NBA Draft 2015: Full Results and Initial Grades for Entire 1st Round
No team had a better draft than the Miami Heat. After some unexpected picks in the first four selections, the Duke Blue Devils' Justise Winslow was one of the biggest fallers. The Heat were happy to catch the falling star.
Getting Winslow at No. 10 could go down as the biggest steal of this draft. DraftExpress had Winslow listed as the No. 7 prospect overall. At 6'7" with a 6'10 1/4" wingspan, Winslow has the requisite size to play either wing position. There's questions as to whether Dwyane Wade will return to the team next season. If Wade does bolt, Winslow could be excellent insurance.
Best-case scenario, the Heat will retain Goran Dragic and Wade and use Winslow as a super sub off the bench.
In the second round, the Heat tabbed Josh Richardson from the Tennessee Volunteers. Richardson is a springy athlete who made 36 percent of his three-point shots in 2014-15. He could provide excellent depth at shooing guard and spread the floor for the second unit.
Per this quote tweeted by Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald, Winslow is excited about the opportunity to play with a future Hall of Famer:
If Miami is healthy and it retains its key free agents, it'll be one of the three best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Here's a look at every pick from Thursday night's draft. Just below the first table is a look at the grades for each team.
| Minnesota Timberwolves | A- | Karl-Anthony Towns at No. 1 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | A+ | D'Angelo Russell at No. 2 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | D- | Jahlil Okafor at No. 3 |
| New York Knicks | D | Trading for No. 19 Pick, Jerian Grant |
| Orlando Magic | A+ | Mario Hezonja at No. 5 |
| Sacramento Kings | C- | Willie Cauley-Stein at No. 6 |
| Denver Nuggets | A- | Emmanuel Mudiay at No. 7 |
| Detroit Pistons | B- | Darrun Hilliard at No. 38 |
| Charlotte Hornets | B- | Frank Kaminsy at No. 9 |
| Miami Heat | A+ | Justise Winslow at No. 10 |
| Indiana Pacers | C- | Myles Turner at No. 11 |
| Utah Jazz | C+ | Trey Lyles at No. 12 |
| Phoenix Suns | B+ | Devin Booker at No. 13 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | A- | Cameron Payne at No. 14 |
| Atlanta Hawks | D- | Markus Eriksson at No. 50 |
| Boston Celtics | B | Jordan Mickey at No. 33 |
| Houston Rockets | B+ | Sam Dekker at No. 18 |
| Washington Wizards | B- | Trading for No. 15 Kelly Oubre |
| Toronto Raptors | B | Delon Wright at No. 20 |
| Dallas Mavericks | C+ | Justin Anderson at No. 21 |
| Chicago Bulls | A+ | Bobby Portis at No. 22 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | B+ | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson at No. 23 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | C- | Trading for Rakeem Christmas at No. 36 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | C+ | Jarell Martin at No. 25 |
| San Antonio Spurs | B- | Nikola Milutinov at No. 26 |
| Brooklyn Nets | B+ | Pat Connaughton at No. 41 |
| Golden State Warriors | B+ | Kevon Looney at No. 30 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | B- | Branden Dawson at No. 56 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | N/A | No Picks or Trades |
Los Angeles Lakers
By taking the Ohio State Buckeyes' D'Angelo Russell, the Los Angeles Lakers clearly went the best-player-available route. Many expected the Lakers to take Duke's Jahlil Okafor, but it was clear L.A. saw something special in Russell.
Of all the players in the draft, Russell has the most superstar potential. He averaged 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and five assists in 2014-15. Russell also made 41 percent of his threes. Even more than his physical talents, Russell has the "it" factor. Teamed with Kobe Bryant, Julius Randle and a potential high-level free agent, Russell could help lead a Lakers resurgence.
The Lakers reached a bit with the selection of Larry Nance Jr. with the 27th pick. He was widely considered a second-round talent. However, Los Angeles rebounded with its 34th pick.
Anthony Brown out of Stanford is a knockdown three-point shooter who also projects as an above-average defender. Three-and-D role players are a necessity in today's NBA, and the Lakers found a solid one in the second round.
Chicago Bulls
With just one pick in the entire draft, the Chicago Bulls had to make the 22nd selection count. By drafting the Arkansas Razorbacks' Bobby Portis, the Bulls did just that. Portis could have been a late lottery selection, but he slipped to the Bulls in a mildly surprising series of events.
Portis can shoot the ball from distance, rebound and score with his back to the basket. He averaged 17.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in 2014-15. At 6'10", he also made 46 percent of his threes last season. He gives the Bulls some needed offensive firepower and depth up front.
Should the team elect to trade Taj Gibson and/or Joakim Noah, it has a young big who could step in and replace the potentially departing veteran(s).
Philadelphia 76ers
What are the Philadelphia 76ers doing?
That had to be the most commonly asked question of the night. With a whopping six picks in the draft, the Sixers got very little that made sense.
While Okafor is an excellent talent, it's mind boggling to try to figure out how he, Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid ultimately fit together. Embiid has some uncertainty surrounding him because of his health, but the glaring need for a point guard should have overshadowed the desire to have insurance for a guy the team just drafted last year.
The Sixers might have calmed some of the criticism had they taken a point guard like Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix's Keifer Sykes with one of their second-round picks. Instead, they continued to add big men and a wing player who can't shoot from the outside in J.P. Tokoto.
Sam Smith of Bulls.com couldn't help but take a shot at the Sixers' gluttony of size:
Philly head man Sam Hinkie wants Sixers fans to "trust the process," but after a draft like this, that's a difficult task.
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