2015 NBA Draft Grades: Complete Results and Scores for Each Team
The 2015 NBA Draft got off to a rousing start Thursday night with a surprising top four picks, and the evening stayed entertaining with several unexpected trades and picks.
Some teams clearly improved themselves at the Barclays Center event this year. They acquired players, whether with their draft picks or via trade, that fill a need or merely provide a dramatic talent upgrade. Unfortunately, some other squads failed to do the same.
Which teams classified in those two respective categories? First, we'll look at the complete results from the draft, and then we'll hand out grades to every squad.
| Atlanta Hawks | C | Several good prospects remained on the board at No. 19 after Atlanta traded down, but the team traded for Tim Hardaway Jr. A risky move, to say the least. |
| Boston Celtics | C | Combo guard Terry Rozier isn't a good fit and wasn't close to the best player available. R.J. Hunter and Jordan Mickey will give nice return on their draft selections, however. |
| Brooklyn Nets | B+ | Trading for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will provide a jolt of energy for the aging Nets, although losing Mason Plumlee was unfortunate. Chris McCullough was also a good pick at No. 29 |
| Charlotte Hornets | C | Kaminsky will be solid, but the Hornets should've drafted wing shooting. Justise WInslow was available. |
| Chicago Bulls | B+ | They got Bobby Portis at No. 22, which was 5-10 spots higher than most projected. Chicago already has a crowded post rotation, however. |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | B+ | Cedi Osman and Rakeem Christmas were nice value, but the Cavs are loaded, so neither will play right away. |
| Dallas Mavericks | A- | The Mavericks got needed shooting and perimeter defense from Justin Anderson. The Indian-born Satnam Singh has potential. |
| Denver Nuggets | A- | Mudiay was the best player available for the Nuggets at No. 7. Ty Lawson is now as good as gone. |
| Detroit Pistons | B- | Stanley Johnson is a talented player at a position of need (small forward), but Justise Winslow was a better option. No. 38 was too early to draft Darrun Hilliard II. |
| Golden State Warriors | A | The Warriors had one pick, and they got a projected mid-first-rounder (Kevon Looney) at No. 30. Great move for the champs. |
| Houston Rockets | B+ | Sam Dekker could work out in Houston, but only if he develops shooting consistency. Montrezl Harrell provides great value at 32. |
| Indiana Pacers | B | Myles Turner could turn out to be a fantastic pick, if he reaches his potential and the Pacers trade Roy Hibbert. Joseph Young was a steal at No. 43. |
| Los Angeles Clippers | Inc. | The Clippers did not have a selection and did not make a trade. |
| Los Angeles Lakers | B- | D'Angelo Russell should be a star, but Jahlil Okafor was the better fit. Larry Nance Jr. was a reach in the first round. |
| Memphis Grizzlies | D+ | The Grizzlies desperately needed three-point shooting, but passed on R.J. Hunter in favor of Jarell Martin. |
| Miami Heat | A+ | Winslow was the perfect pick at No. 10 after a number of teams passed on him. |
| Milwaukee Bucks | B- | The Greivis Vasquez trade was confusing, given Milwaukee's glut of point guards. Rashad Vaughn will provide much-needed spot-up shooting. |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | A | They didn't overthink it and went with the best prospect in Karl-Anthony Towns. Tyus Jones brought back solid return on their No. 31 and 36 picks. |
| New Orleans Pelicans | B | Branden Dawson has heart, even if he probably won't take the NBA by storm as a No. 56 pick. |
| New York Knicks | C+ | Kristaps Porzingis is a gamble for the future, but Jerian Grant will contribute in Year 1. Losing Hardaway Jr. kills the depth at shooting guard, however. |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | A- | The Thunder got a serious upgrade at their backup point guard position in Cameron Payne. Dakari Johnson has nice role-player potential. |
| Orlando Magic | A- | Mario Hezonja provides solid value at No. 5, and he fills a floor-spacing need for Orlando. |
| Philadelphia 76ers | C- | Jahlil Okafor was the best player available at No. 3, but he could've been used as leverage for a trade. Philly doesn't need a center. |
| Phoenix Suns | B+ | Devin Booker wasn't the big man the Suns needed, but he was the best player on the board. |
| Portland Trail Blazers | B | The Blazers beefed up their big-man rotation, adding Mason Plumlee in a trade. Losing Hollis-Jefferson in the deal was a disappointment, however. |
| Sacramento Kings | B- | Willie Cauley-Stein will bring great defense from the get-go. Why didn't they go with Mudiay, though? |
| San Antonio Spurs | B+ | The Spurs went international again, going with Nikola Milutinov in the first round. He'll stay in Europe for a while, saving the Spurs cap room. |
| Toronto Raptors | B | It wasn't anything special, but Toronto got Delon Wright to replace the traded Greivis Vasquez at backup point guard. |
| Utah Jazz | B+ | The Jazz needed a solid third big man to play behind Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert, and Trey Lyles can fill that role in 2015-16. |
| Washington Wizards | B | The Wizards wanted Kelly Oubre, and they traded up to get the potential star. However, the move was not a vote of confidence for fellow small forward Otto Porter. |
Notable Grades
Minnesota Timberwolves (A)
Let's give the Timberwolves a round of applause for not getting too cute with their pick.
In the past several years, Minnesota has developed a reputation for drafting early-first-round busts (Jonny Flynn, Wesley Johnson and Derrick Williams, most notably), but they went with the one clear choice Thursday night: Karl-Anthony Towns of Kentucky.
Now, we don't know for sure that Towns will live up to his draft slot, but he should be a solid starter at the very least. His defensive versatility and shooting ability are both way above average for an NBA big man.
Later in the evening, the Wolves traded up to select Tyus Jones at No. 24 by sending their No. 31 and 36 picks to the Cleveland Cavaliers, along with a 2019 second-rounder.
Jones grew up just outside of Minneapolis in Apple Valley, Minnesota, and should be a solid backup point guard right off the bat.
Philadelphia 76ers (C-)
What are the Sixers thinking?
Heading into Thursday night, the consensus was that the twin towers of Towns and Jahlil Okafor would go 1-2 to lead off the draft. That would leave D'Angelo Russell in the Sixers' lap, and the Ohio State standout could be the dynamic point guard Philadelphia desperately needs.
However, when the Los Angeles Lakers took Russell instead of Okafor at No. 2, that door closed for the Sixers.
So what did Philadelphia do? The squad took Okafor, which wasn't a bad move, even with its glut of promising big men: Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric. Okafor was a coveted prospect, and Philly could trade the big man for a later pick and some additional value.
But Philly wasn't going to go that route.
The Sixers gave Isaiah Canaan and Ish Smith most of the reps at point guard to close last season. And yet, they came away from the draft with zero point guards from their six (!) selections.
It should be another year of blatant tanking in Philadelphia with no-name players stealing the majority of minutes in the backcourt.
Miami Heat (A+)
Things really couldn't have shaken out better for the Heat.
With small forward as Miami's weakest position (and held down by an aging Luol Deng), the team needed some young blood at the 3 and someone who could provide a two-way presence. Coincidentally, by far the best remaining player on the board was a small forward who just happened to be extremely tough on both ends of the floor.
His name? Justise Winslow.
The Duke freshman was supposed to go in the No. 4-to-7 range, but instead he dropped all the way to a fortunate Miami squad at 10. Winslow can ease into the league with experienced teammates around him, such as Dwyane Wade (if he stays), Chris Bosh and Deng.
Those players can also mentor the young swingman and help him capitalize on his massive potential.
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