| Atlanta Hawks |
A
|
Trae Young (5th) Kevin Huerter (19th) Omari Spellman (30th) |
You could definitely tell what Atlanta's main focus was coming into the 2018 draft: shooting. I'd say they hit the nail on the head with that. |
| Boston Celtics |
A-
|
Robert Williams (27th) | Danny Ainge does it again. I mean Robert Williams did drop into his lap but the steal of the draft in my opinion at 27. The Celtics need a solid big that battles and can catch lobs. |
| Brooklyn Nets |
C
|
Dzanan Musa (29th) Rodions Kurucs (40th) |
The Nets really did nothing in my opinion to help out their current situation. They traded for Dwight Howard just to cut ties with him it seems. Musa is a great scorer but Kurucs is injury prone. |
| Charlotte Hornets |
C
|
Miles Bridges (12th) Devonte Graham (34th) |
It's no secret that I'm not a fan of Miles Bridges and I'm not sold on Devonte Graham being a viable NBA point guard. All indications point to Kemba Walker being out of Charlotte either this season or next and the Hornets did nothing to try and fill that void. They could've draft Gilgeous-Alexander but traded back one spot to take Bridges. |
| Chicago Bulls |
B+
|
Wendell Carter Jr (7th) Chandler Hutchison (22nd) |
Still not 100% sold on Kris Dunn as Chicago's point guard of the future but I love their pickups. Carter Jr will give them a solid, young big man that can compliment Markanen while Hutchison needs to improve his three point shooting his length and athleticism will definitely help. |
| Cleveland Cavaliers |
A-
|
Collin Sexton (8th) | Sexton was in my opinion the best point guard in this draft. Has great tempo and a great handle. Solid defender who never takes a play off. Needs to improve his shooting as well as his assist turnover ratio which was just under 2:1. |
| Dallas Mavericks |
A
|
Luka Doncic (3rd) Jalen Brunson (33rd) Raymond Spalding (56th) Kostas Antetokounmpo (60th) |
Outside of Ayton, Doncic was my favorite player in this draft. Dynamic player that could be the best Euro player the NBA has ever seen. Is more of a point forward but the back court of Doncic and Smith will be fun to watch. Picking up Brunson when they did as well as Spalding to me were great picks and who wouldn't want to take a chance on a Antetokounmpo? |
| Denver Nuggets |
B-
|
Michael Porter Jr (14th) Jarred Vanderbilt (41st) Thomas Welsh (58th) |
Some people may look at my grade for Denver and think it is kind of harsh and it very well may be. But drafting Porter Jr in the lottery when now it has come out that he may sit out the summer as well as his first season is kind of crazy to me. Vanderbilt had a decent Freshman season but outside of rebounding doesn't really bring much to the table, isn't gonna blow by you or shoot over you. Welsh, was never really that impressive while at UCLA, good outside shot but had the tendency to disappear in big moments and has problems with athletic big men. |
| Detroit Pistons |
A
|
Khyri Thomas (38th) Bruce Brown (42nd) |
Detroit cleaned up in this draft if you ask me. Getting the smooth shooting Thomas at 38 and the athletic wing Brown at 42 were steals. I had seen both as 1st rounders in some mocks. I think the biggest reason these guys dropped the way they did is because of their age, Thomas is 22 whereas Brown will be turning 22 in August. |
| Golden State Warriors |
B-
|
Jacob Evans (28th) | I have never been one to trust guards from Cincinnati and I'm not gonna start now. Evans, a solid defender but doesn't bring much offense to speak of. |
| Houston Rockets |
C
|
De'Anthony Melton (46th) Vincent Edwards (52nd) |
An undersized SG at 6'3 Melton only averaged 8.3 ppg and had to sit out last season because of the FBI investigations. Edwards gives you an experienced who does all the little things. |
| Indiana Pacers |
B-
|
Aaron Holiday (23rd) Alize Johnson (50th) |
The Pacers needed to add PG depth with only having Cory Joseph and Darren Collison under contract for one more season. Holiday is a great scorer who should compliment the weapons the Pacers already have in Oladipo and Turner. Not really sure what the reasoning was to pick Johnson though who is a struggling shooter which doesn't make sense in today's NBA. Johnson being a tweener at 6'8 215 doesn't fit that mold. |
| LA Clippers |
A
|
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
(11th) Jerome Robinson (13th) |
Trading up to 11 was a great move by the Clippers. They may have found their guy to replace CP3. SGA has great length and athleticism but could improve his ball movement a some. Robinson is a bonafide scorer but lacks on the defensive end. Overall I think they definitely helped themselves out with these picks. |
| LA Lakers |
B
|
Moritz Wagner (25th) Isaac Bonga (39th) Svi Mykhailiuk (47th) |
All you've heard since the Finals ended was is LeBron going to the Lakers. The consensus is they wanted to get shooters to surround LeBron and they did so with Mykhailiuk and somewhat Wagner. Wagner is a big man with good size but doesn't have the rim protecting ability you'd like to see with his size and length. Bonga is a long athletic wing who needs to put on some muscle but could help LA in the future. |
| Memphis Grizzlies |
B+
|
Jaren Jackson Jr (4th) Jevon Carter (32nd) |
As much as I loved Memphis picking Jackson Jr I didn't like their pick of Carter at 32 when you still had Jalen Brunson on the board. Jackson will bring the Grizzlies a solid interior defender as well as being a solid outside shooter. |
| Miami Heat |
N/a
|
No pick | No pick |
| Milwaukee Bucks |
A-
|
Dante DeVencenzo (17th) | The Bucks came into the draft needing backcourt depth but with only having one pick they couldn't miss and I don't think they did with this one. DeVencenzo had a solid career at Villanova and should have no problem transitioning to the pro game. |
| Minnesota Timberwolves |
A
|
Josh Okogie (20th) Keita Bates Diop (48th) |
I really liked what Minnesota did. Going and getting Okogie who fits what Thibodeau is all about in a defender. Maybe he can help get them back to where they need to be in that aspect. Bates Diop had been ranked by a lot of other mocks as a fringe 1st rounder so getting him at 48 is a steal. |
| New Orleans Pelicans |
B
|
Tony Carr (51st) | Rondo, Ian Clark, and Jordan Crawford are all unrestricted free agents. So needing a guard and only having the 51st pick doesn't mix very well. Carr is a great shooter and is a solid pickup at this point in the draft. |
| New York Knicks |
B+
|
Kevin Knox (9th) Mitchell Robinson (36th) |
Of course the Knicks couldn't pick without their fanbase complaining about it but I think the Knox pick and even the Robinson pick have the potential to be great ones. Robinson is a virtual unknown because he sat out all of last season at WKU while Knox was somewhat inconsistent he can fill it up. Knox has the potential to be a Kevin Durant type player ( not saying he'll be Durant) just saying with his size and outside shot I think this is a great pickup for the Knicks. |
| OKC Thunder |
B-
|
Hamidou Diallo (45th) Devon Hall (53rd) Kevin Hervey (57th) |
Its tough to find a player that will be a contributor from day one or sometimes a contributor at all in the 2nd round. It seems as if they drafted three different types of wings to hope that one of them works out. Diallo is an athletic project that lacks outside shooting, Hall being a drive to the basket type guy that can knock down the three if left open but lacks quickness, while Hervey is a 3&D type player that has had two major knee surgeries. |
| Orlando Magic |
B
|
Mohamed Bamba (6th) Melvin Frazier (35th) Justin Jackson (43rd) |
Bamba has the potential to be a great pickup for the Magic. Has great size and incredible length but definitely needs to bulk up or he will get beat up in the lane. Frazier comes in as a guy who struggles with turnovers and isn't a very good outside shooter and Jackson missed most of the season with a serious shoulder injury. |
| Philadelphia 76ers |
A
|
Zhaire Smith (16th) Landry Shamet (26th) Shake Milton (54th) |
Philadelphia had the chance to draft it's hometown son (Mikal Bridges) but did the next best thing in trading back getting a solid pick in Zhaire Smith and getting more draft picks in the process. Shamet I'm not real big on but has good value at 26. Shake Milton on the other hand is a steal at 54. |
| Phoenix Suns |
A+
|
DeAndre Ayton (1st) Mikal Bridges (10th) Elie Okobo (31st) George King (59th) |
Phoenix to me cleaned up in this draft with just their first two picks. Ayton is a once in a lifetime type talent while Bridges seems ready to come in and contribute from day 1. Okobo is a score first point guard that has to learn to be a passer. Could definitely benefit from playing off of Booker, Jackson, and Ayton. |
| Portland Trailblazers |
B
|
Anfernee Simons (24th) Gary Trent Jr (37th) |
The Blazers are defintely taking a chance but they could come out on the right side of that with Simons. Although, these two picks were head scratchers unless they're expecting Lillard or McCollum to leave soon. |
| Sacramento Kings |
A
|
Marvin Bagley (2nd) | Having only one pick and it being #2 it was tough for Sacramento to mess this pick up. Bagley is a Chris Bosh clone but like I said I feel like they couldn't miss with Bagley or Doncic. Shouldn't have any problem contributing from day one. |
| San Antonio Spurs |
A
|
Lonnie Walker (18th) Chimezie Metu (47th) |
At first I couldn't believe Lonnie Walker dropped as far as he did, then came the rumors of medical problems. I think a guard of his caliber in the Spurs system could be a nightmare for the NBA. Metu is a thin solid outside shooting PF/C who has great length and is a good defender as well. |
| Toronto Raptors |
N/a
|
No pick | No pick |
| Utah Jazz |
B
|
Grayson Allen (21st) | Utah having one pick needed to add depth to the wing position. Although I'm not the biggest fan of Allen I think they get a great shooter as well as a guy that's hard nosed and knows how to win. |
| Washington Wizards |
B
|
Troy Brown (15th) Issuf Sanon (44th) |
Brown brings great length and athleticism to the guard spot for the Wizards. Now I wouldn't call him a terrible shooter I also wouldn't call him a knockdown shooter either. Just like John Wall Sanon is a tall, long PG at 6'4 with a 6'5 wingspan. Nowhere near the player Wall is I would call him a poor man's John Wall with potential. |
