's not skilled enough.  Good draft though overall for Boston, and they needed it with Horford and Kyrie Irving likely leaving this summer.

Grade: B

Brooklyn Nets
No. 31: Nic Claxton, C, Georgia
No. 56: Jaylen Hands, PG, UCLA

The Nets traded both of their first round picks to clear cap space for this summer.  It better work out, because if not they wasted a couple of chances to add good young role players.  Claxton is a good fit as a switchable big, especially if they add a star in free agency, but his shooting and skinny frame are both concerns.  If Claxton continues to be a poor finisher at the rim like he was in college, I'm not sure what his offensive skill will be and if he'll even be playable on that end of the floor.  His defense should be fantastic though, as he has the rare combination of shot blocking and lateral quickness.  Hands is a fine pick, but I would have much preferred Jeremiah Martin or Shamorie Ponds here.

Grade: C

Charlotte Hornets
No. 12: PJ Washington, PF, Kentucky
No. 36: Cody Martin, SG, Nevada
No. 52: Jalen McDaniels, PF, San Diego St

The Hornets haven't been known as one of the better drafting in the NBA in recent years, drafting guys like Malik Monk, Frank Kaminsky and Noah Vonleh in the lottery.  Michael Jordan and Co. made their best effort to continue that trend this year.  Washington may be a solid role player in the NBA, but him at 12 is a huge reach with tons of talent still on the board.  Although Washington shot 42 percent from 3 last year, that was on limited attempts and was likely a mirage given his poor freshman percentage and poor free throw percentages.  That leaves him as a mostly post player, and given that he's never going to be a stud on defense, I can't see him being more than an average NBA player.  And he definitely may be worse than that.  Cody Martin is another huge reach, as I didn't see him getting drafted at all.  Any time a 23 year old gets drafted, he better have been really good in college, or at least have an elite skill, and I don't think either is true about Martin.  McDaniels is a big man who can't really shoot and is not a great defender, making him a rarity in today's NBA.  I would be surprised if he finds a role for any NBA team.

Grade: D+

Chicago Bulls
No. 7: Coby White, PG, North Carolina
No. 38: Daniel Gafford, C, Arkansas

I love this draft for the Bulls.  Coby White was the clear best player available and also filled the Bulls major need of a point guard, making him an easy but still great pick.  I think White's shot is very underrated (he may even be a better shooter than Darius Garland, whose "perfect" shot was the subject of praise on ESPN), and he's a great three level scorer who also holds his own on defense with good size at 6-5.  Gafford is a steal at 38 as he is basically a slightly worse version of Jaxson Hayes, who went at number 8 (although Hayes does have a much higher ceiling).  Gafford should be a good rim running center for years to come.

Grade: A

Cleveland Cavaliers
No. 5: Darius Garland, PG, Vanderbilt
No. 26: Dylan Windler, SF, Belmont
No. 30: Kevin Porter, Jr., SG, USC

While Garland is a young prospect with tons of potential, I would have much preferred Jarrett Culver here.  I'm just not sure of Garland's value as a small point guard who is not much of a passer and a poor defender.  Unless he becomes a Damian Lillard or Lou Williams level scorer (which is possibly but definitely unlikely), he probably won't be an impact player on a contender.  The NBA draft is already an uncertain endeavor, and that just becomes more true when you draft a guy off of his high school tape.  He could still be very good, but was ranked in the 15 range on most recruiting sites before his freshman year, and hasn't done anything since except tear his meniscus.  So I'm not sure why he rose draft boards so quickly, likely just because no one had a chance to see his flaws.  Windler was a good pick at 26, as his combination of shooting and hustle plays should make him a mainstay in the Cavalier rotation.  I don't love Porter Jr. as a prospect, and I think there's a huge chance that he busts, but at pick 30 there's not too much risk.  Another huge question for the Cavs is how they find playing time for their three young high potential guards in Garland, Porter, Jr., and Collin Sexton.

Grade: C

Dallas Mavericks
No. 45: Isaiah Roby, PF, Nebraska

The Mavericks did a good job trading down and getting a couple extra future 2nd rounders, and then drafted Roby, a fine pick but nothing to write home about.  Roby is a very good defender, but I don't see his shot developing as well as some seem to think it will, so I'm not sure he'll ever be any sort of threat on the offensive end.  I was much higher on him after his sophomore year, but Roby's junior year was pretty disappointing with a major decline in all of his shooting percentages.  You never know though, and most of these 2nd round picks are dart throws anyways and rarely work out.

Grade: C

Denver Nuggets
No. 44: Bol Bol, C, Oregon

The Nuggets didn't have any draft picks going into the night and still came out with a player who, injury concerns aside, is in my opinion a top 5 prospect in the draft.  The injuries are a huge concern, but even if there's a 75% chance that his foot injury means he can never play again, I still think this is a good pick here, as most 2nd round picks end up as busts anyways, and few ever have the potential that Bol does.  And I doubt his injury is anywhere near that serious.  Bol Bol is a one of a kind prospect, a 7-2 player who is very quick for his size and maybe the best 7-0 or taller shooting prospect ever.

Grade: A+

Detroit Pistons
No. 15: Sekou Doumboya, PF, France
No. 37: Deividas Sirvydis, SF, Lithuania
No. 57: Jordan Bone, PG, Tennessee

Doumboya is a high risk pick, as he's incredibly young and hasn't done much to show he'll reach his high potential.  However, that's fine for the Pistons, as they don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.  Blake Griffin is good enough to keep them in the playoffs or at least near the playoffs in the weak Eastern Conference, and yet I doubt they will contend anytime soon.  Sirvydis is another difficult-to-scout international prospect, but I like this pick as an high upside choice given his shooting and ball-handling ability.  While Bone is super athletic and was solid for Tennessee, I would much rather have drafted a PG like Jeremiah Martin or Shamorie Ponds.

Grade: B

Golden State Warriors
No. 28: Jordan Poole, SG, Michigan
No. 39: Alen Smailagic, PF, Serbia
No. 41: Eric Paschall, PF, Villanova

Most people thought Poole was a pretty big reach, but I think the Warriors got a great young shooting guard.  Poole has fantastic defensive instincts and is a very good shooter, making him a likely 3 and D guy for the Warriors who can also attack close outs and dish it out to other shooters without making turnovers.  Smailagic is an interesting choice as he put up pretty pedestrian numbers in the G-League.  However, he was the youngest player in the G-League and his numbers look better when you consider the age of his competition (often guys in their early to mid 20s who are trying to make a NBA roster).  I would have gone in a different direction with this pick, but I can definitely see a path to Smailagic becoming a contributor.  I don't love the Paschall pick, as his shot needs to become more consistent and he's not really much of a rebounder or passer.  I don't see his NBA skills that could let him become a role player for a contender like the Warriors.

Grade: C+

Houston Rockets
No draft picks

Grade: N/A

Indiana Pacers
No. 18: Goga Bitadze, C, Republic of Georgia

Bitadze is a great pick here.  He's a great defensive big man with a decent shooting touch.  I generally like when teams pick the BPA instead of going based on fit, but in this situation I think one of Bitadze, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner are going to have to be traded in the next couple of years.  All three play their best at the center position, and all three are too talented to be spending much time on the bench (at least Bitadze will be in a couple years).  So still a great pick, but the Pacers are going to have to figure out their big man rotation.

Grade: B+

Los Angeles Clippers
No. 27: Mfiondu Kabengele, C, Florida St
No. 48: Terrance Mann, SG, Florida St

Kabengele is one guy who rose way up my board after I released it in late April.  But still probably not to the late 1st range, although he isn't too much of a reach for the Clippers.  He does everything you want from a bench big man: high energy/great motor, good defensive instincts, very good rebounder.  He also shows some potential as a shooter, as he shot 76.1 percent from the line and 36.9 percent from 3 (limited attempts).  My biggest problem with him is that he's pretty old already (turning 22 this summer), but I think his profile still justifies this pick.  Mann has improved his shot a lot while in college and has a good chance to be a 3 and D contributor for the Clippers.  His athleticism allows him to finish really well at the rim and guard bigger players.

Grade: B-

Los Angeles Lakers
No. 46: Talen Horton-Tucker, SF, Iowa St

Horton-Tucker keeps growing on me as a prospect, as he has a bunch of traits that I think give him great potential.  First, he's super young, and should realistically be in next year's draft class (doesn't turn 19 until late November).  He also has a great physical profile outside of his height, as he's built widely but still moves very well and has very long arms (7-1 compared to his height of 6-4).  His strength and long arms can let him guard NBA 3s and maybe even 4s despite his height, and make him a very switchable defender overall.  Not to mention, he has a super high basketball IQ, and great instincts on both ends (even if he is a bit of a chucker).  While I love him as a prospect, I really don't like his fit on the Lakers.  The Lakers needed a second round pick who could give them some depth and shooting right away or at least in a year or two, and Horton-Tucker probably can't do that.  In three years from now, Horton-Tucker will be 21, and likely will be starting to be able to contribute positively in an NBA rotation.  But at that point, Lebron will be 37, and the Lakers contention window may be over.  Overall, the Lakers picked a great prospect but I don't think he'll fill their current needs of depth.

Grade: B

Memphis Grizzlies
No. 2: Ja Morant, PG, Murray St
No. 21: Brandon Clarke, PF, Gonzaga

The Grizzlies continue to set themselves up really well for the future with their recent draft picks.  They added Morant, who is the clear 2nd best player in the draft, to go along with young star Jaren Jackson Jr. as well as maybe the 2nd or 3rd best college player in the country last year in Brandon Clarke.  Clarke's positional fit is a big question, but that's less of a concern in today's NBA than it used to be.  I can't wait to see the combination of fantastic athleticism and basketball IQ that all three of those young guys have on display for the Grizzlies from Day 1.  This may be my choice (outside of the Pelicans) for best young core in the NBA.  Although the Hawks and Mavericks certainly have an argument...

Grade: A

Miami Heat
No. 13: Tyler Herro, SG, Kentucky
No. 32: KZ Okpala, SF, Stanford

Once again it seems like Pat Riley had a good draft.  Herro only shot 35.5% from three in his year at Kentucky, but I think his 93.5 free throw percentage shows his shooting talent as perhaps the best shooting prospect in this draft (outside of Fletcher Magee).  He only got better as the year went on, shooting 48/42/98 against top competition in conference play.  He also plays really well off ball and plays solid defense, making him a great fit as an NBA shooting guard.  I've never been a big fan of Okpala, and in particular have concerns with his shooting ability.  However, he's a high potential guy and is still young making this a decent upside pick.  I need to see more from him though on defense, as he hasn't looked good on that end at all despite his physical profile.  He's tall, long and athletic for a small forward, but his defensive instincts are among the worst in this draft class.

Grade: B

Milwaukee Bucks
No draft picks

Grade: N/A

Minnesota Timberwolves
No. 6: Jarrett Culver, SF, Texas Tech
No. 43: Jaylen Nowell, SG, Washington

I'm not usually in support of teams trading up, but No. 11 and Dario Saric for Culver was a pretty fair deal for the Timberwolves.  I think they picked up the 4th best prospect in the draft and gave up a solid player in Saric but one who has probably near his ceiling.  Culver will provide some much needed defense and passing for the Timberwolves, who are struggling with Andrew Wiggins's albatross of a contract.  Nowell is a solid choice at that range, as he could be a solid bench scorer who plays passable defense.  He turns the ball over a lot, and will need to switch from zone in college to man to man in the NBA.  Still a solid pick though.

Grade: B+

New Orleans Pelicans
No. 1: Zion Williamson, PF, Duke
No. 8: Jaxson Hayes, C, Texas
No. 17: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG, Virginia Tech
No. 35: Marcos Louzada-Silva, SG, Brazil

Draft day was a huge day for the Pelicans.  They landed one of the best prospects in recent memory in Williamson, and due to two trades also ended up with a super young high potential rim running center (Hayes), a smart and athletic guard (Alexander-Walker), and a potential 3 and D prospect (Louzada-Silva).  A lot of computer models love Hayes not really for what he is now but more for what he can become.  Although they definitely reached for him, he can become a perfect fit next to Williamson and will create a scary looking Pelicans defensive lineup (imagine Lonzo, Holiday, Ingram, Zion and Hayes in the same defense, yikes!).  Alexander-Walker is a perfect fit as an eventual secondary ball-handler and defender (a little bit like Jrue Holiday) and was great value at 17.  Louzada-Silva was another reach but has a pretty shot and may be a stash to keep roster space open.  Drafting Zion made this day an automatic win though, and I think Pelicans fans will look back on this day happily for a long time.

Grade: A-

New York Knicks
No. 3: RJ Barrett, SG, Duke
No. 47: Ignas Brazdeikis, SF, Michigan

Barrett was definitely the right pick here, but he just doesn't excite me all that much.  He's a shooting guard who doesn't defend or shoot very well, and is not the best decision maker.  He could cause the Knicks some problems as even in his prime he probably won't ever be good enough to lead a contender, yet his playstyle is a dominant ball-handler and scorer that refuses to defer to others.  While the potential was too much to turn down, I think he will put up big numbers but likely not on a great team.  Brazdeikis is an underrated shooter and was able to help lead one of the best defenses in college last year.  Good choice for a future role player.

Grade: B

Oklahoma City Thunder
No. 23: Darius Bazley, SF, USA

As I've said before, it's really tough to scout guys who don't play in college or in a major European league.  It's especially tough to evaluate things like shooting, where large sample sizes in game are by far the best way to evaluate shooters.  Therefore, it's tough for me to say that Bazley is a very bad pick, as the Thunder may have seen something in their private workout that sold them.  I still don't like the risk of drafting huge question parks like Bazley, especially for a team like the Thunder that needs some shooting now to surround Paul George and Russell Westbrook.  Even if Bazley pans out, I doubt he'll be valuable for at least a couple of years, when they could have had someone like Dylan Windler who would have been valuable right away.

Grade: C-

Orlando Magic
No. 16: Chuma Okeke, SF, Auburn

I had Okeke at 20 on my big board originally, but as the draft moved closer he was definitely in my top 15.  And he likely would have been in my top 10 if it wasn't for his torn ACL in the NCAA tournament.  He was looking like one of the best players in the country before he went down.  Magic fans may have to wait a while to see him play, but when they do they'll be getting an elite defender with massive potential on offense both as a scorer and as a passer.  He's a perfect fit as a 3 or small ball 4 in the modern NBA. 

Grade: A-

Phoenix Suns
No. 11: Cam Johnson, SF, North Carolina
No. 24: Ty Jerome, PG, Virginia

The Suns got more criticism than almost any NBA team with their draft on Thursday.  While their fans went in excited to take either Coby White or Darius Garland, I don't think those two scorers were what they needed, which may have been why they traded down and added Dario Saric.  The Suns were full of scorers last year who don't really do much else (Devin Booker, TJ Warren, Kelly Oubre and even DeAndre Ayton to an extent).  By trading away Warren and drafting Johnson and Jerome, they added a couple of really smart players who can pass, shoot and play defense rather than just being one-dimensional scorers.  While that may not look that good on the surface for fans, I think Johnson and Jerome will help they win more games right away and along with Mikal Bridges can become part of a new culture in Phoenix.

Grade: B

Philadelphia 76ers
No. 20: Matisse Thybulle, SG, Washington
No. 54: Marial Shayok, SG, Iowa St

I was really hoping Thybulle would go to a contender, and it happened on draft night.  The 76ers added one of the best defensive prospects in recent memory to an already talented defense.  I'm not sure who they're going to be able to bring back among JJ Redick, Jimmy Butler, and Tobias Harris, but Matisse Thybulle is a perfect fit because he can either take some of these minutes if one of these guys leaves or become a very valuable role player off the bench.  I'd love to see Thybulle and Redick in the corners while Butler, Embiid and Simmons attack the rim.  Shayok is a solid pick who has improved his shot drastically, but the 76ers won on Thursday night by adding Thybulle.  If they manage to bring back Redick, Butler and Harris while also adding Zhaire Smith and Thybulle I think they could be the Eastern Conference champion next year.

Grade: A

Portland Trail Blazers
No. 25: Nassir Little, SF, North Carolina

I was not as high on Little as most (had him at #25 on my big board) and would love to have seen the Trail Blazers take a win-now player to see if they could get over the hump.  Little has a ton of potential though as he put up nearly 22 points per 40 minutes off the bench for UNC.  And his shot is probably underrated given that he shot 77% from the free throw line.  Little's footwork and basketball IQ on both ends of the court are a little bit questionable.  He definitely has a long way to go to become either a consistent scorer or defender, but anytime you can grab a prospect with such high potential at the 25th pick, you did a pretty good job.

Grade: B+

Sacramento Kings
No. 40: Justin James, SG, Wyoming
No. 55: Kyle Guy, SG, Virginia
No. 60: Vanja Marinkovic, SG, Serbia

The Kings seemed to be trying to add a bench shooting guard, so they took a few second round stabs at that.  James is definitely a stat sheet stuffer, but is only a passable shooter at best, and I would have much preferred a 3 and D player at pick 40, especially because James was a huge reach.  Final Four hero Kyle Guy was a great pick at 55, as I think he'll make an impact on the Kings rotation eventually with great shooting and high IQ play.  His defense is definitely underrated, and I don't think he'll be much of a negative on that end at all, especially if he's paired with a bigger point guard.  I know very little about Marinkovic, so I can't comment too much on that pick.  His stats are pretty pedestrian though for a 22 year old playing in Europe.

Grade: C

San Antonio Spurs
No. 19: Luka Samanic, PF, Croatia
No. 29: Keldon Johnson, SG, Kentucky
No. 49: Quinndary Weatherspoon, SG, Mississippi St

It's hard to doubt the Spurs drafting ability, as they seem to almost never miss on their picks.  Samanic is a big question mark as a European guy but is very skilled for 6-11.  I love the Keldon Johnson pick as he's solid in most areas with an NBA skillset and has plenty of time to improve.  The Kentucky offensive system forced him into tough shots sometimes, but other than that he didn't make too many mistakes on the court.  The Spurs could play Weatherspoon at the 1 or the 2 and it seems like he can be a solid 3 and D player with some ball handling ability.  Again, I feel like there was better guys available at 49, but I trust the Spurs drafting.

Grade: B+

Toronto Raptors
No. 59: Dewan Hernandez, C, Miami

Hernandez wasn't even that good two years ago for Miami, and had to sit out this past season due to eligibility issues, so this is a bit of a weird pick.  You can't really mess up though at pick 59, and Raps President Masai Ujiri has proven himself enough for Raptors fans to trust him.  Besides, they're probably still living it up from their recent NBA title.  And at least they signed Sagaba Konate, a stud UDFA.

Grade: C+

Utah Jazz
No. 50: Jarrell Brantley, PF, Charleston
No. 53: Justin Wright-Foreman, SG, Hofstra
No. 58: Miye Oni, SG, Yale

These were a few interesting late picks.  Brantley is a fine choice, especially if he can improve his shot, but nothing in his profile really stands out as being an important NBA skill.  Wright-Foreman is one of the best pure scorers in this draft and his defense will surely improve once he's out of Hofstra's ugly zone defense.  I could see him being a real threat as a scorer off the bench.  Miye Oni has an NBA body and an NBA skill set, but just like Brantley, I'm not sure if he's really skilled enough to be much in the NBA.  These were still a few solid dart throws, although I'd rather have seen the Jazz take a chance on someone like Kenny Wooten, Louis King or DaQuan Jeffries (or all 3!).

Grade: B-

Washington Wizards
No. 9: Rui Hachimura, PF, Gonzaga
No. 42: Admiral Schofield, SF, Tennessee

One word could describe this draft pretty easily... Disaster.  I'm not even sure if Hachimura is a first round prospect.  The biggest problem for me with Rui is his lack of translatable NBA skills.  ESPN laughably compared him to Kawhi Leonard, but in reality he's likely a below average NBA defender (if not worse), and nowhere near on Kawhi's level on either end despite their similar body types.  He is basically a mid range and low post PF with a meh outside shot.  And players like that are a dying breed in the NBA.  I could see Hachimura being a useful role player in the right situation, so he wouldn't be a bad late first or early second round pick, but drafting him in the top 10 is a travesty.  Schofield is another reach and another below average defender.  Just like Hachimura, he's a very good college player who doesn't have a clear NBA skill set or role.

Grade: D-