NBA DRAFT Grades.
Mock My Mock Draft All You Want, No Amount Of Insider Information Could've Scrap Together The Insights That Predicted How Thursday Night's Draft Played Out. The Tense, Pensive Decision At Pick 2, Ultimately The Lack Of Movement at The Top Of The Draft, The Rubric Of Trade Details That Fell Apart In The Blaze Because The Right Exchange Correlate. Which Team Will Win From A 2030 1st Rounder In Seven Years? Despite The Late Shift In The Odds And Expectations, The Top Three Went As Generally Understood; Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller, and Scoot Henderson All Heard Their Names Called, Their Dreams Transform Into Reality, And Their Lives Changed. In The Aura Of Draft, Moments Move In Eternity, Change Lifetime, And Disappear In Flashes.
I Never Like Graded Drafts Outright. Every Team Has Guidelines And Criteria Based On The Results Of Last season, Personnel Intel Only Their Privy, Too And The Expectations For Their Entire Roster Rather Than Just Hitting On One Draft Pick In A Year And Picking A Star To Lead The Team Forward. I'm A Magic Fan, And Their Two Lottery Picks Didn't Push The Envelope For Me; in Light Of Poalo's Success Last Season And The Upside Of The Rest Of The Roster Team, Taking A swing On Two Solid Rotation Guys Make Practical Sense.
I'm Not Too Familiar With A Number Of These Second Round Picks, But I'll Do My Best, As always.
1. Spurs draft Victor Wembanyama (Metropolitans 92)A,— Don't Let The Mounting, Innumerable Amount Of Player Pieces Written On Victor Wembanyama Deceive You, He's Got More Game Than The Hype Can Define. The Spurs Phoned This One In, Noe The Real Work, The Real Evaluations Begins. What Translates From Victor's Game. Will The Spacing And The Abscent Of Defensive Paint Restriction Unlock Another Level of Wembanyama's Game Or Just Expose The Fault In His Stars.
2. Hornets draft Brandon Miller (Alabama)B — perhaps I Read Too Much Into The Mood. Still, Nobody Involved Looked Thrilled About This Pick. No Matter The General Vibe And Miller's Views On The Basketball Goat Conversation, The Hornet Have A Stud Of Player For However, Long Miller, Wishes To Remain In the Queen City. The Miller Choice Makes The Hornets Decisions On Pending Free Agents Forwards PJ Washington and Miles Bridges Less Complicated, Even Redundant, Consider Miller Positional Flexibility.
3. Blazers draft Scoot Henderson (G League Ignite)B, — One Thing Appeared Sure For The Blazers No Matter Which route They Took At Three Criticism And Questions Would Ensue. Now That We Know The Choice, How Will The Blazers Manage All These Guards? What Strategy Will Coach Chauncey Billups Employ To Maximize The Youth And Veteran Upside Of His Team. Theoretically, All Three, Simons, Lillard, And Henderson, Can Play Together and Lose a lot Of Games. The Blazers Could Play A Three-headed Monster At Guard. Scoot And Shaedon Might Leave Opposing Defensive Front Courts In A State Of Terror. The Blazer May Very Well Lose Their Way Into The Lottery Again. Let The Lillard-Blazers Mellow Drama.
4. Rockets draft Amen Thompson (Overtime Elite)A,— Can I Get An Amen? Seriously No One I've Read Used That Pun Yet. The Rockets Have Made Could Work Of Their Time In The Lottery These Past Few Years; now The Climb Back Adds On the Athletic Play Making Of Amen Thompson. He'll Mostly Push Kevin Porter Off The Three Spot Couple With Alperen Şengün As The Rockets Chief PlayMakers.
5. Pistons draft Ausar Thompson (Overtime Elite)A—The Piston Can't Move Out Of The Lottery, Just Neither Can They Move Away From Selecting The Best Player Available Wherever They Select. With The Twin Now Separated, We'll See Which One Deserved The Most Hype. Ausur Fits The Piston Frame. The Less Ball Dependent Of The Two Twins, With A Better Jump Shot and A Better Feel For Off The Ball Adjustments. The Pistons Have Young Talent Now They Need The Right Recipe To Make The Mix A Meal. (😬)
6. Magic draft Anthony Black (Arkansas)B,— One Thing For Sure The Magic Will Select A Guard Every Other Draft. Black Makes Three Top 15 Guard In The Pass Three Years. With Black, Suggs, Anthony, and Fultz, The Magic Have Combinations And Playmaking Abound. Who Will Emerge As The Number One? Described As A High-Level Passer Black Plays With A SkillsetAkin To Markelle Fultz.
7. Pacers draft Bilal Coulibaly (Metropolitans 92)A – (Traded to Wizards) Talk About An Over Night Rise, Bilal Coulibaly Stepped Out Of The Shadow Of His Far Greater "Hype" Teammate Victor And Walked Into The Lottery Really Out Of Nowhere. The Wizards Made A Bold Choice With The Leading Number Of Their Rebuild Projects. "We won't take shortsighted approaches in the draft." Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins said. (Washington Post) The Wizards Hopes With This Pick Appear Along With How The Bucks Score Giannis, Who Coulibaly Compares Favorably In Early Projection. The Wizards Have Struck Out On These Kind Of Guys Before, Think Jan Vesley.
8. Wizards draft Jarace Walker (Houston) A,– (Traded to Pacers)—I Thought Jarace Had the Potential To Move Up The Board. He's potentially Flexible, A Competent Play Maker And Force On The Interior Defensively, and A Fit In Any Lineup.
9. Jazz draft Taylor Hendricks (UCF)B-,— I'm Not A Fan Of This Pick Or Taylor Hendricks's Game, The Upside Just Doesn't Portend Enough For Tape. Nevertheless, The Jazz Have A solid History With Multifaceted Wing Players Like Andrei Kirilenko, Joe Ingles, and Ronnie Brewer. Utah, However, Remains A Low Profile City That Seeks Low Profile Player With Low Maintenance Mentalities. Hendricks's Should Impact The Lineup Immediately. I Like The Fit But Not The Player.
10. Mavericks draft Cason Wallace (Kentucky) A+, –( Traded to Thunder)
I Can't Recall Who Pointed Out How The Mavs Last Ditch Tank Effort Descended Them From The Play-In Run And Lead A Plunge Into The Lottery Like How Dr. Strange Made "End Game" Happen With A Little Precognition. The Mavs Saved Themselves One Of Their Worse Contracts(Davis Bertans) And Grab The Guy They Need In Derek Lively ll. Not Bad For A Quarter Million(250,000) Fine.
11. Magic draft Jett Howard (Michigan)C— This Pick Almost Lost Me, But The Logic Registered. The Magic Left A lot Of Upsides And Three-Point Shooting On The Board. Jett Howard Brings Size And The Pointing Shooting The Magic Covet Shooters Make An Impact Without Any Of The High Maintenance. The Question Remains Whether The Magic Got The Bank For Their Buck With Guys Like Gradey Duck and Cam Whitmore on The Board and Others Pick With Higher Regard. Nevertheless, My Mock Draft Would've to Earn Major Credibility From a Jordan Hawkins Selection.
12. Thunder draft Dereck Lively II (Duke) – (Traded to Mavericks)
The Thunder Already Employed One Polished Defensively Stout Kentucky Guards Now Add Another In Cason Wallace. The Thunder Ranked 13th In Defensive Rating Last Year. Expect Them To Jump To At least the Top 10 With Cason Clamping Down On Perimeter Guards.
13. Raptors draft Gradey Dick (Kansas)B, — When The Board From 4-10 Fell With Some Shock The Raptors Had Options No One Expected Would Fall So Deep Into The Lottery. Dick Gives Raptors Another Wing Shot Maker Who Provides Their Endlessly Flexible Roster More Flexibility. Maybe The Shift In The Draft Board Delayed Us The Sight Of Gradey's Sight Bruising Suite.
14. Pelicans draft Jordan Hawkins (Connecticut)A,— Jordan Hawkins Fits Any Team, You Can't Go Wrong With Shooting At Any Stage in The Draft. However, The Way Hawkins Captures His Three Point Shooting Opportunities Impresses And Stuns In Another Light. Only A Handful Of Players Have Master The Art Of Movement, Set, and Reset With Ease And Flow.
15. Hawks draft Kobe Bufkin (Michigan)A,— The Hawks Grabbed Maybe The Steal Of The Draft Bufkin The Michigan Wing Who Pull In At A Variety Of Rolls From The Bench Whether A Third PlayMaker, Offensive Catalyst Or Just Floor Spacing Shooter. This Kid Has All-Star Upside. The Epithet "Well-rounded" Hits The Mind When I Watch Him Play. Bufkin Averaged 17.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals while Shooting 35% From Three As Juwan Howard Deployed Him In Pick And Roll Action, Spot Up, And primary Offensive Shot Creator.
16. Jazz draft Keyonte George (Baylor) A— The Jazz came Into The Draft With Questions At The Leading Scorer Spot, With Jordan Clarkson Looking Like His Days In Utah Have Closed. Lauri Markenen Still Has His Skill Set, But George Could Fill That Perimeter Offensive Role.
17. Lakers draft Jalen Hood-Schifino (Indiana)B+,— I Love JHS Before The Draft. I Thought He Could Fit With A Lottery Team, But Falling To The Lakers Put LA Back Into The Western Conference Contention Conversation. The Indians Product Fits Right In At The Missing Point Guard Spot.
18. Heat draft Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA)C—I Didn't see Jaime's Name Anywhere Near The First Round, Much Less In The Teens Of The First Round, But The Heat And Pat Riley Like Experienced(Jaime Played Four Years At UCLA, A Rarity Amongst First Rounders), Level Headed Player Who Can Contribute On The Boards and Know Their Role Rather Than A Privileged Prospect. Heat Culture.
19. Warriors draft Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara) B,—
The Warriors Need A Change Of Pace Big, Or A Create His Own Shot(Sorry, Wiggins). Instead, They Double On The Old Formula. Even With The Change At The Head Of The Organization, The Model, The Standard Remains The Standard. Flank The Borders With Shooters. With His First Draft As Warriors Lead Former Sharp Shooter Mike Dunleavy Jr. Selected Sharp Shooter BRANDIN PODZIEMSKI. The Lefty Has A "Nifty" Game; He Moves At A Different Pace And Speed Than The Rest Of The Players On The Floor. He'll Provide The Warriors With Another Ball Handler On The Perimeter. The Dubs Won't Change.
20. Rockets draft Cam Whitmore (Villanova)B,— I Think Everyone Has The Same Question, Were the medicals that bad? What Happened To Cam's Stock Before Will Become The Stuff Of Great Debate For the Next Decade, Depending On How His Career Translate. If He Lives Up To The Potential That Earned Him A Top 5 Grade Ahead Of His Fall, Almost Ever Pick Ahead Of him will Look Somewhat Suspect. Of Course, All That Depends On Whether Those Knee Concerns Are Legitimate. Either Way, Houston Wins This Pick, As Cam Might Turn Out Better than Half The Players Drafted Before Him.
21. Nets draft Noah Clowney (Alabama)A-,—The Nets Needed To Add Size And Interior Protection If They Intend To Build On Their Surprise Playoff Run And Compete In The Playoffs. Noah Clowney brings A Shot-blocking Presence The Nets Haven't Seen Since Jarrett Allen. Clowney Also Has A Fine Shooting Stroke Comparable To Mo Bama And Myles Turner.
22. Nets draft Dariq Whitehead (Duke)B,— Dariq's Stock Suffered From The Plight Of The Injuries That Washed away His Freshman Season And Short Tournament Run By Duke. A Full, Healthy 6'6 Top Five Recruit Who Returns To The Form That Had Him In The Top Five Draft Conversation Before The Year Started Looks Like A Steal.
23. Blazers draft Kris Murray (Iowa)A-,— The Kris Murray Projections Started With The Blazers At 23, And Portland Didn't Wait. The Other Murray Twin Has a Skill Set You Love As A Long Angular Shot Maker. He Can Play A Chess Piece At Four And Space The Floor In Portlands Offense.
24. Kings draft Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Marquette) A,– Traded to Mavericks This Trade Won The Draft For The Mavs. One Precognitive Move Save The Mavs One Pick and Earn Them Two Of The Best Defensive Prospects In The Draft. Olivier Gives The Mavs A Tractable Option On Defense. Someone Who Can Bend Out And Defend Guards and Stat Attach To Bigs.
25. Grizzlies draft Marcus Sasser (Houston) – Traded to Pistons
Sasser Didn't Start The Draft With A First Round Grade. Still, The Piston Are In The World Of Decisions At Point Guard Shortly, So Pulling This Trade auto Nab The Houston Product To Back up Whoever Stay Healthy At Point Guard Next Season And Into The Future Makes Basketball Sense. Sasser Shot 40% from The Three Point Line While Commanding A Houston Offense That Looked Good Enough To Win The National Title. A Bit Of A Reach In The F
26. Pacers draft Ben Sheppard (Belmont)
The Pacers Have A Type. The House That Larry Bird Built Tends To Lean Towards Lower Profile Players Who, Unlike Their More Visible Counterparts, Prefer To Recline In Indiana For The Good Basketball Weather. Indiana Doesn't Strike As The Place IG model Fly Out to Visit Or Billboards And Endorsements Across The Skyline. Ben Sheppard Emerges Into The First From A Mid-Major In Belmont. He's Quite The Impressive Ball Player Who Shot 41% From Three To Average 18 Points Per Game Fir Belmont While Acting As The Main Offensive Catalyst.
27. Hornets draft Nick Smith Jr. (Arkansas)B-,— Smith Jr. Pick Puts Veteran Terry Rozier Squarely On The Trade Market. Smith The Arkansa Product Posses Exciting Combo Guard Skills That Fit In Right Next To Lamelo's Play Making Creative Instinct. The Hornets Will Rely Primarily On Brandon Miller For Three Point Shooting.
28. Jazz draft Brice Sensabaugh (Ohio State)B,— The Jazz Hedge, Their Bets On Perimeter Scoring, Adding Brice Sensabaugh Late In The Draft. He'll A Steady Bucket Getting Presence Say Keynote George's Skill Set Doesn't Translate Immediately. Sensabaugh Will Have A Strong Role As a Lou Dort Type, Three Point Shooter, and Solid Defender.
29. Pacers draft Julian Strawther (Gonzaga) – Traded to Nuggets
Strawther Shot Versus UCLA Virtually Ended Any Hopes Of Me Winning My Bracket Challenge At Work. His Profile Again, While Not Celebrated, Fits Indy's Profile Perfectly Closing His Career At Gonzaga Shooting 40.8 percent of 5.3 three-point attempts per game. The Nuggets Secure A "Handymen" To Play As A Shooter Surrounding Nikola Jokic.
30. LA Clippers draft Kobe Brown (Missouri)B-,— Another Guy With The Initials "KB" Whose Parents May Or May Not Have Had A Fascination With The Late Kobe Bryant. Brown, All 6'7, 252 Lbs, Build Like a Defensive End, Plays Like A Stuckier Guard/Forward. He Uses He Frame and Wide Mass To Post Or Move Bodies On His away To The Rim. He'll Help Sure Up The Clippers Suspect Wing Depth.
Second Round
I'm Not Terribly Familiar With All Of These Names In The Second Round. Unfortunately, I Suffer From The Severe Ailment Known as a Human limitation, And I Left My Omnisciences At The Shop(Sarcasm). Still, I Did My Best. Mercifully The Sixers Lost Both Of Their Second Picks As A Result Of A Tampering Violation With The PJ Tucker Signing.
31. Pistons draft James Nnaji (FC Barcelona) – Reportedly traded to Celtics
B. The Celtics No Longer Bet On The Health Of Robert "Time Lord" Williams Or The Timeless Threat Of Al Horford. Nnaji Could Prove He's The Second Best Big In The Draft When It's All Done.
32. Pacers draft Jalen Pickett (Penn State)– Traded to Nuggets
C. Pickett Adds Another Pacer Still Style. We're Looking At An Older, Experienced Shot Hunting Point Guard.
33. Spurs draft Leonard Miller (G League Ignite) – Traded to Timberwolves C+.
Miller Generated First Round Interest Throughout Most Of The Draft Process, But His Lack Of Defined Repertoire—What Is He Really?—Suggested Teams Would Look At Him More As A Second Round Guy. The Spurs Pulling Away With A Multifaceted Defensively Flexible Prospect Strengthens An Already Bendy Lineup.
34. Hornets draft Colby Jones (Xavier) – Reportedly traded to Kings C.
The Kings Want To Run And Shoot. Adding A Spot Up Shooter Like Colby Jones Improve The Chances That the Kings Will Improve On Their Run From Last Year.
35. Celtics draft Julian Phillips
(Tennessee) – Reportedly traded to Bulls C+.
As They Prepare To Lose Derrick Jones and Make Some Decision On Their Vets, The Bulls Trade Into The Second To Secure An Unpolished Athletic Wing In Jalen Phillips. Phillips Could Fill A Jones Like Role As A Defender And Rebounder.
36. Magic draft Andre Jackson Jr. (Connecticut) – Traded to Bucks C.
As Far As A Kris Middleton Back, Up The Bucks Could Find Worse Than Andre Jackson. A Role Player For Huskies Championship Jackson Average, he averaged 6.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. The Bucks Must See The Value in His Well-Rounded Rather Than Any Specific Skill.
37. Thunder draft Hunter Tyson (Clemson) – Traded to Nuggets
C. The Nuggets Have A Title To Defend, And Tyson won't Serve As The Next Dynastic Centerpiece, But He Fleshes The Depth.
38. Kings draft Jordan Walsh (Arkansas) – Traded to Celtics
B. Jordan Walsh Reportedly Posses A 7'3 wing span And 41-inch vertical Jump With A All-Purpose Game. He uses His Active Hands As A Hyper Active Switchable Defender.
39. Hornets draft Mouhamed Gueye (Washington State) – Reportedly traded to Hawks
B. The Hawks Add A Offensively Deft Big Man With A Smooth Shooting Stroke From The Mid Post In With A Great Rim And Floor Running Upside. I Like The Pock.
40. Nuggets draft Maxwell Lewis (Pepperdine) – Traded to Lakers (via Pacers)
Maxwell Three Level Scoring Potential And Advance Athleticism Made An Enticing Prospect Sure To Land Near The End Of The First Round Until He Didn't. The Lakers Scored A Prospect For the Roster, Sure To Lose A Piece Or Two On The Wing.
41. Hornets draft Amari Bailey (UCLA) B.
I Feel A Eerily Sense Of Pride Watching Amari Get Drafted, Like Father Watching A Son, Even Though I Don't Know the Kid Personally. I've Watched Him Rise Since His Sierra Canyon Days. He's Another Combo Who Mostly Spend A Fair Amount Of Time In The G-League Purifying His Point Guards Skills Before He Makes The Jump To The Pros Full Time.
42. Wizards draft Tristan Vukcevic (Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade). An International Man Of Mystery, Tristan Sounds Like The Starter Pack European Big With Floor Stretching Upside, Excellent Offensive Basketball IQ, And Feel For The Game.
43. Blazers draft Rayan Rupert (NZ Breakers) B-.
An Interesting French Prospect Who Neared First-Round Hype. A Capable Wing Playmaker. I Need to learn How The French Develop this Condor Like Wing span, But Rupert has The Length Of A Wembanyama In A Jalen Green Body.
44. Spurs draft Sidy Cissoko (G League Ignite)C.
The French National Will Have A Strong Case As A Threat To Olympic Gold Next Year. Sidy Bring Prototypical Size 6-5 224 lbs, Made The G-League All-Star Team, and At Just 19, Has A Life Of Upside For A Spurs Team Not Short On Wing Depth. You Want A Better Athlete For His Size, But He's A Solid Frame For His Gane.
45. Grizzlies draft Gregory Jackson II (South Carolina) B-.
Jackson doubles Down On His Decision To Leave High School A Year Early By Leaving College. His Size And Guard Skills Make Him A Tantalizing Prospect But The Question about His Motor And The Consistency In His Shooting Stroke.
46. Hawks draft Seth Lundy (Penn State)C.
Lundy Brings A Solid, Experienced Near Four Year Starting Wong Out Of Penn State With Next Level Shot Making Upside.
47. Lakers draft Mojave King (G League Ignite) – Traded to Pacers
The G-League Ignite Represented In Thursday Night's Draft. Where The Pacers Go With This Collection Of Wings But King offers Excellent Two Way Upside As Two Guard.
48. Clippers draft Jordan Miller (Miami)C. He is a Solid Lefty, With Drive First Mentality But Very Little Much Else To His Game. The Right Team Could Mold Miller Into A Point-Forward If He Takes To The Role; with His Height And Scoring Threat, He Should be Right In.
49. Cavaliers draft Emoni Bates (Eastern Michigan)
When Emoni Play Still Resided Only InnThe Form Of a High-school Mixtape, Some Prominent Basketball Talent Evaluator Stated That A 17-Year-Old Bates Could Score In The NBA Tomorrow, Now Tomorrow Has reached, And Bates Just Made The Second Round. Even In The Over Saturated Land, Hype Rarely Deflates Like How A Couple Of Average Seasons In College Did Bates.
50. Thunder draft Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State)C.
An Older Prospect With A Stalkier Build But A Full Range Of Offensive Prowess Might Get Minutes If The Thunder Move Away From Any Of Their Guards.
51. Nets draft Jalen Wilson (Kansas)C.
A Nice Swing Forward Who Can Run An Offense And Space The Floor, The Type Of Player, The Nets, Have In Bunches.
52. Suns draft Toumani Camara (Dayton)C.
He is a Versatile Forward With A Combo Of Playmaking And Shor. Usually, You'd Expect A Second pick This Late To Sit On The Bench. Still, Camara Could Find Himself Apart From Phoenix's Thin Rotation.
53. Timberwolves draft Jaylen Clark (UCLA) B. I Like This Pick Clark Took Home Naismith Defensive Player of the Year In His Junior Season At UClA. He's A Sturdy Built Guard Who Plays Low To The Ground and Whose Strength Makes Him Tough To Play Through. Clark Needs To Boost His Three-Point Shooting (32.9% From Three) If He Hopes To See The Floor Of A NBA Court Consistently.
54. Kings draft Jalen Slawson (Furman)C. At 6'7 With Sharp Shooter Potential, Kings Covet Slawson won't Wow Anyone With His Pace and Push Game. Still, With A Shot Release Will be Above His Head And Game Similiar To Keegan Murray's He's Going.
55. Pacers draft Isaiah Wong (Miami)C+.
I Like Wong. He's A Strong Penetrating Point Guard Who Leads Miami In Scoring.
56. Grizzlies draft Tarik Biberovic (Fenerbahce Beko) C-.
He is a classic "draft-and-stash" European Wing, Whose Rights Gets Traded A Few Times Before The End Of His Career. He's a Steady Enough Jump Shot That Looks The Part, But The Rest Of His Game May Not Mesh Will Keep His Name Relevant In League Circle.
57. Wizards draft Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana) – Reportedly traded to the Warriors
B+. This Might Serve As The Only B+ I Give Out Of The Second. Despite His Age, Jackson-Davis deserved First Round Consideration. Instead, He Fell Near The Bottom Of The Draft. The Warriors Coveted Jackson Finishing Around The Block and Rebounding, Two Of The Team's Major Needs.
58. Bucks draft Chris Livingston (Kentucky)C.
An Athletic Wing With Great Tools(6-foot-6 with a strong 6-foot-11 wingspan) and A Strong Basketball Pedigree(Kentucky, Oak Hill) But No Refined Skill Set.
