Grade Your team's Draft

[ericd7633]

Philadelphia 76ers:

#1. Ben Simmons
#24. Timothe Luwawu
#26. Furkan Korkmaz

Grade: A

Obviously getting Simmons is a huge get for the franchise. He's a difference maker IMO, something the Sixers haven't been able to draft(Maybe a healthy Embiid is). I really also like what they did with the two late first rounders. The Sixers are in dire need of wing players. If one of these guys pans out it'll be worth it. Luwawu may come over this year, I actually hope he does. Korkmaz could use another couple years overseas, which is fine with me. All in all a very solid draft for the Sixers IMO. We didn't get the PG of the future, but with Simmons' capability as a point forward, that position isn't quite as important, although we do need an upgrade over Ish Smith at some point.

 

[flyerhawk]

Hard to give the Sixers an A grade given that they still have a logjam in the front court and no backcourt. Drafting Simmons was a big move but it was a no brainer.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Cavs traded their #1 pick to Boston to clear cap room to sign LeBron.

I give their draft an A+++++++++++++++++

 

[purguy12]

Bulls: C-

I understand the pick, the guy can do it all and is a good fit and he is NBA ready. He is one of the view that is NBA ready but with Baldwin on the board I dont get why we would pass up on the potential of Baldwain. Big PG who can do a little of everything. Plus Valentine with knee issues. I just didnt get it. I think Valentine will be able to help the bulls but I think its a safe pick.

 

[tlance]

Well, let's see.

I give the Wizards an F-

They traded their first rounder to get Markief Morris, who I don't like at all and they dealt 2 second rounders last year to move up and get Oubre. The problem is that Oubre was a huge reach at that spot, he is unlikely to pan out and they probably would have been able to take him with their first rounder last year anyway.

So yeah, nice job Wizards!

 

[tlance]

Hard to give the Sixers an A grade given that they still have a logjam in the front court and no backcourt. Drafting Simmons was a big move but it was a no brainer.

Yep. If they could have worked out the deal with Boston, it would have been A++

 

[Scapegoat]

Thunder A

Traded
Ibaka
for
Oladipo, Sabonis and llyosova

Moved a solid player that was unhappy and who's numbers have declined for one reason or another.
Bring in a young SG and young PF and another PF that may or may not stick around.
Gained a lot of flexibility. Now if Waiters leaves they have someone to replace his production.

 

[ericd7633]

Hard to give the Sixers an A grade given that they still have a logjam in the front court and no backcourt. Drafting Simmons was a big move but it was a no brainer.

True, but there has to be a limit on what you're giving up to acquire backcourt help. I heard Boston wanted both Noel and Okafor in order for Philly to get the #3 pick. I think that's too much so I'm glad they didn't budge. I'm also really high on Luwawu. I'm hopeful he comes over right away. Korkmaz is only 18 but he's a 6'7 SG with pretty big upside, something the Sixers will need. Take a stab on two foreign players and hope one pans out.

 

[ericd7633]

Yep. If they could have worked out the deal with Boston, it would have been A++

Much like I said above, if Boston is asking for too much, you don't do it IMO.

 

[ericd7633]

Thunder A

Traded
Ibaka
for
Oladipo, Sabonis and llyosova

Moved a solid player that was unhappy and who's numbers have declined for one reason or another.
Bring in a young SG and young PF and another PF that may or may not stick around.
Gained a lot of flexibility. Now if Waiters leaves they have someone to replace his production.

Really liked the deal for OKC. Presti is a fantastic GM.

 

[RazorsEdge]

Bulls: C-

I understand the pick, the guy can do it all and is a good fit and he is NBA ready. He is one of the view that is NBA ready but with Baldwin on the board I dont get why we would pass up on the potential of Baldwain. Big PG who can do a little of everything. Plus Valentine with knee issues. I just didnt get it. I think Valentine will be able to help the bulls but I think its a safe pick.

Baldwin has more upside, I really think he was the pick there. Valentine, like the rest of the Bulls minus Butler and Lopez, can't defend worth a shit. Oh and just in case you thought the Bulls gave even the slightest shit about injury concerns, Zipser apparently tore his knee up previously and also has an extra bone in his foot which causes constant pain, so much so that he has to have special shoes made. Yaaaaay

 

[CitySushi]

Warriors: B+
1st Round (30) - Damian Jones
2nd Round (38) - Pat McCaw

I think a B+ was about the highest grade the Warriors could achieve in this draft because of positioning. I thought the Jones pick was a solid pick at that spot. The Warriors said they had him rated higher and I didn't think he would be there by the time the Warriors picked. He's a big guy who defend and step out and hit a shot from the outside on offense. People question his drive, which will definitely be a concern for me going forward.

McCaw I thought was a pure luxury pick. The Warriors were able to buy back into the early 2nd round and took a guy who reminds me a lot of Corey Brewer, with better potential upside on the offensive end. He's a lanky guy, and will need to put on weight, but he's long and athletic and can likely contribute right away at least on defense. His offense seem to me a bit more of a work in progress but he's a decent outside shooter with an underrated handle. If he can put on 15 lbs of muscle, he has the potential to be a nice 3 and D player.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Here is the Knicks:

New York Knicks
: F
Round 1: N/A

Round 2: N/A


The Knicks should've had the No. 9 pick in the draft. However, they sent it to the Raptors as part of the awful Andrea Bargnani trade. We can't just let that go. (And they actually could've had the No. 7 pick for a chance at Jamal Murray, if not for the earlier trade in which they acquired Carmelo Anthony.)

Forfeiting the No. 9 pick cost them on the likes of Jakob Poeltl, Thon Maker, Malik Beasley and Denzel Valentine. Given the current state of the roster, that really, really hurts.

 

[lakersrule]

Lakers: A
1st Round (2) - Brandon Ingram
2nd Round (32) - Ivica Zubac

This was about as easy of an A grade as you can get. Similar to my Gods of Rock Guitar class in college (UCSD no less)! No brainer at #2. Ingram fits perfectly with the young core already in place and may end up being the best of the bunch. Ingram was the player that new head coach Luke Walton.

Zubac was a nice surprise in the second round. Many mocks had him middle first round including Draft Express (#16). He reportedly fell to the second round because he refused to be a draft and stash player. As it looks, there were several draft and stashers in the first round leaving some solid talent available for the late first round/early second round picks. Zubac is tall, long, and strong and only 19 years old. He can play in the post, he can finish around the rim as a good pick and roll partner, he can pass the ball, he can run, and he can defend inside. I've heard Vlade Divac and Marc Gasol comparisons.

Mitch tried to buy another second round pick but was unsuccessful. That's the only failure of the draft for the Lakers.

 

[trojanfan12]

Lakers - A

They needed a small forward, perimeter shooting and perimeter defense. They got all 3 in Ingram, a guy who is projected as most likely to be an all star in his first 5 years.

They needed size and got a guy in Zubac who is most likely a 2-3 year project, but appears to have a shot at being pretty solid. Considering how weak this draft is said to be, that's probably about as good as can be expected at #32.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Lakers: A
1st Round (2) - Brandon Ingram
2nd Round (32) - Ivica Zubac

This was about as easy of an A grade as you can get. Similar to my Gods of Rock Guitar class in college (UCSD no less)! No brainer at #2. Ingram fits perfectly with the young core already in place and may end up being the best of the bunch. Ingram was the player that new head coach Luke Walton.

Zubac was a nice surprise in the second round. Many mocks had him middle first round including Draft Express (#16). He reportedly fell to the second round because he refused to be a draft and stash player. As it looks, there were several draft and stashers in the first round leaving some solid talent available for the late first round/early second round picks. Zubac is tall, long, and strong and only 19 years old. He can play in the post, he can finish around the rim as a good pick and roll partner, he can pass the ball, he can run, and he can defend inside. I've heard Vlade Divac and Marc Gasol comparisons.

Mitch tried to buy another second round pick but was unsuccessful. That's the only failure of the draft for the Lakers.

That was a very nice surprise for me as a Lakers fan - It remains unclear as to how much talent he has and can develop, but young seven foot center that has the potential to defend the paint and grab rebounds and can run - should be fun to watch. I am just hoping they bring in Kareem and James Worthy to teach him like they have done in the past

 

[Heatles84]

Warriors: B+
1st Round (30) - Damian Jones
2nd Round (38) - Pat McCaw

I think a B+ was about the highest grade the Warriors could achieve in this draft because of positioning. I thought the Jones pick was a solid pick at that spot. The Warriors said they had him rated higher and I didn't think he would be there by the time the Warriors picked. He's a big guy who defend and step out and hit a shot from the outside on offense. People question his drive, which will definitely be a concern for me going forward.

McCaw I thought was a pure luxury pick. The Warriors were able to buy back into the early 2nd round and took a guy who reminds me a lot of Corey Brewer, with better potential upside on the offensive end. He's a lanky guy, and will need to put on weight, but he's long and athletic and can likely contribute right away at least on defense. His offense seem to me a bit more of a work in progress but he's a decent outside shooter with an underrated handle. If he can put on 15 lbs of muscle, he has the potential to be a nice 3 and D player.

I agree. I liked the Jones pick as well as he could step into the Ezeli role seamlessly and you need quality depth on the front line; especially since the Cavs beat the Warriors inside throughout the series. It was all but a foregone conclusion, but that pick solidified that Ezeli will not be back on the Dubs roster next season.

 

[Heatles84]

That was a very nice surprise for me as a Lakers fan - It remains unclear as to how much talent he has and can develop, but young seven foot center that has the potential to defend the paint and grab rebounds and can run - should be fun to watch. I am just hoping they bring in Kareem and James Worthy to teach him like they have done in the past

I think Brandon Ingram offers the Lakers quite a lot of options on offense going forward. He's definitely an NBA ready player. Personally, I'd like for him to probably add about 10 more lbs. of muscle. It was a no brainer picking him at the 2nd spot, but the Lakers made out like bandits.

 

[Bolts]

Kings: B-
13th overall: Georgios Papagiannis
22nd overall: Malachi Richardson
28th overall: Skal Labissiere
59th overall: Isaiah Cousins
Acquired Bogdan Bogdanovic via trade

-The Papa Johns pick really surprised me because they could have filled a position of need with Wade Baldwin, but they took a talented young center instead. If they move KK to make room for him on the roster, it saves some money which is a good thing. They could move D.Cousins but I doubt that happens before the season.
-I liked trading Marco for the 22nd pick and using it on a younger SG. Richardson has potential to be a nice shooter and he saves the Kings money they would have spent on an older SG who doesn't play defense.
-Skal at 28th was hard to pass up, it seemed like most mocks had him getting drafted near the end of the lottery. The talent and potential is there and the Kings need talent. If they had gotten Skal at 13 and Papa Johns at 28, it would have made more sense but the Kings didn't think Papa Johns would fall that far.
-I.Cousins at 59 could be an end of draft steal like the other Isaiah was 5 years ago. Even if that doesn't happen, it's the 2nd to last player taken so I'm not expecting big things from that draft pick anyway.
-Bogdanovic might not join the team until the 2017-2018 season, but from what I've read on him he sounds like the 3-and-D wing player the Kings have needed for a while.

If these were the final moves being made to the roster I'd change the grade to a C or D because we have one PG right now, but there's a lot of time between now and when the season begins. Moves will be made to balance out the roster, I'm really hoping bringing back Rondo is NOT one of them. This draft was more about taking talent and future potential with guys like Papa Johns, Skal, Richardson, and trading for Bogdan. Even if Papa Johns turns out to be good, I couldn't give an A grade because the Kings didn't draft a PG when they need one. I would have given an incomplete because it'll take a couple years before we know how good or bad this draft was, but you could do that for any team drafting.

 

[DJ]

C+