NBA Draft 2015: Results and Letter Grades for All 30 Franchises
When assessing the NBA draft, it's important to look big picture at how each franchise transformed over the course of the night. In a lot of cases, this goes beyond just the first-round pick.
No matter what a team's needs are or whether it considers itself a contender for next season, the goal for each organization is to get better for the future. Some teams did a great job of accomplishing this feat, while others were left behind.
Considering all picks and trades, here is a look at grades for each franchise, with a breakdown of some of the more interesting teams.
| Atlanta Hawks | C- | Tim Hardaway Jr. is not worth giving up a top-20 pick with other options on the board. |
| Boston Celtics | B+ | Some picks were great, some were questionable. Still, the team filled some of its biggest needs. |
| Brooklyn Nets | A- | Gave up Mason Plumlee but got a great defender in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Chris McCullough is also a nice high-upside pick. |
| Charlotte Hornets | B+ | Frank Kaminsky should help right away, though he has a lower ceiling than most lottery picks. |
| Chicago Bulls | B | For where he was taken, Bobby Portis will be a very useful rotational player in the low post. Still, this wasn't a big need. |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | C+ | None of the picks have much upside aside from Cedi Osman, who is still a long way away. |
| Dallas Mavericks | C | Justin Anderson is a risk if he turns out to be a system player, while Satnam Singh Bhamara isn't likely to make much of an impact ever. |
| Denver Nuggets | A- | Emmanuel Mudiay could be a very good point guard at this level, but now the question is what happens to Ty Lawson. |
| Detroit Pistons | B | Not a fan of picking Stanley Johnson over Justise Winslow, but he still has a lot of talent and fills a position of need. |
| Golden State Warriors | B+ | Whether Kevon Looney's hip injury turns out to be serious or not, this is a worthwhile risk for the NBA champs. |
| Houston Rockets | B- | Some are convinced Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell could be impact players, but I'm not. Both have good athleticism but lack range or an offensive skill set needed at this level. |
| Indiana Pacers | A- | Myles Turner is a high-risk, high-reward player who will at least be a solid defender. Joe Young will take care of the offense. |
| Los Angeles Clipper | B- | Brought in Branden Dawson, though it's unlikely he has too much impact as an undersized 4. |
| Los Angeles Lakers | A- | Need over value isn't always smart for a struggling team, but this will all depend on the play of D'Angelo Russell. |
| Memphis Grizzlies | C | Memphis needed offense and brought in a player (Jarell Martin) who won't provide much. |
| Miami Heat | A+ | Justise Winslow was the steal of the draft at No. 10 and should help immediately. Josh Richardson will also add depth on the perimeter. |
| Milwaukee Bucks | A- | Upgraded backcourt with additions of veteran Greivis Vasquez and high-upside SG Rashad Vaughn. |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | A | Had a lot of choices at No. 1 but made the right decision with Karl-Anthony Towns. Versatile scorer and defender could be a star. |
| New Orleans Pelicans | C | Only pick was traded for cash. Pelicans could have used some help on the court. |
| New York Knicks | A | Kristaps Porzingis remains a mystery, but the Knicks can afford to wait. Grabbing an NBA-ready player like Jerian Grant was the icing on the cake. |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | B | Not much upside, but both Cameron Payne and Dakari Johnson should be around for a long time as backups. |
| Orlando Magic | B+ | Mario Hezonja and Tyler Harvey are both players who can create their own shot, something needed in Orlando. |
| Philadelphia 76ers | B | The 76ers draft for value and figure out the rest later. The team will be bad again next year, but the assets are piling up. |
| Phoenix Suns | B+ | Added arguably the best shooter in the draft in Devin Booker and added some frontcourt depth with trade for Jon Leuer. |
| Portland Trail Blazers | B- | Mason Plumlee and Pat Connaughton could be nice pieces on a good team, but Portland needs more to truly contend in the West. |
| Sacramento Kings | B+ | Willie Cauley-Stein will be exactly what he is expected to be—a great defender for over a decade without ever being much of an offensive presence. |
| San Antonio Spurs | C | Strange to denounce a Spurs draft, but they cared more about clearing cap space than drafting quality players. |
| Toronto Raptors | A- | Added two good defensive-minded guards in Delon Wright and Norman Powell as well as a future first-round pick. |
| Utah Jazz | B | Trey Lyles is better than what we saw at Kentucky, though he won't provide much more than just depth up front. |
| Washington Wizards | B+ | A team that needed immediate help went with a project, but there is still enough upside in Kelly Oubre to make this a smart move. |
Most Intriguing Drafts
Boston Celtics
The Celtics truly were all over the place with their four picks. Two of them were major reaches, while others were exactly what was needed at the right time.
If you look at this class as a whole and not where everyone was picked, though, this is a pretty nice haul for the Celtics. ESPN's Jeff Goodman discussed the fit with selecting R.J. Hunter:
Jordan Mickey is also a valuable asset as a big-time shot-blocker (3.6 blocks per game last season) who is good enough with his timing to make up for his lack of size (6'8"). Adding just these two picks along with some high-upside options would have been just fine.
However, Boston seemingly wasted an early pick on Terry Rozier, who doesn't seem to have a role set for him with the team. He doesn't have a true position and is best used as an on-ball defender with some quickness. Meanwhile, Marcus Thornton has a unique scoring ability but also lacks true point guard skills.
With combo guards Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas already on the roster, this will only create a jumbled mess in the rotation.
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers continue to urge fans to "trust the process," which now seems like it will be a decade-long maneuver.
Philadelphia has drafted a bunch of low-post prospects in recent years and now is desperately in need of a point guard. Instead of grabbing the best player available who fit a need, however, the front office decided to once again go with the player who had the most value in center Jahlil Okafor.
General manager Sam Hinkie didn't bother worrying about fit, he just saw what could be a great player in the former Duke star:
This continued for the rest of the night with frontcourt picks like Richaun Holmes and Arturas Gudaitis as well as guard J.P. Tokoto. None of them can shoot, none of them can play point guard. However, they each represent a ton of value for where they were picked, and each of them can become a very good NBA player.
After going 18-64 last season and failing to address needs, next year will likely be another long one. However, the assets are piling up, and eventually this could be a team of All-Stars.
As long as the fans are willing to wait for a quality product on the court, the process seems to be working.
Los Angeles Lakers
Many were surprised when the Lakers decided to pick D'Angelo Russell with the No. 2 selection over Okafor, but this could turn out to be a very smart move. Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding broke down the team's thinking:
While Okafor could be an extremely productive low-post player, he still isn't a great defender and doesn't stretch the floor. This doesn't seem to fit well in the frontcourt with Julius Randle, who has many of the same qualities.
On the other hand, Russell could be just as good of a scorer while also adding versatility offensively as someone who can play either guard position and create for others. On a growing young team, this is an important quality.
Anthony Brown was also a quality selection as the best shooter available and someone who can make a valuable contribution to the rotation.
Still, this draft does come with plenty of risk. Okafor could very easily make the Russell pick look foolish, while fellow first-round pick Larry Nance Jr. represented a major reach when he was taken. There were arguably better frontcourt options available with higher ceilings.
Nothing is certain in the NBA draft, but Los Angeles opened itself up to a lot of second-guessing down the line.
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.
