2015 NBA Draft: Easy-to-View Table for Results, Grades and Analysis
Not every team can pull a Miami Heat and hit an NBA draft class out of the park without even trying.
Pat Riley and the Heat sat around and landed Justise Winslow at No. 10, but most teams weren't as fortunate. Most never are. Some can't find trade partners, some gamble on a prospect falling and many whiff and wind up with a pick who doesn't pan out.
So goes the risk of the Association's draft, which is why fans adore the process. This year won't prove any different, with immediate winners and losers quite obvious, a perspective only the prospects and teams can help change in the coming years.
For now, this is how things stand in the draft department with the draft in the books.
Draft Grades
| Atlanta Hawks | B | Atlanta reinforces the roster with quality depth at decent value in the second round of a quiet draft for the franchise. |
| Boston Celtics | B | Things didn't work out for the Celtics the way they would have liked, to say the least. For now, another point guard creates more confusion than answers. R.J. Hunter later in the round goes down as a steal, though. |
| Brooklyn Nets | B- | Brooklyn entered Thursday one of many teams with potential moving parts, so grabbing a forward in the opening round provides insurance. |
| Charlotte Hornets | B+ | The Hornets wanted a talented big man to start next to Al Jefferson and got it with Frank Kaminsky. No arguments make sense. |
| Chicago Bulls | C | Nobody can say the Bulls don't have great power forwards. It's a bit of a head-scratching move from a need standpoint, although Bobby Portis will shine in time. |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | B | The Cavaliers made the most of their picks, picking up one of the most underrated big men in the class to rebuild the roster's depth. |
| Dallas Mavericks | A | For a team wanting to continue to contend, a pro-ready player on both ends of the court was the smart way to go. |
| Denver Nuggets | A | In the matter of an instant, the Nuggets go from chaos to stability thanks to landing one of the biggest steals of the draft, at perhaps the league's most important position too. |
| Detroit Pistons | B | It seems things didn't work out the way the Pistons would have preferred in the first round, but the value and upside are solid. |
| Golden State Warriors | B | The rich get richer, with the Warriors picking up great value at a poor spot, shoring up the roster for future departures too. |
| Houston Rockets | B- | Houston gets good value with Sam Dekker, who can come in and act as a reliable scorer right out of the gates. |
| Indiana Pacers | B- | The Pacers chose upside with Myles Turner, a talented big man who can help right away, if not morph into one of the best players in the class in a few years. |
| L.A. Clippers | N/A | N/A |
| L.A. Lakers | B | The Lakers threw a curveball at No. 2—one nobody can complain about. With point guard secure for years, the front office can go nuts luring star big men to town. |
| Memphis Grizzlies | B- | Securing the future behind Zach Rudolph with a high-upside prospect makes perfect sense in the first round. |
| Miami Heat | A+ | Pat Riley strikes again, this time landing one of the most talented players in the class well out of his stock range. So long as free agency works out, the Heat are in for a big run. |
| Milwaukee Bucks | C | The Bucks got wild in the first round at a position of need with an unknown name, which sounds about right for one of the league's confusing teams in transition. |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | A | Sometimes doing the obvious thing isn't a bad thing. Minnesota improves with KAT on board. Adding a pro-ready point later? Icing on the cake. |
| New Orleans Pelicans | C | Quiet draft for the Pelicans, who will receive some sort of compensation for making a late pick. |
| New York Knicks | B- | NOW everyone can label the Knicks as losers for landing at No. 4. The board didn't fall the way they would like, and they're forced to play the long-term outlook after taking a bit of a project player. |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | A | Grabbing a backup point guard who scored at will in college and projects well to the pros means the Thunder used the pick in a smart manner. |
| Orlando Magic | B | Orlando hit on areas of need to further complement a budding young roster. Sprinkle in good value too. |
| Philadelphia 76ers | B | What, expect the 76ers to have a normal draft? Best player available continues to be the approach, and it's hard to argue with the commitment. |
| Phoenix Suns | B- | One of the deeper teams lands a key contributor off the bench who can shoot at will. Best of all? Great value. |
| Portland Trail Blazers | B | Given the unknown element at power forward moving forward, Portland did well to knock its first-round pick out of the park. |
| Sacramento Kings | A | It's impossible to know what the future holds for the Kings, but Willie Cauley-Stein provides a nice defensive complement next to DeMarcus Cousins for now. |
| San Antonio Spurs | B | So it goes for the Spurs as the team continues to grab talent its way. The long-term grade figures to stand better than the current. |
| Toronto Raptors | B | Toronto took care of a position of need in the opening round, securing the future behind Kyle Lowry, a smart move given the current roster. |
| Utah Jazz | B- | One of the league's deeper teams gets better with the addition of Trey Lyles, who comes at a position of need too. |
| Washington Wizards | B+ | Washington does a great job securing the future with Paul Pierce a question mark. Depth underneath the rim never hurts, and neither does getting it at decent value. |
The "It Could Have Been Worse" Class: Boston Celtics
To say this was an important draft for the Boston Celtics would be an understatement.
After the addition of Marcus Smart and others last year, the goal this time around was to take a shot at the moon. Few teams had more available trade assets to offer, including a pair of first-round picks this year and much more in coming years.
As Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com reveals, Danny Ainge and the front office tried to put the assets to work:
It didn't work out. Instead, the team appeared to reach on point guard Terry Rozier at No. 16 before finding good value with R.J. Hunter at No. 28 and Jordan Mickey a few picks later.
While the value on Rozier wasn't great, he's an ideal backup for Smart given his similar skill set. Hunter, who ranked 24th on the big board of Chad Ford at ESPN.com and shot 30 percent or better from deep over three collegiate seasons, solves the team's deep-shooting woes.
So while the Celtics seemed to fail in their primary objective, the front office managed to fill multiple needs. Now the team can step up to the plate of free agency and swing for the fences.
The Most Confusing Class: Atlanta Hawks
Again, not every team can put on a strong performance in the NBA draft.
It seems the Atlanta Hawks put on a head-scratcher of a performance, trading their first-round pick, No. 15, in a three-team deal that netted them Tim Hardaway Jr. from the New York Knicks.
NBA on ESPN illustrated the transaction:
Just the names in the above image tell the story. The Hawks elected to pass on plenty of high-profile prospects with high ceilings, including Bobby Portis, Kelly Oubre and Sam Dekker.
Now, Tim Hardaway Jr. isn't a bad player by any means. He's only 23 years old and is coming off a season in which he averaged career highs of 11.5 points, 1.8 assists and 2.2 rebounds, although he did struggle in the shooting department, knocking down 39 percent of his shots from the field and 34 percent from deep.
Coach Mike Budenholzer explained the thoughts behind the move, per the Hawks:
Regardless, Round 2 was even more confusing. The Hawks took shooting guard Marcus Eriksson at No. 50, a good 50 spots off from where Ford ranked him.
Here's the fun thing about the draft: The Hawks could look like geniuses in a few years. Hardaway develops into an elite scoring point and Eriksson takes the league by storm, right?
For now, though, all the grades can do is go by available information.
The Class Hindsight Should Love: New York Knicks
Go ahead and watch a replay of the draft and see just how much Knicks fans loved the moves of president Phil Jackson.
Spoiler—sheer, unbridled disappointment.
The Knicks found themselves in a tough spot at No. 4, with Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell and Jahlil Okafor off the board, so Jackson took a gamble on Kristaps Porzingis, the late riser out of Latvia.
Porzingis shot up draft boards late in the process once he arrived in the United States and worked out in front of teams. It's not hard to figure out why considering he comes in at 7'2" and 230 pounds with an elite shooting ability from all over the court, including long range.
Jackson wasn't shy about why the front office made the pick:
Some post-draft analysis by Ford puts it best: "He's a great fit in the triangle offense and being patient with him will be worth it. Porzingis has the most star potential of anyone in the draft. But I don't think the Knicks have patience. It will be interesting to see how this plays out."
If anything, the pick confirms the notion that the front office in New York remains willing to play toward a traditional rebuild, where grooming elite talent takes center stage. Remember, the team also landed Notre Dame point guard Jerian Grant by shipping away Hardaway. Grant is an elite athlete who could start as a rookie after starting four years with the Fighting Irish.
None of this prohibits the Knicks from going crazy in free agency, either. In time, folks may grow to love the class too given its high-upside elements.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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