NBA Draft 2015 Grades: Full Results, Analysis and Reaction
The Los Angeles Lakers landed the player with the most superstar potential in the draft with the No. 2 pick. With all due respect to No. 1 overall selection Karl-Anthony Towns, who went to the Minnesota Timberwolves, D'Angelo Russell has the potential to become an elite player sooner rather than later.
The Lakers chose him to be the next face of their franchise once Kobe Bryant hangs up his sneakers. The Mamba still has one or two years left, so while he's still with the Lakers, he and Russell will partner to see if they can bring the Lakers another taste of glory before the team transitions to life without Bryant.
Per the Lakers' Twitter account, head coach Byron Scott said the team felt Russell was something "special":
Russell averaged 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and five assists per game as a freshman with the Ohio State Buckeyes. With him, Bryant, Julius Randle and a major free-agent acquisition, the Lakers could be in position to return to the postseason in the 2015-16 campaign.
The Lakers also selected Larry Nance Jr. of the Wyoming Cowboys and Anthony Brown of the Stanford Cardinal to round out one of the best draft-day hauls in the league. Here's a look at all of the results and grades for every 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 Kaminsky 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 |
Miami Heat
Another team that did well on Thursday night was the Miami Heat. The Heat took Duke Blue Devils star Justise Winslow with the 10th pick in the draft. It was like shades of 2003, when Dwyane Wade slipped to the Heat at No. 5.
No one is comparing Winslow to Wade, but he is a talent who was considered superior to his draft slot. DraftExpress had Winslow rated as its No. 7 prospect overall. There are questions as to whether Wade and Goran Dragic will return to Miami, but if they do, the Heat will have a vastly improved team from last year's squad that missed the postseason.
Winslow could be a super sub for that team that boasts a starting lineup of Dragic, Wade, Luol Deng, Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside.
The Heat also drafted underrated and athletic swingman Josh Richardson from the Tennessee Volunteers. If everything falls into place from a free-agent standpoint—and the team stays healthy—the Heat will be one of the three best teams in the conference next season.
Orlando Magic
The other Florida team did a great job at the draft as well. Mario Hezonja is the second-best pure scorer behind Russell, and the Orlando Magic got him at No. 5.
ESPN's Jay Bilas said (via ESPN's Gianina Thompson) that his colleague and international hoops expert Fran Fraschilla tabbed Hezonja as the only player in the class who could compete in the 2016 Slam Dunk Contest and Three-Point Shootout. Few players have the skill set that would allow them to finish at the rim on that level and be an elite long-range shooter.
Synergy Sports Tech validates Hezonja's all-around scoring prowess with this tweet:
Hezonja did knock down 38 percent of his threes during Euroleague play this past season. You can see from the highlights in the DraftExpress video below that Hezonja has some rise.
The Magic now have an elite scorer to play small forward, teaming with Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo.
In the second round, the Magic selected Tyler Harvey from the Eastern Washington Eagles. While he wasn't picked until late, Harvey is still one of—if not—the best three-point shooters in this draft. Last season, he made 40.9 percent of his long-range attempts.
He could be an instant-offense guy off the bench if he can make the team. Suddenly the Magic look like a legitimate threat to make the playoffs next season.
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