2014 NBA Draft: List of Grades for All Picks from Rounds 1-2

For more than a year, the basketball world has been impatiently waiting for the 2014 NBA draft to unfold, because it's long been clear that this is a truly special class of prospects. 

And that's not only due to the level of promise demonstrated by the eventual top-three picks of Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid, but it's also because of how many elite talents were selected just behind them.

Julius Randle, Dante Exum, Marcus Smart and Aaron Gordon could each have challenged to be No. 1 overall picks in other years, so for general managers in need of a franchise player, this was a golden opportunity to put a building block in place. 

In the end, as many as 10 teams may look back on the 2014 draft as a turning point in their organization's development, and here's a look at how each of the NBA's 30 teams' choices at the Barclays Center stack up:

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School	Grade
1	Cavaliers	Andrew Wiggins	SF	Kansas	A-
2	Bucks	Jabari Parker	SF	Duke	B+
3	76ers	Joel Embiid	C	Kansas	A
4	Magic	Aaron Gordon	PF	Arizona	B-
5	Jazz	Dante Exum	PG	Australia	B
6	Celtics	Marcus Smart	PG	Oklahoma State	B-
7	Lakers	Julius Randle	PF	Kentucky	A+
8	Kings	Nik Stauskas	SG	Michigan	C-
9	Hornets	Noah Vonleh	PF	Indiana	A
10	Magic	Elfrid Payton	PG	UL Lafayette	B
11	Bulls	Doug McDermott	SF	Creighton	B+
12	76ers	Dario Saric	SF	Croatia	B
13	Timberwolves	Zach LaVine	PG	UCLA	B
14	Suns	T.J. Warren	SF	N.C. State	B+
15	Hawks	Adreian Payne	PF	Michigan State	C
16	Nuggets	Jusuf Nurkic	C	Bosnia-Herzegovina	B+
17	Celtics	James Young	SG	Kentucky	B+
18	Suns	Tyler Ennis	PG	Syracuse	B
19	Nuggets	Gary Harris	SG	Michigan State	B
20	Raptors	Bruno Caboclo	SF	Brazil	D+
21	Thunder	Mitch McGary	PF	Michigan	C+
22	Grizzlies	Jordan Adams	SG	UCLA	B-
23	Jazz	Rodney Hood	SF	Duke	A
24	Heat	Shabazz Napier	PG	Connecticut	B+
25	Rockets	Clint Capela	PF	Switzerland	A-
26	Hornets	P.J. Hairston	SG	UNC/NBA D-League	A-
27	Suns	Bogan Bogdanovic	SG	Serbia	B
28	Clippers	C.J. Wilcox	SG	Washington	B
29	Thunder	Josh Huestis	SF	Stanford	B-
30	Spurs	Kyle Anderson	SF	UCLA	B+
31	Bucks	Damien Inglis	SF	France	A-
32	76ers	K.J. McDaniels	SF	Clemson	B+
33	Cavaliers	Joe Harris	SG	Virginia	A-
34	Knicks	Cleanthony Early	SF	Wichita State	B+
35	Grizzlies	Jarnell Stokes	PF	Tennessee	B+
36	Bucks	Johnny O'Bryant III	PF	LSU	B
37	Raptors	DeAndre Daniels	SF	Connecticut	C+
38	Pistons	Spencer Dinwiddie	PG	Colorado	B
39	76ers	Jerami Grant	SF	Syracuse	A-
40	Timberwolves	Glenn Robinson III	SF	Michigan	A
41	Nuggets	Nikola Jokic	PF	Serbia	B
42	Rockets	Nick Johnson	SG	Arizona	A-
43	Hawks	Walter Tavares	C	Cape Verde	A-
44	Nets	Markel Brown	SG	Oklahoma State	B
45	Hornets	Dwight Powell	PF	Stanford	B+
46	Lakers	Jordan Clarkson	PG	Missouri	B+
47	Pelicans	Russ Smith	PG	Louisville	C
48	Hawks	Lamar Patterson	SG	Pittsburgh	C+
49	Bulls	Cameron Bairstow	PF	New Mexico	B+
50	Suns	Alec Brown	C	Green Bay	B
51	Knicks	Thanasis Antetokounmpo	SF	Greece	A-
52	76ers	Vasilije Micic	PG	Serbia	B+
53	Timberwolves	Alessandro Gentile	G	Italy	C+
54	76ers	Nemanja Dangubic	SF	Serbia	B-
55	Hornets	Semaj Christon	PG	Xavier	B+
56	Nuggets	Roy Devyn Marble	SG	Iowa	B
57	Knicks	Louis Labeyrie	C	France	B
58	76ers	Jodan McRae	SG	Tennessee	C+
59	Raptors	Xavier Thames	PG	San Diego State	B-
60	Nets	Corey Jefferson	PF	Baylor	B

Biggest Winners

Los Angeles Lakers

Having a player as gifted and dynamic as Julius Randle drop to No. 7 is about as well as things could have fallen into place for the Lakers, and at least as of now, he's the unquestioned steal of this class. 

After posting 15 points and 10 boards a night for John Calipari during his only season at Kentucky, Randle was once considered a potential candidate to go No. 1, but to L.A.'s delight, he tumbled straight into Mitch Kupchak's grasps. 

While the Lakers still likely would have been able to pluck a future starter at this spot anyway, if Randle hadn't been dealing with the possibility of requiring surgery to adjust a pin in his right foot, there's no way he would have slipped down the board so far.

As ESPN's Dave McMenamin noted, even Kobe Bryant was thrilled:

"

Randle said he also received a congratulatory text from Bryant, who is currently vacationing in Greece.

'I grew up a huge fan of Kobe,' said Randle. 'He was always my idol, my favorite player growing up, and now I have a chance to pick his brain and learn a lot from him.'

"

And, the Lakers picked up Jordan Clarkson Round 2, which would be a nice defensive addition on its own, but as USA Today's Adi Joseph discussed, it's even sweeter because all the team had to give up to take him was cash. 

Charlotte Hornets

Like the Lakers, Charlotte benefited immensely from the depth of this class, as a player with Noah Vonleh's potential would be a surefire top-five pick in virtually any other year. 

As we saw during his time at Indiana, Vonleh's got the frame, length and rebounding ability to make a difference, and while his offensive game needs some work, the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year brings a lot of value at No. 9. 

In addition to Vonleh, as reported by CBS Sports' James Herbert, the Hornets managed to get former UNC star P.J. Hairston at No. 26 after dealing Shabazz Napier to Miami. 

Hairston clearly dropped in the eyes of many around the league due to his premature departure from North Carolina, and the Hornets may well get rewarded for this measured gamble. 

Biggest Losers

Toronto Raptors

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

After such an encouraging season for Canada's only NBA franchise, the Raptors made a puzzling decision at No. 20, taking Bruno Caboclo of Brazil. 

There are a number of reasons this was a stunningly poor choice for Toronto, but as CBS' Jon Rothstein points out, there's a clear void in the team's roster that should have been addressed first:

So instead of taking a point guard who lead his Huskies to a national title just a few months back to at least soften the blow of potentially losing Kyle Lowry, the Raptors took a shooting forward from South America that will likely end up being a long-term project? 

It's inexplicable, even if Lowry returns. 

Washington Wizards

Another team coming off a surprisingly successful season, the Wizards fall into this category for one reason: Washington didn't draft a single player. 

As Brandon Parker of the Washington Post reported, after dealing their first-rounder to Phoenix in the Marcin Gortat deal in 2013, the Wizards sold the pick that gave the Lakers Jordan Clarkson. 

With some difficult decisions on the horizon in D.C. this summer—both Marcin Gortat and Trevor Ariza are scheduled to hit free agency—adding a prospect that could have materialized into a serviceable backup would have benefited this roster, especially given the injury histories of both John Wall and Bradley Beal.