by Chad Ford on 2016-06-11 06:08:00 UTC
After a crazy night of surprising picks and big trades, Chad Ford hands out his draft grades for all 30 teams.
Who made the best moves? Which teams had the worst night?
Round 1: [Taurean Prince] (13), [DeAndre Bembry] (21)
Round 2: [Isaia Cordinier] (44)
The Hawks netted an additional first round pick by sending [Jeff Teague] to the Pacers in a three-way deal (No. 12, via the Jazz). The return wasn't overwhelming.
We had Prince rated as a bubble first rounder. He's a 3-and-D wing who theoretically could find a role similar to that of [DeMarre Carroll]. But he's been more promise than production the past two years at Baylor. He was solid but never quite lived up to the talent teams saw.
I'm much more bullish on Bembry. His old-school YMCA-type game is just fun to watch. Next to [Ben Simmons], he might be the best passer in the draft.
Cordinier was good value in the second round. He's not ready for the NBA, but he is athletic and has a jump shot. As he gets stronger, he could be a real asset for the Hawks.
Round 1: [Jaylen Brown] (3), [Guerschon Yabusele] (16), [Ante Zizic] (23)
Round 2: [Demetrius Jackson] (45), [Ben Bentil] (51), [Abdel Nader] (58)
There are two ways to evaluate Boston's draft night.
Based on pure talent, I really like five of the six players the Celtics netted on Thursday. Boston probably gets an A- to B+ in that category.
I had Jaylen Brown ranked No. 7 on my Big Board, but there's no question that he has a very high ceiling if he can consistently hit jump shots in the NBA. He wowed the Celtics in workouts. If that's the player that shows up for them, he's got a real shot to be an All-Star someday.
As my colleague Fran Fraschilla said, Yabusele is the French Larry Johnson. He is a beast in the paint, has a great motor and can step out and hit 3s. Zizic is one of the best rebounders in the draft and also has a terrific motor. Yabusele and Zizic can both be stashed overseas, which adds to their value.
In the second round I really liked the value they got from Jackson and Bentil. Jackson is a great athlete, plays hard on both sides of the ball and is an ideal backup point guard. Bentil is a scoring machine who can put up points from anywhere on the floor. I have no idea whether they can crack the roster for Boston, but I like the potential of both players.
Nader wasn't in our top 100, but with their sixth pick at No. 58 it doesn't affect their grade one way or the other.
The other way to grade the draft is on what we expected from the Celtics.
Here, they earn an F. The plan for all of these picks, as the Celtics have talked about on multiple occasions, was to package them (and players) to land a young All-Star.
The Celtics tried hard and got close on a few things, but in the end they didn't deliver. The assets Danny Ainge had just weren't as valuable as he hoped. For Boston and its fans, that's a big disappointment. Nothing that happened on Thursday night will move the needle significantly for the Celtics for a couple of years, unless there is a trade that materializes later.
I averaged the two grades together to get a grade of C.
Round 1: [Caris LeVert] (20)
Round 2: [Isaiah Whitehead] (42)
The Nets were aggressive and got into the first round by shipping [Thaddeus Young] to the Pacers for the draft rights to LeVert. I liked the move.
I'm a big LeVert fan. Had he not been stalled by injuries the past two seasons, he would've likely been a late lottery pick. Wings that can defend three positions, play the point and shoot the 3 are about as valuable as you can get. If he gets healthy, he will be able to show he was a very good value here.
Whitehead gives them one of the best scorers in the draft and has the ability to play both the 1 and the 2. Given that the team isn't going anywhere next year, making this move was an important step toward the future.
Add in their two first rounders last year, [Rondae Hollis-Jefferson] and [Chris McCullough], and suddenly the Nets have a nice crop of young players who could be part of their foundation going forward.
[Charlotte Hornets] : D
Round 1: N/A
Round 2: N/A
The Hornets traded away [Malachi Richardson]'s draft rights to the Kings in return for [Marco Belinelli]. The team is a playoff contender and clearly wanted to add a veteran shooter to their backcourt. However, it's a highly questionable trade.
Belinelli is coming off a horrific season that saw him shoot 31 percent from 3 while posting a paltry 9.39 PER. Richardson is a lot more valuable, in my opinion.
Round 1: [Denzel Valentine] (14)
Round 2: [Paul Zipser] (48)
The Bulls' big move happened Wednesday when they traded [Derrick Rose] to the Knicks in return for [Robin Lopez], [Jerian Grant] and [Jose Calderon]. Keep that in mind when you look at what the Bulls did in the draft.
Adding Valentine gives them a guy who can play three positions on the offensive end -- including point guard. He's one of the most NBA-ready prospects in the draft and likely would've gone a few spots higher if concerns over his knees hadn't caused a few teams to back off. If he's healthy, he's good a fit for Chicago.
Zipser is an athletic wing who can score off the bounce. He was impressive at the Adidas Eurocamp in early June and is a good draft-and-stash candidate for the Bulls.
But what didn't happen was also interesting. As we know from reporting by ESPN's Marc Stein, the Bulls had a chance to get [Kris Dunn] from the Timberwolves (via the 5th pick), but ultimately decided to hang onto [Jimmy Butler]. A combination of [Zach LaVine] and Dunn for Butler was good value and could've jump-started Chicago's rebuild.
I think the Bulls erred in not selling high on Butler. It could come back to haunt them in a few years, especially if Dunn turns into a star.
Round 1: N/A
Round 2: [Kay Felder] (54)
The Cavs moved into the late second-round to take a shot on Felder, a sort of [Isaiah Thomas] clone.
He's small, but he's tough and athletic and he can really score. Among short players, that seems to be the profile for the ones that make it in the league.
I'm not sure he can live up to Thomas' All-Star status, but he could have a long career in the NBA.
[Dallas Mavericks] : B-
Round 1: N/A
Round 2: [A.J. Hammons] (46)
The Mavs traded their first round pick to the Celtics in the [Rajon Rondo] deal. It essentially cost them the draft rights to Yabusele -- not the worst outcome ever.
Still, given the Rondo disaster and the state of the franchise, it would've been nice to have the pick. The Mavs actually really liked Yabusele and could've gotten him or another talented player (or traded the pick in a better trade).
In the second round they got a real talent in Hammons. He's a big, athletic, skilled center who slipped this far due to concerns about his work ethic. If the Mavs can maximize his potential, this will be a steal in the second round.
Round 1: [Jamal Murray] (7), [Juan Hernangomez] (15), [Malik Beasley] (19)
Round 2: [Petr Cornelie] (53)
In a league where shooting comes at a premium, the Nuggets landed four impressive shooters. Murray and Beasley, arguably, are two of the three best shooters in the draft.
Murray's an especially impressive get. He can play both the 1 and the 2 and plays with swagger. I think he's the perfect backcourt mate for [Emmanuel Mudiay].
Beasley is an elite athlete and has deep range on his jumper. I'm not sure where he fits in with [Gary Harris] also on the roster, but he was good value as well. Had he not suffered a stress fracture, I think he would've gone in the lottery.
Hernangomez and Cornelie are both stretch-4s. Hernangomez is very talented and could become a high-level starter in the NBA. He's more than just a shooter, he's also a playmaker. If the Nuggets can convince him to come to the NBA, I think he helps right away.
Overall, the Nuggets really loaded up on talent and I think added some balance to their roster.
Round 1: [Henry Ellenson] (18)
Round 2: [Michael Gbinije] (49)
The Pistons were opportunistic at No. 18 and landed a high-value player in Ellenson. He was ranked in our top 10 for most of the season before teams began to get concerned about his athleticism.
I'm not as concerned. He's super skilled, can shoot 3s, has a terrific midrange game and can also play center. I think he's a really nice fit next to [Andre Drummond] long-term.
Gbinije would've gone 30 spots higher if he weren't already 24 years old. He's the sort of wing playmaker and shooter most teams were coveting in the draft.
Round 1: [Damian Jones] (30)
Round 2: [Patrick McCaw] (38)
This was a strong draft for the Warriors. Jones is an athletic freak who slipped in the draft a bit because he tore his pectoral muscle in workouts. He doesn't always show up to play, but he has the physical tools the Warriors want in a big man. When he's on the floor, he's going to be the recipient of lots of lobs from the Splash Brothers.
McCaw is another sleeper that I thought was terrific value at No. 38. He's a playmaking wing who possesses most of the qualities the Warriors love in players -- high basketball IQ, the ability to play multiple positions, great passing abilities and an emerging jumper. Once again, the rich get richer.