Time for some draft grades.

That was an exciting few hours with plenty of last minute deals. Remember, no matter how "bad" a draft is, its really fun to be involved with it on the day and we've seen some deals get done that show what the expected quality people have from the draft. In a draft without the superstar talent some may be forgiven for drafting for need as best player available is subjective to fit and development. Let's review who got what and how it stacks up on such an interesting draft.

Atlanta: A+

The reason I like the draft for the Hawks is that they knew who they wanted and how it would fit their team. After striking out in the lottery, trading up for two top 5 picks was the only way that they could get the players they wanted. Sarr’s best projection is a unicorn type player with length, quickness, and touch that can help defend the rim and spread the floor for his team. He can become the Jaren Jackson Junior to the Hawks Desmond Bane. Pairing him with the Clingan as another long body who will defend the paint and potentially stretch the floor makes for an interesting Twin Towers approach that will potentially shoot the Hawks up the standings in the east with the quick guards they already have. The also had the courage to go undrafted picking up Nfaly Dante who looks to have the tools, but is quite raw.

Boston: A-

While doing a stellar job on the broadcast Toby was also a mover and shaker on draft day shifting up to 14 by moving a few future seconds and R.J Barrett for Brooks and the pick that became Devin Carter. With Carter mocked anywhere from around 8 -15, and landing in Sacramento in the NBA at 13, the slight drop to 14 was an easy enough decision. The only hesitancy around Carter would be his NBA position, he is effectively going to be a 3rd guard in the rotation there, and while he plays big, he is only 6’3”. He has been a really solid rebounder in his college career, and also 23 so his upside is perhaps limited. Also choosing Jared McCain at 19 helps fill out the Boston roster nicely. Another player of shorter stature, but who can shoot the lights out. Does a Dwight Howard personality limit him or allow him to break boundaries?

Brooklyn: A

The Nets probably had one of the easiest choices of the draft to choose Cody Williams who had been regularly mocked and drafted in the top 10, to slip to 15 must have been a dream scenario for Breece. He has a path to minutes in the NBA and NSL, and I expect to see him putting his best foot forward to cement himself in the NBA similarly to his brother. Jamal Shead with the second round pick has been likened to Jose Alvarado, small but effective and could carve out a role. Might need some seasoning in the G before we see how he develops in the big leagues.

Charlotte: B+

Kyshawn George and someone's son will both be joining the Hornets through the draft.  George is a tall playmaker but is still fairly early in his development. Since he will be 21 early in his rookie year, he has to take some strides to catch up to many players in the league. While he might get some minutes in the NBA I think we will see in with the Blue Coats more. The second pick comes via a trade and we see Bronny James, picked earlier than his NBA counterpart by over 10 picks, it would have been necessary to get him that early before others swooped in. The positives, he will be given every chance to succeed, and he has seen what it takes to reach the top. The negatives, he’s short and will need to fight for everything once on the floor. Does he develop an Austin Rivers level chip on his shoulder, or does he just turn up to work and ignore as much of the noise as he can.

Cleveland: A

I like the group of players that Cleveland has added. Not worried about age, but just selecting quality bigs, wings, scorers, pick and roll stashes, their draft had it all. Missi seems to be one of those guys who will make a 2k impact quickly, and Shannon and Da Silva could prove to be the Jaime Jaquez type choices that get good ratings updates early in their career. The Cavs are going to have to find roster spots somehow, and are looking to sacrifice sophomore players to bring in the rooks. Similar to Philly it’ll be interesting to see how the space is made and how that impacts the value from this draft.

Dallas: B-

LJ promised he would get a big at the draft and he publicly announced he would draft Connect 4. While he did draft Yves, he wasn’t there for long. With trade rumors suggesting a tall guard is on the way who is not known for his defensive ability and the awesome shooter in Dalton Knecht not known for his defense the Allas Mavericks will reign supreme. I think there is value in chasing a deep shooting all scoring offensive approach to the NSL, it’ll be tricky without some excellent rebounders around the hoop.

Denver: B

Did Denver get a steal? Maybe? Did Denver get the cheapest first round contract because hes worried about the apron. Absolutely. Collier was highly regarded coming out of high school but didn’t put it together in his year in college. It kind of makes me worry about all those high school stars that don’t take that next step. Happy to be wrong and just want to give someone a grade less than an A for fun.

Detroit: Incomplete

Golden State: B

The reigning GM of the year should deserve another year of celebrations, but he’s given himself a challenge of rebuilding the Warriors. They drafted 4 times in the second round and Tristan Newton probably headlines the group only as I can’t see much coming from the foreign contingent this year, and maybe that is by design, start to stock up a few prospects who can play overseas and come back in a few years when the team has had time to develop. I may be wrong as Post could land a contract as teams try to dodge to apron with a few cheap end of bench contracts, and his size is valuable on a Warriors roster. Tempted to upgrade to a B+ because he can write articles with the appropriate jerseys matching for Post.

Houston: A

I like how the Rockets have drafted a Jokic back up by drafting the Jokic back up. I thought Nenja was going to nab Holmes, but Vitt has done well to get him. I like that the Nuggets in the NBA traded to get the pick for him, they value what he will bring to the team and I think that will play out in his court time and development. Which means only good things for Vitt and his apron avoidance plans.

Indiana: B+

This is probably harsh for Yeet who has drafted the #1 overall player in the NBA draft with the second pick, but I’m a doubter when it comes to Risacher’s prospects. I know I’ll be wrong in the long run, but nothing really jumped off the page while I’ve watched him and stuck on Atlanta worries me too. He is a great fit for the Indiana team, but you know who else was a great fit for that team? Keegan Murray.

Los Angeles Clippers: B+

In the same vein as the Collier pick by Denver, you have a highly touted prospect who was starting the year at the top of all the mocks, and as that player got more exposure and analysis they slid down the mocks. While Ron Holland did end up getting picked quite highly he ends up in Detroit with yet another head coach and a history of losing surrounding the franchise. Can Holland help lift this team? Or does he not find much minutes on this young/old mix of players vying for playing time. AJ Johnson as low as 37 was a nice slider, and it should be noted that when he did start getting NBL minutes as a back up, the team started winning, but I’m giving the coaching change most of the credit in that circumstance. The third pick being Oso Ighodaro who is touted as a passing center who doesn't rebound well doesn’t make me think “great 2k fit”.

Los Angeles Lakers: Incomplete

Memphis: A+++

Wrote an article about who he was targeting, got exactly what he wanted. Basically selected what will end up being joint Rookie of the Year honors with the first two picks. Furphy is a fine draught beer, and I need to google who Antonio Reeves is.

Miami: A+

Pitsol knew who he wanted and then pivoted well when both players were taken off the board immediately before he was due to draft. I think the Rob Dillingham pick was a no brainer, he’ll get some solid back up minutes and be tutored by one of my favorite players in how to play to win in Mike Conley. Then choosing Kel el Ware who he gets to watch catch lobs from Tyler Herro for the next season and be embedded in “Heat culture” to make or break him will be fantastic. Bonus points for jersey matching on Ware.

Milwaukee: Incomplete

Minnesota: Incomplete

New Orleans: Incomplete

New York: A-

New York gets the minus only because we have to wait a year for Topic to show why he was projected to be a top 5 pick. These ratings aren't as patient as Smokey will need to be. Jaylon Tyson sounds like he will be a Kyle Anderson type player, and from trade interest I’ve received on Kyle I should probably drop this grade to a C, but I love Anderson and now therefore Tyson. He will be more impactful in the NBA than NSL but will have a long career. The third pick choosing Filipowski is very solid. If he is being groomed to be a Mormon and has been drafted by Utah it seems like a match made in the Celestial Kingdom. Honestly all this talk about grooming might be baloney, if I was a Mormon I’d probably get my agent to convince everybody to pass on me so I can live in Sal Tlay Ka Siti. 

Oklahoma City: Incomplete

Orlando: A+

Mailo was a trooper last night. I would have mailed it in if I was in her position. I love the Reed Sheppard pick. While the NSL fit might be a bit crowded with the backcourt she currently has, I think the quality of the player in Reed will quickly prove her choice to be the right one. Like sure he’s small, but he's a competitor who gets a crazy amount of blocks on jump shots, he shoots the lights out, and has great awareness to get passing lane and on ball steals. He also looks strong to fight for his position if targeted on defense. Hanging around to the last pick to pick someone I need to google could prove a great choice.

Philadelphia: A

Were these guys even involved in the draft? Can’t remember saying they were on the clock. Everyone seems to love the Ryan Dunn pick and he might find some early playing time in the NBA, he will come into our league with solid defensive ratings and that really impacts the potential of how well rookies can impact the NSL. Is he going to be Thabo Sefalosha immediately out of the gate? Can that be enough for now? 

I really like the early second round picks for the team too, as I mentioned on the broadcast they were all in strong consideration for the 33rd pick. I hope Bobi makes an impact and I think Bona can make an NSL impact pretty quickly. I also like the Hukporti pick too. What’s the bad news? Why not an A+? How does he keep them? While drafting has been fun, what’s the point when only a few make the roster.

Phoenix: A

Laddas was busy busy busy at the draft. He was able to get 3 solid first round contracts on his books and two good seconds, which will give him some roster flexibility. Walter, Carrington, and Wells are flat out scorers and in good NBA positions, Wells less so. Dadiet is raw fish Home Alone is a hard nose defender and neither will not see an NBA minute under Thibs this season and maybe next. Both may turn out to be something but I don’t foresee it being this year.

Portland: Incomplete

While they did draft, I was under the impression the pick was moving, probably to Indy I guess as part of the deal for 2. Not sure hard to grade. 

Sacramento: Incomplete

San Antonio: B

A bit of a reach for Ulrich Chomche. I’ve got a feeling he might end up being one of the draft and stash guys you keep track of in Europe or on a 2way hoping they’ll come over soon. His physical tools might make him an impact player in 2k, but it might stop after half a season.

Toronto: B+

Getting the 30th pick at the 39th slot seems pretty good, he might not find his way onto the court for a while unless it’s in a role that Svi Mykhailiuk inhabited this season, which means minutes will be few and far between. I like that he is a strong rebounder considering how often he shoots from deep, it’ll be a battle to get past Hauser in the line up.

Utah: B+

Picking up the early slide in Tidjane Salaun seems ok. Jase will need to pay the higher salary for the raw prospect, which he may find challenging as the rest of his roster gets that sweet extension money. He’ll be a connective piece on the team and someone to hope develops just because of his natural size. Saying all that picking him at 13 is a no brainer.

Washington: B-

Dillon Jones sounds like an odd fit for any team, especially his NBA and NSL drafting teams. Not really a defender and a tall lead guard who will look to dominate smaller guards but has no 3 point shot to write home about. OKC needed more shooting, but I guess they prioritise feel and Basketball IQ over the outright skill, and maybe that is why he will succeed.  For the Wizards I can see him getting back up minutes, and depending on his shooting tendencies might make or break the bench unit with poor scoring.