The draft is going on as we speak, and as the picks come in, I'll be giving my thoughts. The first 9 picks are already in, but at the same time I'll probably be giving my thoughts faster than the picks come in. I'll only be doing the first round, as I really don't know enough about the second round guys this year (for the most part) to really go over those picks. I'll also make in between pick observations on ESPN's coverage, which should be hilarious, no thanks to me, but thanks to ESPN and their amazing ability to make stories out of nothing and just shoot themselves in the foot over and over (lucky for them, they wear a bulletproof shoe).
1. Andrew Wiggins - Cleveland Cavaliers - A-
Good pick here. I think Parker is better, but this was a win-win situation for the Cavaliers. No matter what they become much better with that pick.
2. Jabari Parker - Milwaukee Bucks - A+
Great pick here, as you could have guessed, I think Milwaukee gets the best player of the draft.
They're really digging into his defense, but as is typical of ESPN, they're exaggerating.
3. Joel Embiid - Philadelphia 76ers - B+
Interesting pick, as he not only will be hurt at the start of camp, at very least, if not the start of the season, and they just got Nerlens Noel last year, and couldn't play him either, but I'm sure they'll be able to find a way to play the two together.
4. Aaron Gordon - Orlando Magic - B
I was pretty surprised by this pick. I think Gordon will be a very good player, but he is a bit of a tweener, and I feel like there were better players here like Vonleh, Smart, and Exum. Either way, they still got a good player who can play both ends of the floor, as long as he doesn't have to take a jumper.
5. Dante Exum - Utah Jazz - A+
Great pick for the Jazz. If there's one player who can pop up and be a sleeper to wind up as the best player in this draft, I think it's Exum. He's a point guard with shooting guard size. He'll fit in great with Burke.
At this point I'm getting the idea that Simmons isn't a great fan of Exum. He keeps alluding to him "hiding" for 10 months when, in reality, that's not the case at all. He's been playing overseas the whole time, you know, where he's from. There has been plenty of chances for scouts to see him, but Simmons seems to be forgetting that the rest of the world exists at this point or something. In fact, he was just in a tournament a few months ago where he almost averaged a triple double. He'll probably get that ESPN saying stupid things bonus.
Also, at this point I'm starting to think that almost every player in this draft had a parent that was a top level amateur or professional athlete of some sort.
6. Marcus Smart - Boston Celtics - B
This either means that the Celtics are trading the pick or that Rajon Rondo has played his last game as a Celtic, as this pick makes no sense if both are kept on the roster. Smart is another great pick, and the Celtics just picked up a very good point guard for him.
7. Julius Randle - Los Angeles Lakers - A-
This was either Vonleh or Randle, and either one was going to be a good pick. I would have gone with Vonleh myself, but you can't fault the Lakers for going with Randle either. He's not the best defender, but he can be at least a secondary type of player on a once again great Lakers team sometime in the future.
8. Nik Stauskas - Sacramento Kings - B
While the Kings do have their share of bigs, they also just drafted McLemore, and he looked like he may have been coming on late last year at times. However, I guess they can play Stauskas at the 3, as he's 6'6.5" with a 6'8" wingspan, so it can work. Anyway, he's a great shooter who will really help to make that Kings offense a potent one.
9. Noah Vonleh - Charlotte Hornets - A
Boy, it feels great to say the Charlotte Hornets again, and people in Charlotte should be feeling great about this pick. I did say that he has the highest bust potential among the elite in this draft, but look at who those guys were. He has a huge upside too and may become one of the better players in the league.
10. Elfrid Payton - Orlando Magic via Philadelphia 76ers - B
Love this pick for Orlando. Jameer Nelson is getting up there in years, although he is a legend in Orlando at this point, but with his lack of size, once he starts to lose some of his physical abilities he likely won't be too effective, and that's the sad truth. Payton is a very raw point guard who may be able to learn for a couple of years under Nelson before having to be a full time starter (Nelson's contract has 1 more year, but I can see him getting another, smaller contract).
At some point around here they interviewed the Cleveland GM, and for someone who just added Andrew Wiggins to their franchise, he seemed pretty depressed. Smile a little bit, eh?
Also, embarrassing moment for Rece Davis after a Michael Carter-Williams interview. He immediately tried to make way too much, in typical ESPN fashion, out of C-W saying he was surprised at the Payton draft choice, and almost immediately word got back to Davis that he was looking too far into things.
11. Doug McDermott - Chicago Bulls via Denver Nuggets - A+
You'll hear a lot more about McDermott from me later tonight, but for now I'll say that the Bulls got a very good player here, one of the best offensive players for sure, and a guy who does a lot of other things as well. This also will free up some cap space, saving around $800-$900 thousand with that move. The only players on the board that I see the Bulls going after still at this point (right before the #16 pick) are Hood and Young. I may be missing someone, but they killed 2 birds with one stone here.
12. Dario Saric - Philadelphia 76ers via Orlando Magic - B
Another big man for the 76ers. Saric, however, has the skillset that can put him anywhere from the 3 to the 5. He has very good post skills, but also has the ability to do a lot of other things on the floor. He'll also be stashed away for 2-3 years, as he just recently signed a contract across seas, but the 76ers seem to be building a strong group of young players.
13. Zach LaVine - Minnesota Timberwolves - A-
In a couple of years we could see the Timberwolves with a very good backcourt. LaVine is a high risk, high reward type of guy who, with that being said, is very raw right now, but he has the potential to be a very good, if not great player.
14. TJ Warren - Phoenix Suns - C
I thought this was quite a stretch here, but he's not a bad player. He's not very athletic, but he can shoot the ball and brings plenty of intangibles.
15. Adreian Payne - Atlanta Hawks - B+
This is a very good pick for the Hawks. Payne should fit in great with the Hawks, as they could use a bit of a boost at the bigs, especially one that can shoot like Payne can.
Amazing moment in between 15 and 16 when they honored Isaiah Austin, who had his dreams shattered just a few days ago when he found out he had Marfan syndrome, a hardening of the arteries that puts his life in danger with strenuous activity. He was also, if drafted, going to be the first player blind in one eye. Anyway, it's a tough story to swallow, but cheers to Adam Silver and the league for letting him walk across that stage and fulfill a dream. He'll never forget that moment, that's for sure.
16. Jusuf Nurkic - Denver Nuggets via Chicago Bulls - B-
Nurkic will be stashed away for a short time, but he's a huge center with decent post skills already. He is very likely to become, at very least, a serviceable center in the league when he does come over. One comparison I've seen a lot of for him is Nikola Pekovic, which would be a nice thing for the Nuggets.
17. James Young - Boston Celtics - A
Excellent pick for the Celtics here. I think that if the Bulls were going to go after him they would have with the 19 pick, so it's likely they wouldn't have gotten him either (my guess is that without the trade they would have wanted to go Hood at 16 and Young at 19, but like I said, Young wouldn't have fallen that far). The Celtics may have gotten a steal here.
18. Tyler Ennis - Phoenix Suns - B
The Suns get a very good backup point guard here, which there is no shame in going after at this point in the draft. While I think they're one of many teams missing out on Rodney Hood at this point, you can't argue with Tyler Ennis with this pick.
19. Gary Harris - Denver Nuggets via Chicago Bulls - A
Another absolute steal right here. Harris was expected to possibly even be a top 10 pick. He's a bit of a tall combo guard who can do everything well. He turns 20 in September, so he's almost as young as Rose was when he was drafted, and looks plenty refined for a player his age as well.
20. Bruno Caboclo - Toronto Raptors - C-
Who? Well, I was caught up by this point, even quicker than I thought, so I had to take some time to do some quick research. Anyway though, first things first, this was a stupid pick just for the fact that he probably wasn't being drafted at all. This was the ultimate case of them being able to get him in the second round, or not even spend a draft pick on him. He's miles from being ready to compete from what I have been able to find on him, but he does have some raw skills that, if refined, can make him into a good player. Still, a good player the Raptors could have had without even using a draft pick.
21. Mitch McGary - Oklahoma City Thunder - C+
This was a bit of a stretch too, but if the Thunder really wanted him, he probably wasn't going to be there in the second round, but might have fallen to 29. He's got great size with some solid skills, but didn't play much last year due to injury. He doesn't mind smoking a bit of pot, but I won't hold that against him.
22. Jordan Adams - Memphis Grizzlies - B
Good shooter and good defender. While passing up on Rodney Hood may wind up making this not the wisest pick, at the same time Adams isn't a terrible pick. In fact, I wanted him to be the Bulls guy at 19 for a while (though, like I've made obvious, I would have gone with Hood over him any day). He's not athletic or quick, but like I said above, he shoots and defends well, and he's also a solid defender.
23. Rodney Hood - Utah Jazz - A
FINALLY! Now it's time for me to wonder who will pick Shabazz Napier (who ESPN has been harping on over Hood for a while now, I just want to see him go before the Heat can draft him). Hood is a good defender who can shoot and create his own shot. With the combination of guards that the Jazz will have, he may not have to work too hard too often to create his shot.
24. Shabazz Napier - Miami Heat via Charlotte Hornets - B
Hopefully the Hornets were able to really squeeze a lot away from the Heat for this trade, because it is exactly what the Heat wanted. Anyway, he's a great leader who will take a lot of the facilitating away from LeBron.
25. Clint Capela - Houston Rockets - B-
Believe it or not, this actually isn't a huge reach. He'll likely be stored away for a couple of years overseas, but he's got very good potential. He's quick and athletic, but very raw. In a few years this might wind up being a very good pick for the Rockets as they continue to keep cap space cleared. He was actually seen in some mocks as a first round pick, so the Rockets did very well here.
26. PJ Hairston - Charlotte Hornets via Miami Heat - C
Hairston is a pick out of the D-League, the first one of those in this draft. He's got a ton of skill, but he has character issues. He shoots the ball well and is athletic. While I don't expect to see him be anything above a good starter, getting that at #26 isn't a common thing.
27. Bogdan Bogdanovic - Phoenix Suns - C+
I'm really not much of a fan of Bogdanovic if he's picked in the lottery, luckily there was no way he was going to be picked in the lottery. He's got a good head on his shoulders and is a good shooter. He's very unathletic, like around where Adam Morrison was pre-injury. However, his shooting, smarts, and other intangibles should make him an excellent bench scoring option. Still, wondering why Glenn Robinson III and Cleanthony Early are still on the board.
28. CJ Wilcox - Los Angeles Clippers - B-
I wonder when the last time the Clippers picked 21 spots ahead of the Lakers was. Anyway, Wilcox was, again, not a bad pick. ESPN wanted them to go big, but they would have had to reach by about 14 picks to grab a big here. I think both Robinson and Early are better picks at this point, but Wilcox can bring the offense. He's a good shooter and s a fairly smart player.
Great, Jay Bilas is being a pretentious prick and calling soccer football. I know the rest of the world calls it football, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do. In other words, in America we call it soccer. Bill Simmons is right when he says that the popularity of the World Cup is more of a patriotism thing rather than the country liking soccer. Anyway, I just can't get into it myself, it was on when I was eating lunch today and I saw, at one point, the ball just get kicked back and forth between 3 guys for more than 2 minutes. It's a boring game to me, and I even find baseball to be exciting. Anyway, it's going to die again in just a couple weeks.
29. Josh Huestis - Oklahoma City Thunder - D-
I guess they thought that since this was their second pick of the first round that this one didn't count, because I can't find a good reason for this one. He's a good defender who plays with solid hustle, he kind of reminds me of Jerome Williams when I watch some of the videos and read some of the scouting reports on him. It took me a little extra, because he wasn't expected to be picked in most mocks tonight, second player not expected to be drafted at all picked in the first round. This time it's not just a foreign player that they can just stash away too. I just don't understand this one. I don't think he's a bad guy or anything, but I just can't figure this one out when there were good players there on the board.
30. Kyle Anderson - San Antonio Spurs - C-
This is such an interesting pick here. He's got amazing size, but he's very slow and very unathletic. He's got tons of skills, but again, he's VERY unathletic. His smarts and the such will fit in with the Spurs, but as a whole I think the Spurs should have gone elsewhere with this pick, maybe pick him at #60, where he would've still been there. However, I guess I can't really question the Spurs with some of the picks and moves that they have made over the last couple of decades. Still, not going to cut them any slack that I wouldn't cut for anyone else.
So that's that. The first round. I added the grades after the round ended. I'll now go on to a post on what the Bulls actually did as well as some other thoughts on the draft.
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