NBA Draft Grades: How did your team fare?

By Kels Dayton
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Updated: June 29, 2014

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If you really want to know how your team fared in the NBA Draft, you’ve come to the right place. Other sites will give you draft grades, but they’ll all be “A’s” and “B’s,” and if someone takes Bruno Caboclo at No. 20, you’ll occasionally see a “C.” You won’t get that kind of sugar-coated crap here. Take a look at each team’s real NBA Draft grade, courtesy of the zero-craps-giving Kels Dayton:

Cavaliers: A+. I would’ve gone with Jabari Parker over Wiggins at No. 1, but what the hell do I know right? I’m writing this from my parents’ living room. Parker showed more offensive game, the ability to contribute right away, and more Sure, Wiggins has the athleticism and quick-first step to be an outstanding defender. But he was passive at Kansas and didn’t stand out above anyone else except when someone threw him an alley-oop. Both will likely be great players, but Wiggins’ impact could be more on the defensive end than on offense. Still, it’s tough to criticize the pick. Wiggins is a can’t-miss athlete and could end up being a Scottie Pippen-type player.

Bucks: A+. Milwaukee got the best, most polished player in the draft and a sure-fire future star at No. 2. Plus, Milwaukee is only an hour and a half from Chicago, so he wants to be there! (Jay Williams joke). Jabari may end up being the best player in this draft, and I don’t think anyone would be terribly surprised. He’s the real deal.

Sixers: C. Philly almost had to take Joel Embiid at No. 3–he’s a seven-foot center with elite mobility and a repertoire of post moves that have drawn him comparisons to a baby Hakeem Olajuwon. Even if he doesn’t play at all in 2014, Embiid will have been worth the risk at No. 3. He’s a potential franchise-changer. Dario Saric, on the other hand, is a different story. The Sixers’ embarrassing tank-job last year was as blatant and awful as Net Neutrality legislation. They needed to take a player that can help the team next year, or at least give their fans a reason to come to the arena. Saric does neither, as he’s stuck in Croatia for the next two years. Instead, he just adds to the list of guys who Philly fans hope will contribute to their team one day.

Magic: D. Orlando will rue the day it chose Aaron Gordon over Dante Exum, Marcus Smart, and Julius Randle. Nothing against Gordon–he’s extremely athletic and scouts have called him a “skinnier Blake Griffin.” But he can’t shoot, he can’t post anybody up, and he’s not an elite defender. Basically, Gordon looks great in a workout and can jump really high. Orlando passed on the franchise point guard it desperately needed (Exum or Smart) and–probably–the second-best player in this draft in Julius Randle.

Jazz: A. Exum is a terrific-looking prospect, and at 6-6, has the size to be an outstanding NBA guard for years to come. Though he didn’t play against the greatest competition in Australia, he proved his worth in the U-19 tournament and at the Nike Hoop Summit, where Exum’s International team defeated the U.S. team led by Parker and Randle, and Exum put up 21 and 8. He’s a player, and it’s hard to get on the Jazz for drafting him. Also, Rodney Hood is a 6-8 shooter who will knock it down at the next level. That was a late-first round steal.

Celtics: C. Even though Marcus Smart is a terrific player, the Celtics would have been better off taking Randle–who could have been an anchor in Boston for years and wouldn’t have made Rajon Rondo redundant. You can’t play Rondo and Smart in the same backcourt–they’re both point guards who can’t shoot. One of them’s got to go, and it’s going to be Rondo–who is a once-in-a-generation talent at point guard. The C’s better get something at least worthy of Randle for him. Yes, James Young was a nice pick at No. 17, but he’s far from a sure thing, and may end up being the next Joe Forte for all we know.

L.A. Lakers: A+. It’s like 1979 all over again. The freaking Lakers somehow ended up with Julius Randle, who slipped in the draft not because of actual performance on the court but because “his arms weren’t long enough.” OK. Randle averaged a double-double at Kentucky (15 points, 10 rebounds), and posted an absurd 23 of them last season. He was the best player on a team that reached the NCAA title game, and he was only a freshman. This kid is going to be a stud, and he’s probably going to spend the next 15 years with the Lakers, which sucks for everybody who hates that annoying Scourge of a franchise.

Kings: D. The ‘D’ is mostly for ‘disappointment.’ The Kings have been terrible for years, yet haven’t really been able to capitalize in the draft, taking guys like Thomas Robinson, Jimmer Fredette and Tyreke Evans and passing on Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson, Andre Drummond and Stephen Curry. Sacramento hasn’t moved up from its slotted lottery spot in seven years, and moved down from 7th to 8th this year, which was just enough to ensure that they didn’t land any of 2014’s franchise-changing prospects. Instead, they watched the $&##! Lakers fall into future All-Star Julius Randle, while they end up with Nik Stauskas, whose ceiling is probably Kyle Korver. Life is cruel sometimes.

Hornets: A. First off, it feels good to call them the Charlotte Hornets again. Ahhh. Just sounds right. Charlotte hit the jackpot with pick No. 9 as Indiana forward Noah Vonleh, whom some draft experts had going as high as No. 3, fell into their lap. Vonleh is a high-potential guy with good size and athleticism, and could end up being one of those mid first-round steals you see from time to time. Forward P.J. Hairston lit up the D-League (averaging 21.8 ppg), and could be an outright steal as well at No. 26. He’s got an NBA skill–he can shoot–and the competition he faced in the NBDL is better than what any college player faces in the NCAA, so you know his learning curve will be quicker. Second-round pick and point guard Semaj Christon, whom Charlotte took at No. 55, was a projected first-rounder in April and left Xavier early to enter the draft.

Bulls: B. Doug McDermott was as solid a pick as the Bulls could have possibly hoped for, as they desperately needed someone who can put the ball in the basket. Douggie McBuckets can do that–he was the ninth all-time leading scorer in college basketball history, and he shot nearly 50% from the field last season, which is just absurd. He’s a lights-out shooter with size and an affable post game. His skills will translate well in the NBA. Best case, he’s an All-Star. Worst case, he’s a bench guy who can get you buckets as needed.

Timberwolves: D. Zach LaVine was a backup point guard at UCLA, and he’s one of those guys who was drafted solely on potential. He won’t contribute anything from an offensive standpoint his first season in the NBA, other than maybe a couple of nice dunks. LaVine has a better chance of being in the dunk contest than the Rookie-Sophomore challenge next season. The Wolves should have going with a player who can help them right away.

Suns: B+. Phoenix took ACC Player of the Year T.J. Warren at No. 14, landed Syracuse point guard Tyler Ennis at No. 18, and then took Token Foreign Guy Bogdan Bogdanovic at No. 27, probably just because of his name. Kels Kelsovic would be proud. Warren gives them a go-to scoring option at the 2/3 position, something they needed. All in all, nice draft.

Hawks: B. Adreian Payne was a nice pick at No. 15, and Lamar Patterson is a so-so choice at No. 48 (a shooting guard who can’t shoot). Neither will be a game-changer. Payne is big and has nice athleticism and the potential to develop a “stretch” jump shot, but it’d be a stretch to see him develop into a star.

Nuggets: C. Jusuf Nurkic could end up being a nice player in the league, but the competition he played against in Europe wasn’t spectacular. Gary Harris was a nice but ultimately forgettable player at Michigan State. We’ll see if either develops into something worth getting excited about.

Raptors: F. Just because your name is Masi Uriji, doesn’t mean you have to take Bruno Caboclo at No. 20. Toronto passed up on legitimate prospects like Rodney Hood, Shabazz Napier and P.J. Hairston to take this clown, who nobody has ever heard of and whom they probably could have landed at No. 37. He’s been called the “Brazilian Kevin Durant,” but Nikoloz Tskitishvilli was called the “Georgian Larry Bird,” and we all saw how that turned out.

Thunder: D. First, OKC takes Michigan center Mitch McGary, who has the back of a 45-year old man and the athleticism of a 6-10 white guy. I mean, seriously, does anybody think he’s going to be a star at the next level? The dude had one good month as a freshman, and now he’s a first-rounder. And then, the Thunder took Stanford small forward Josh Huestis, who other than being athletic at 6-8 and having a Josh Childress afro, doesn’t have much upside as an NBA guy. They should have gone with the other Stanford draftee, Dwight Powell, who at 6-10, proved to be the best player on the floor in the Cardinal’s Round of 32 upset over Kansas in the NCAA Tournament. Powell went 45th to Charlotte.

Grizzlies: C. Not high on the Jordan Adams selection, but Jarnell Stokes is a beast on the interior who fits into the Grizzlies’ plan. He’ll hold his own in practice banging with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Stokes may end up being the best player taken in the second round, or he could bottom out and end up in the D League. Who knows.

Clippers: C. Not sure they needed another shooting guard, but L.A. grabbed Washington’s C.J. Wilcox at No. 28 anyway. I’ve got nothing else here.

Heat: B+. They traded up to take LeBron’s favorite player, UConn point guard Shabazz Napier, who carried the Huskies to their most improbable national championship run yet. Now all Shabazz has to do is justify the fact that the greatest player in the world basically forced his team to move up in the draft to take him. Whatever he does, it won’t be hard to be an upgrade over Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers, whose sole purpose as an NBA player is to get screamed at by LeBron or Dwyane Wade.

Spurs: A. It didn’t matter who the Spurs took at No. 30, everyone was going to react to the pick by saying: “Oh, what a steal! That’s just the Spurs being the Spurs!” And I guess they’ve earned that. But 6-9 point guard Kyle Anderson actually is a steal, and could turn into a terrific player in San Antonio’s system. What a great pick by the Spurs. Gregg Popovich.

Knicks: A. The Knicks only had one pick in the draft, a second-rounder Phil Jackson arm-wrestled away from the Mavericks, but they made the most of it, selecting Wichita State forward Cleanthony Early. The 6-7 Early could end up being a terrific fit in the Knicks’ offense. He’s athletic and quick enough to play the 3, yet long enough to get rebounds and defend the 4. He’s also got a nice step-back jump shot and could develop into a terrific high-post shooter.