Post#165 » by GimmeDat » Sat Jun 22, 2019 5:40 am
2019 Draft Grades
Hopefully I get who went where alright - I was at work during the draft and it's tough to back-track and work out all the trades and stuff after the fact. I'll update this throughout the day as I keep writing it.
Also blows my mind that guys like Ponds/Jeffries/Dort/Leque/Konchar in particular went undrafted, and many others I would've taken over some of the guys picked up in the late 2nd (I swear no matter how many guys you look in to teams manage to pull a few names out of no where), but every team passed on these guys so I'm not going to discount passing on them to any teams grades.
Here we go -
Atlanta Hawks
4th - Deandre Hunter (gave up 8/17/35, and Cavs 2020 top 10 prot. 1st )
10th - Cam Reddish
34th - Bruno Fernando
Grade - C-
I like the players they got and how they fit on the Hawks. I don't like how they managed their assets to get there (i.e. they overpaid for Hunter a ton and at 4 he was a reach). Hunter and Reddish are going to really solidify their wing spots, and playing alongside Trae is going to do wonders for them to just come in and not be asked to do anything more than be 3/D guys, and if they develop any more beyond that at any point, that's just icing on the cake.
I think Fernando is really good value in the early 2nd as well, they needed another C for the future. Hopefully they develop his defense, he has the tools, but that's going to be really important for them.
If they took Culver at 4 I would've given them maybe a B- or so instead.
Boston Celtics
14th - Romeo Langford
22nd - Grant Williams
33rd - Carsen Edwards
51st - Tremont Waters
Grade - B+
Can't really knock any of these selections, they got good value for every pick they owned. Don't mind Langford at 14, not sure he's a good fit with Brown/Tatum/etc., but talent wise fine. Williams is an awesome pick up and I would be tempted to start him at PF straight away if he seems ready enough for the role.
Edwards good pick up in the 2nd round, it looks like they're very much into a multiple ball-handler situation with on-ball wings and Edwards will be able to play off of them well. Waters I'm indifferent about at 51, I didn't have him top 60 on my board but he definitely can be justified, he's a talented player.
Brooklyn Nets
35th - Nic Claxton
56th - Jaylen Hands
Trade - 27th pick for Clips 2020 1st and 5th pick
Draft Grade - A-
I just checked out the terms of the pick trade, and it seems like a win. They clear further cap space for the off-season, they got who I think was their target at 27th Claxton at 35, they got an extra deep 2nd on top of that (though largely inconsequential), and next years 1st from Philly should be similarly valuable to how 27 was this draft.
Claxton is great value at 35th, they wanted a backup C and they got a really good one. I wouldn't have touched Hands with a top 60 pick but at 56, doesn't really matter.
Charlotte Hornets
12th - PJ Washington
36th - Cody Martin
52nd - Jalen McDaniels
Draft Grade - C
I think this is a totally passable draft for Charlotte, feel pretty indifferent about it. Washington is fine if not outstanding at 12, my only thing though is that it feels like a bit of a double up with Miles Bridges imo. I guess you can run both, they're both kinda versatile, so no biggie. But I do like PJ.
At 36, Martin feels like a reach to me, if the Bulls had taken him at 38 I would feel pretty deflated for instance, but I think he is certainly a draftable prospect and showed some things. He could be decent.
I'm not surprised McDaniels dropped to 52, but I still think he's a really good flier that late. It appears again Charlotte covet these versatile, small, forward types.
Chicago Bulls
7th - Coby White
38th - Daniel Gafford
I'm not super enamoured with Coby.. I think he's fine and he was probably the right pick based on who was on the board, and obviously fits a position of need, but I don't believe he's going to be a starting NBA PG, at least a good one anyway. He should be an electric scoring combo guard who will get plenty of opportunity for us and will probably thrive given we're set to pick up the pace this year, but long term I hope he's our 3rd guard and we get a better young PG in the next 12-18 months.
At 38, I think Gafford's good value. Dunk everything and block everything should be his job description, I don't believe in any of his other skill developments. Hopefully we can develop his discipline/IQ on defense to maximize those tools, and offensively at least work on that FT% and his non-dunk finishes at the rim, which I believe he improved in his sophomore year. With Lauri sliding over to the 5 for some of WCJ's mins on the bench, there's about a 5-10 minute gap to plug at the C spot and Gafford should do that just fine as long as he's not clueless out there.
I think what stings for me is that Culver/THT would've been an A grade and the Bulls could've easily made that happen but didn't. Oh well.
Cleveland Cavaliers
5th - Darius Garland
26th - Dylan Windler
30th - Kevin Porter Jr.
Trade - 4 2nd's + 5m cash for 30th
Draft Grade - C+
I guess this is not a bad haul, I'm worried for how this group will end up, though. Garland at 5th is fine, I think Garland is very good but a bit overrated by some, I absolutely hate the idea of Sexton/Garland together though, don't think that's good for either of them or the rest of the roster.
Windler I think is a reach at 26. I like him, I think he can be an NBA player, but I think his translation is questionable enough that I wouldn't have taken him in the 1st, plenty of better options still available imo.
KPJ is great value at 30. 4 2nd's is a lot to cough up to get there, but for KPJ I think it's a good move. I'm pretty sure one of those picks was top 55 protected anyway. With that said, I'm concerned for the environment he's going to be built in, bad PG play, don't think there's much leadership or vet presence and a lot of shoot-1st guys will not bring out the best in him.
Dallas Mavs - N/A
Denver Nuggets
44th - Bol Bol
Trade - future 2nd and cash for 44th
Draft Grade - A
Why not. I don't know how big the red flags were, you would imagine substantial, to drop him this far, but why not shoot for upside this late, seriously. I look at Denver, and they're a team with lots of good pieces but could do with some extra top end talent to push them over the top, and then you look at their accumulation of these injury-plagued, upside pieces in MPJ/Vanderbilt/Bol, and I think it's a good tactic - if you even hit on 1, the value on that is tremendous. They're deep enough that having them on the roster is a complete luxury, so I hope they take their time with him (as with the others), and see if they can eventually develop him in to something.
It's not big money moves but to just take a flier on Bol for basically nothing, that's about as good as you can hope for within the scope of the assets they used.
Detroit Pistons
15th - Sekou Doumbouya
37th - Deividas Sirvydis
45th - Isaiah Roby
57th - Jordan Bone
Draft Grade - C+
Pretty indifferent about this one as well. I think Sekou is pretty good value for a project at 15. Not sure how NBA ready I would consider him, maybe he'll get Griffin's backup PF minutes by the end of the season. I do think Detroit need to be looking to the future a bit so I like the idea of a upside project here. That said, I'm not sure I trust Detroit's player development, so a bit concerned there.
At 37, Sirvydis is fine, also young, some upside, and they need to keep taking stabs at wing talent and seeing if some break through. Roby again good value at 45, can definitely be something, wonder if he'll get any opportunity on this Piston's roster at any point though. Bone at 57 is fine, fringe late 2nd is about where I had him, and they had room for another PG on the roster to give a crack to.
Golden State Warriors
28th - Jordan Poole
39th - Allen Smailagic
41st - Eric Paschall
Draft Grade - C-
Poole's a bit of a reach, but he has some value. 2nd rounder in my book. Smailagic is a good player, GSW were clearly keep on him as well, I think he's going to have a good career. Paschall doesn't do much for me. 1 hit and 2 misses for me, but certainly a passable draft result on the whole.
Houston Rockets - N/A
Indiana Pacers
18th - Goga Bitadze
Draft Result - B+
I think this is one of the better value selections in the draft, I had Bitadze fringe top 10. I guess the only thing for me is the fact that C was their ultimate non-need. Will be interesting to see if Sabonis is moved.
LA Clippers
27th - Mfiondu Kabangele
48th - Terance Mann
Draft Grade - C+
I think Kabangele's basically an average pick at 27. I really liked him at one point because of his great motor, physicality, shooting, athleticism and fluidity, but the lack of feel/passing really turned me off any larger upside. Late 1st he's fine with solid backup upside imo.
Mann is a really good selection for 48 imo, good finisher, athletic, feel/passing, high motor/rebounding, a lot to like. If the shot finds some consistency he can be an NBA player.
LA Lakers
45th - Talen Horton-Tucker
Draft Grade - A+
I don't think many are too surprised that THT dropped, but I think many also knew that wherever he did land were going to get a potential steal. His upside is enormous for this late in the draft. Jealous the Bulls didn't pick him up.
Again, the A+ ranking is relative to the assets they used, and to get THT mid-2nd round, you can't do better. He's a project, the rewards may not be reaped straight away, but on upside alone there is no downside this late.
Memphis Grizzlies
2nd - Ja Morant
21st - Brandon Clarke
Draft Grade - A
We all know Ja was a lock to go 2nd, and we all know how highly draft heads coveted Clarke, and for good reason. Ja will get every opportunity to grow in to a primary creator surrounded by high IQ defense first players, and Clarke will form a formidable defensive back-court alongside JJJ. Here's hoping Clarke's 3 point shot continues to develop.
Miami Heat
13th - Tyler Herro
32nd - KZ Okpala
Draft Grade - D-
Think the Heat knew they needed shooting and reached considerably here for Herro, I imagine he would've been taken considerably later otherwise. And Okpala isn't that good, more of a 40's option for me, think there were better options available.
Milwaukee Bucks - N/A
Minnesota Timberwolves
6th - Jarrett Culver
43rd - Jaylen Nowell
Trade - 11th and Saric for 6th
Draft Grade - A
Simply put, their draft day trade was a steal. Not sure what Phoenix were thinking here. I'm pretty angry the T-Wolves c-blocked us from Culver, but kudos to them for getting a stud. Nowell's fine at 43, he's shown some promise.
NO Pelicans
1st - Zion Williamson
8th - Jaxson Hayes
17th - Nickiel Alexander-Walker
35th - Marcos Louzada Silva
Trade - 4 for 8/17/35 and Cavs '20 top 10 prot. 1st)
Draft Grade - A
Well, the trade from 4th to 8th was a clear win on value given what else they got, though I did like the idea of them taking Garland. Hayes doesn't add a stretch threat alongside Zion in the front-court but he does present a high upside big man which should make them a devastingly intimidating defensive front-court, and the transition and lob play, especially with Lonzo at PG, will be lethal.
NAW is a fine pick with a non-lottery 1st, he should provide some all-around play and much needed spacing, and 'Didi' is another great 3/D piece who will be a great defensive compliment to the existing pieces, and I am hopeful his 3 ball is legit.
NY Knicks
3rd - RJ Barrett
47th - Iggy Brazdeikis
Draft Grade - B
For all his warts, I think RJ was the right pick at 3. With that said, the Knicks now have a lot of guys that can look the part but may not work together or be conducive to winning (*cough*Knox*cough*, but also the majority of their PG play and Trier to an extent), so it'll be interesting to see how functional this group is together and how they develop.
Iggy is pretty good value as deep as 47, he could be something, I was never super high on him though.
OKC Thunder
23rd - Darius Bazley
Draft Grade - C+
I really like Bazley. I'm not sure I expected him to go quite this high, though. I think they might've had more pressing needs and given their window could've done with less of a project, but they like these upside guys with tools, and I think he can definitely live up to this draft spot.
Orlando Magic
16th - Chuma Okeke
Draft Grade - B
I always had Okeke pretty high, he's probably a lottery guy for me when healthy. I wonder whether Orlando expect to run him at the 3 considering their big man depth. I mean, I like that they're not reaching for need, but at some point I think they need to consider that they just have a massive glut of these forward types. You've got Isaac as a 4/5, Gordon as a 4/3, and now Okeke as a 3/4. I love their focus on length, switchability and defense, but I hope there's room for Okeke when he eventually comes back, and I hope through other avenues they find some perimeter talent.
Phoenix Suns
11th - Cam Johnson
24th - Ty Jerome
Trade - 6th for 11th and Dario Saric
Draft Grade - D-
It clearly takes a lot for me to hand out an F. I would be livid if I was a Suns fan. I kinda get it, They need spacing to open up the floor and have a functional offense, and Johnson and Saric will make them better, but they just paid a 2nd to dump a good 3/4 in TJ, passed on a great wing prospect in Culver to move down for a guy that would've been available well outside the lottery, and Saric is a FA after not too long.
They'll be better, Cam's a quality role player who can shoot the hell out of the ball, and Saric the same. Jerome is a refined player and a smart decision maker, but I question his ceiling/translation and at 24 just feels like another major reach. They've already got Melton/Okobo and another year of Tyler Johnson, if they wanted to address the PG situation they should've aimed for a proper veteran target.
They tried to get better, I think they have the right idea in mind of the sort of guys they need, but they went about it the wrong way.
Philly 76ers
20th - Matisse Thybulle
54th - Mariol Shayok
Traded - 33 and 24 for 20
Draft Grade - B-
Thybulle is a really cool pickup for Philly, makes a lot of sense as an extra defender and shooter (I believe he'll be a solid spot up threat). I like him a lot for them, my only qualm is that they traded Carsen Edwards, who I think could've been brought in to that Shamet role really effectively at PG for them, as well as 24 where they could've gotten another nice piece. But hey, they had a guy in mind, he fits, and they got him. Can't knock that.
At 54 Shayok doesn't do much, but doesn't matter this late.
Portland Trailblazers
25th - Nassir Little
Draft Grade - B+
Can't knock Nassir at 25 imo. He has a long way to go and his lack of handle/feel looks to limit him going forward, but I think he has plenty of potential in a less on-ball role. Let's hope he develops his defense and turns in to an Aminu replacement.
Sacramento Kings
40th - Justin James
55th - Kyle Guy
60th - Vanja Marinkovic
Draft Grade - D
Not much to be annoyed about over 3 2nd rounders, but none of these guys were in my top 60 at all, so I think this was a bit of a waste. I bet they could've easily moved up higher in the 2nd for something substantial but instead they probably just threw away 3 picks on guys unlikely to be NBA players.
SA Spurs
19th - Luka Samanic
29th - Keldon Johnson
49th - Quinndary Weatherspoon
Draft Grade - C
Can't really question the Spurs, you know they like these guys, they're going to bring them in and make something of them. But personally, I think this is a tad high for Samanic, Keldon's pretty solid value at 29 and something can be made of him I think, and Weatherspoon was a fringe draftable guy for me, so meh.
Toronto Raptors
59th - Dewan Hernandez
Draft Grade - D
I looked in to a lot of prospects this year, and I never came across Hernandez. At 59, whatever, and I won't hold it against them that they didn't take many of the much better UDFA guys, because all the teams did, but yeah, inconsequential pick.
Utah Jazz
50th - Jarrell Brantley
54th - Justin Wright-Foreman
58th - Miye Oni
Draft Grade - B+
Know very little about Brantley, but I do know that I think JWF and Oni have a chance in this league, so for a bunch of picks in the 50's, good scouting, Jazz.
Washington Wizards
9th - Rui Hachimura
42nd - Admiral Schofield
Draft Grade - D-
I'm not completely out on Rui, I hope he's late on the development curve and his feel improves, but as it stands I think 9th is a big reach for him. Same with Schofield, he could be a fringe NBA guy but at 42 I think there were some better options out there.
