NBA Draft 2012 Grades: Complete Scores for Entire First Round
It is often said that a draft class can't accurately be graded until five years down the line, and while that may be true, it certainly doesn't stop us from giving our immediate reactions.
As always, Thursday night's NBA draft had its fair share of obvious picks, shocking picks and everything in between, and it is abundantly clear which teams came out as winners and which weren't so lucky.
There is a decent chance that at least a few of the grades given immediately after the draft will be proven wrong in a few years, but grading teams on their performances is a good way to see how everyone stacks up against one another.
Grades are all about personal opinion, so they're bound to vary from one person to the next.
But they are effective in setting standards for the upcoming season.
Here are my first-round grades for every selection, as well as some further analysis on some of Thursday's most intriguing picks.
1. New Orleans Hornets: Anthony Davis, F, Kentucky (A)
The Hornets didn't try to get fancy as they took the top player in the draft, so they ace this pick.
2. Charlotte Bobcats: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, F, Kentucky (B)
Kidd-Gilchrist is a high-motor player who should make an impact, but the Bobcats desperately needed an interior scorer and could have done better.
3. Washington Wizards: Bradley Beal, G, Florida (A)
Washington has a lot of young athletes on the roster, but needed a shooter, and Beal is a Ray Allen clone who may very well be best jump shooter in the class.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Dion Waiters, G, Syracuse (D)
The Cavs fell in love with Waiters' late rise up draft boards and are now stuck with a one-dimensional player taken entirely too early.
5. Sacramento Kings: Thomas Robinson, F, Kansas (A)
Kansas power forward Thomas Robinson's falling to the Sacramento Kings at No. 5 was the perfect example of teams over-thinking their picks.
The Charlotte Bobcats should have grabbed him at No. 2 since they have no interior scoring presence, but they opted to go with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist instead. Then, the Cleveland Cavaliers definitely should have taken him at No. 4 to give point guard Kyrie Irving a complement in the paint, but they went way off the board to select Dion Waiters.
Other teams' screw-ups were beneficial to the Kings, though, as they may have gotten the draft's second-best player behind Anthony Davis.
Robinson went from a bench player as a sophomore to a bona-fide star as a junior for the Jayhawks this past season, as he was often dominant as a scorer in the paint and he controlled the boards on defense, as well.
On top of that, Robinson is a high-character guy who is going to bring a blue-collar work ethic to a Kings team that is still learning to win.
Robinson had some talent around him at Kansas, but he was the unquestioned star last season and had to get things done himself in many games. He led Kansas to the national championship game and ensured that the squad put up a fight against Kentucky.
If center DeMarcus Cousins can mature, then he and Robinson should form a dominant duo inside for years to come.
6. Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard, G, Weber State (B)
Portland needed a point guard, and while Lillard may not be a prototypical distributor, he has a lot of offensive ability that should translate.
7. Golden State Warriors: Harrison Barnes, F, North Carolina (C)
Most loved this pick, and it does fill a need, but with so many other offensive players on Golden State, I feel like Barnes could ruin the rhythm of the offense by forcing shots.
8. Toronto Raptors: Terrence Ross, G, Washington (C)
Ross was taken way earlier than anyone expected, but the pick isn't a total loss because he is a good perimeter scorer and a solid fit for the Raptors' system.
9. Detroit Pistons: Andre Drummond, C, Connecticut (B)
Drummond has bust potential if he doesn't put the necessary work in, but his potential made him worth the risk here, particularly as a complement to Greg Monroe.
10. New Orleans Hornets: Austin Rivers, G, Duke (C)
The Hornets had a chance to have the perfect draft by taking Kendall Marshall to run the offense, but they went with a selfish player in Rivers who won't be able to transition to point guard.
11. Portland Trail Blazers: Meyers Leonard, C, Illinois (B)
Leonard has a lot of developing to do and is a bit of a project, but he is a seven-footer with an NBA body and he fills a need for the Blazers.
12. Houston Rockets: Jeremy Lamb, G, Connecticut (B)
I'm not sure how necessary this pick was as the Rockets have Kevin Martin, but Lamb is talented enough to go higher, so Houston went with the best player available as they had three first rounders.
13. Phoenix Suns: Kendall Marshall, G, North Carolina (A)
Solid, productive players who lack flash often go unnoticed in the NBA draft, and it can result in a bit of a tumble.
That was the case with North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall, as he was taken at No. 13 by the Phoenix Suns.
Marshall wasn't a dynamic scorer for the Tar Heels, and he isn't the type of guy who is going to run defenses ragged with immense speed. He simply makes the people around him better.
And that may be the rarest and most important trait in a point guard.
Marshall was surrounded by stars such as Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller at North Carolina, so he never really received the attention and praise he deserved.
The fact of the matter is, however, that he was the glue guy who held everything together. Not only was he a great leader in terms of intangibles, but he put each and every one of his teammates in positions to succeed on the floor.
Had Marshall returned to UNC, he might have become the all-time NCAA assists leader, so that tells you just how good of a passer he is.
Marshall isn't a bad shooter, but if he can improve in that area, then I view him as an All-Star-caliber player.
Steve Nash may be leaving Phoenix via free agency, and while Marshall won't replace everything Nash brings to the table right away, he played in an up-tempo system at North Carolina and should fit right in with the Suns.
14. Milwaukee Bucks: John Henson, F, North Carolina (B)
The Bucks lack an interior presence after trading Andrew Bogut last season, and although Henson needs to bulk up, he is an elite shot blocker who should make an impact.
15. Philadelphia 76ers: Maurice Harkless, F, St. John's (C)
Harkless is a versatile player who can do a little bit of everything, but this was a slight reach and the Sixers needed a big, so Tyler Zeller would have made more sense.
16. Houston Rockets: Royce White, F, Iowa State (C)
White has an interesting and varied skill set, but he comes with some baggage, and like the 76ers, the Rockets would have been much better off with a center like Zeller, or even Fab Melo.
17. Dallas Mavericks (Traded to CLE): Tyler Zeller, C, North Carolina (B)
This would have been a good pick for the Mavericks, but it is even better for the Cavaliers as they get a big who can run the floor with Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters.
18. Houston Rockets: Terrence Jones, F, Kentucky (B)
Houston came into the draft wanting to get deeper and tougher, and they accomplished both of those things with this pick as Jones is a relentless player, particularly on the boards.
19. Orlando Magic: Andrew Nicholson, F, St. Bonaventure (C)
I really like Nicholson as a player, but the fit isn't great since the Magic already have Ryan Anderson at power forward and needed to add some back-court talent.
20. Denver Nuggets: Evan Fournier, G, France (C)
Fournier probably won't make the NBA for a couple years so it's tough to accurately grade this pick, but the Nuggets are deep enough that they didn't necessarily need another bench player.
21. Boston Celtics: Jared Sullinger, F, Ohio State (B)
Sullinger is a guy with top-10 talent who fell due to injury and size concerns, but he seems like a more talented Glen Davis to me, so the Celtics will figure out how to utilize him.
22. Boston Celtics: Fab Melo, C, Syracuse (B)
Melo is a developmental guy and he has bust potential, but his defense is already exceptional and he should be able to replace some of what they lost when they traded Kendrick Perkins.
23. Atlanta Hawks: John Jenkins, G, Vanderbilt (B)
This seems like more of a luxury pick than a need as the Hawks already have Joe Johnson, but he is aging quickly and Jenkins could be his replacement fairly soon.
24. Cleveland Cavaliers (Traded to DAL): Jared Cunningham, G, Oregon State (D)
In what could be called one of the stranger picks of the first round, the Cleveland Cavaliers took Oregon State guard Jared Cunningham at No. 24 and traded him along with two second rounders to the Dallas Mavericks for North Carolina center Tyler Zeller.
When the Mavs originally took Zeller at No. 17, I thought it was a great pick for them, since his offensive ability and rebounding could have meshed well with Dirk Nowitzki.
Dallas opted to stockpile picks instead and ended up with Cunningham as the centerpiece of its draft.
Cunningham is an interesting player, as he is a bit of a slashing two-guard, but I don't consider him a first-round prospect. He needs to bulk up in a big way, as he packs just 188 lbs on his 6'5" frame, and while he improved his shooting over the course of his collegiate career, he isn't an elite shooter by any means.
The Mavericks needed youth at pretty much every position, and they got some with this pick, but there were some better options on the board.
Perhaps Cunningham can be somewhat of a poor-man's Dion Waiters 20 picks lower in the draft, but I'm not a big fan of Waiters, either.
I believe Dallas should have taken Zeller and kept him. He could have made a much bigger immediate impact.
25. Memphis Grizzlies: Tony Wroten Jr., G, Washington (B)
This seemed like the ideal pick for Memphis all along as it needed to add a dynamic offensive player and Wroten certainly fits the bill.
26. Indiana Pacers: Miles Plumlee, F, Duke (F)
This pick was just a really bad one as there was a lot of talent left on the board, but the Pacers decided to go with a guy who can rebound and not much else.
27. Miami Heat (Traded to PHI): Arnett Moultrie, F, Mississippi State (B)
Moultrie would have been a nice fit for Miami as an athletic, developmental big, but it is even better for the Sixers since they had a huge front-court hole.
28. Oklahoma City Thunder: Perry Jones III, F, Baylor (B)
I'm no fan of Jones, but Oklahoma City was the ideal landing spot for him as he can play off Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in the Thunder's up-tempo offense.
29. Chicago Bulls: Marquis Teague, G, Kentucky (B)
It's unclear how long point guard Derrick Rose will be out, but if it is for a lengthy period of time, then Teague could be a great fill-in option.
30. Golden State Warriors: Festus Ezeli, C, Vanderbilt (C)
Taking Ezeli as a guy to develop behind Andrew Bogut was a nice idea, and while I'm not sure Ezeli's upside is all that high, he could stick in the NBA.
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