NBA Draft 2015: Results, Grades for All 30 Franchises
The 2015 NBA draft was nearly a week ago now, so we're getting to the point where the world has begun moving on. Free-agency rumors are taking over the landscape, with teams readying their pitches to available veterans of superstar and role player varieties.
That means our time for talking draft is nearing an end. We've all probably forgot about the crying Knicks fan, the swaggy kid with all the suit game and the, umm, interesting comparisons for each prospect. Such is life in the NBA, but there are still things that merit discussion.
With that in mind, let's check in one last time on all things draft before moving into July.
Draft Results
Draft Grades
| Team | Grade | Analysis |
| Atlanta Hawks | C | The Hawks traded a first-round pick for Tim Hardaway Jr., which might have been the most baffling move of Round 1. Marcus Eriksson and Dimitrios Agravanis are fine draft-and-stash guys but don't possess the top-end ceiling to justify the Hardaway deal. |
| Boston Celtics | B- | Lot of likable players but at questionable value. Terry Rozier at No. 16 was a reach. R.J. Hunter was solid at No. 28, but how many score-first gunners can one team have? The Celts did fine; there's just no star here. |
| Brooklyn Nets | B | Chris McCullough was a potential lottery pick who slipped due to a torn ACL. He probably won't contribute next season, but Brooklyn did a nice job getting value out of its pick. |
| Charlotte Hornets | C+ | Promising Frank Kaminsky is one thing. Keeping that promise when Justise Winslow is on the board is another. |
| Chicago Bulls | B- | Taking Bobby Portis only furthers speculation that Chicago will be active on the trade market. The team cannot possibly go into next season with Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic and Portis all on the roster. |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | B | Trading rights to Tyus Jones made me cringe, but Cleveland made the most of its second-round picks. Cedi Osman's a good young Euro who could have trade value in a year or two. Rakeem Christmas might find a rotation spot next year. |
| Dallas Mavericks | B+ | Justin Anderson is a good player, and the Mavericks actually kept their pick. That's an automatic win. |
| Denver Nuggets | A- | Nothing says you're moving on from Hookah King Ty Lawson like drafting his replacement. Emmanuel Mudiay was considered Jahlil Okafor's equal at this point last year. Getting him at No. 7 is good value. |
| Detroit Pistons | B- | Stanley Johnson is a fine, projectable prospect. He is also worse than Justise Winslow in nearly every category. Passing on Winslow for Johnson might be a mistake. |
| Golden State Warriors | B+ | Nabbing Kevon Looney, even with his injury concerns, is a steal. Looney was considered a potential lottery pick at the beginning of the process. He might fit as a long-term Marreese Speights replacement. |
| Houston Rockets | A- | Daryl Morey is quite good at this general managing thing. The Rockets landed two solid values in Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell, each potential rotation pieces in 2015. |
| Indiana Pacers | A- | The Pacers continue to make their offensive revamping clear with Myles Turner and Joseph Young. Turner is a year or two away but has a ton of two-way potential. Young's a scoring machine. |
| Los Angeles Clippers | B- | Doc Rivers the coach is worth the pick the Clips traded to land him. Doc Rivers the GM? Let's just say the jury is still out. |
| Los Angeles Lakers | A- | Taking D'Angelo Russell at No. 2 was a brilliant risk. Russell's been second on my board for a few months, and the Lakers pulling the trigger signals their optimism about landing a big in free agency. |
| Memphis Grizzlies | B- | The Grizzlies know who they are. Jarell Martin and Andrew Harrison are former high school studs who could fit culturally and on the floor. |
| Miami Heat | A | Other than the whole LeBron leaving thing, Pat Riley continues to have things work out. There is no possible way Riles would have thought Justise Winslow would be on the board. What a steal. |
| Milwaukee Bucks | B- | Rashad Vaughn has been soaring up draft boards, so it wasn't a surprise to see him go No. 17. Being taken one pick ahead of Dekker is a bit more questionable. |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | A | The Karl-Anthony Towns thing was obvious, so let's credit Flip Saunders for flipping his two second-round picks for Tyus Jones. Not only was it strong value, but Jones also has local ties. |
| New Orleans Pelicans | C | Selling a draft pick, even late in the second round, is never going to earn a good grade. The Clippers might have wound up with a rotation piece in Brandon Dawson, too. |
| New York Knicks | A | For all the mockery sent Phil Jackson's way before the draft, he went out and executed perfectly. Grabbing Kris Porzingis at No. 4 was the risky but 100 percent correct call. Somehow finding a way to parlay Tim Hardaway Jr. into a first-round pick was incredible. |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | B+ | The Thunder were linked to Cameron Payne throughout the predraft process and wound up with their top target. Payne should replace the production lost by the departure of Reggie Jackson. Dakari Johnson is another good buy-low in Round 2. |
| Orlando Magic | B | After a few years of emphasizing defense and athleticism, Orlando's core finally got some scoring. Mario Hezonja and Tyler Harvey can light it up. |
| Philadelphia 76ers | B | HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINKEEEEE!!!!!! |
| Phoenix Suns | B | Devin Booker fills a need at 2 guard and flashed better-than-advertised athleticism in the predraft process. Trading a second-round pick for Jon Leuer is fine, I suppose. |
| Portland Trail Blazers | C+ | Trading a first-round pick for Mason Plumlee? Would have taken a rain check on that one. Getting Pat Connaughton in the process as well helps. |
| Sacramento Kings | B- | The Kings are doing DeMarcus Cousins a solid here. Cousins won't have to play center anymore and his defensive burden will be lessened. I just wouldn't have taken WCS that high. |
| San Antonio Spurs | B- | Draft-and-stash is the route in San Antonio, which has big plans in free agency. Nikola Milutinov was a riser late in the process but needs seasoning. |
| Toronto Raptors | B | In Delon Wright and Norman Powell, the Raptors get to older players with limited upside but real NBA skills. Solid. |
| Utah Jazz | B- | Utah couldn't really go wrong here. There was no true position of need, so grabbing Trey Lyles at No. 12 was strong value. Olivier Hanlan is fine second-round value. |
Best And Worst
Best: The Top Five
There shouldn't be any qualms from the fanbases in the top five. There are qualms, I know. There just shouldn't be any.
The Timberwolves followed script by taking Karl-Anthony Towns, who combines with Andrew Wiggins to give Minnesota a foundational one-two punch. My admiration for Mitch Kupchak grew when the Lakers took D'Angelo Russell, the better player, over following conventional wisdom with Jahlil Okafor. Similarly, credit Sam Hinkie for once again taking the best player on the board in Okafor rather than succumbing to external pressure.
The Knicks and Magic added overseas flavor with Kristaps Porzingis and Mario Hezonja, respectively, moves that were understandably polarizing. American fans tend to have xenophobic reactions in these circumstances, having been through the Darko Milicic-Nikoloz Tskitishvili-Fran Vazquez wringer. But Porzingis and Hezonja can really play, especially if their respective organizations allow them to work through their growing pains.
This has the potential to be an elite top five.
Worst: Stanley Johnson over Justise Winslow
Taking Stanley Johnson at No. 8 is not a problem in a vacuum. Taking Johnson at No. 8 when a similarly skilled player who does just about everything better is still available is a problem. There really is no objective criteria by which Johnson is a better prospect than Justise Winslow.
Having watched hours of film on both players, they generally check the same boxes. Both have NBA-ready bodies with aggressive defensive mindsets. Johnson looks a lot like Ron Artest in the way he defends while Winslow gives off the Jimmy Butler-Kawhi Leonard vibe. The problem is Johnson defends like an older Artest; his feet aren't super quick, and his athleticism is B-grade.
Winslow is the more platonic ideal from an athletic standpoint, is a better shooter and can do damage handling the ball in the open court. Johnson will probably be good. Winslow has the opportunity to be really good.
Best: Heat Keep on Winning
Assuming Dwyane Wade doesn't follow through with the whole leaving thing, the Heat have a shot at being an Eastern Conference finalist next year. Goran Dragic should re-sign, Chris Bosh will hopefully be back at 100 percent following his blood clot scare, and Hassan Whiteside and Winslow will help lessen the defensive load on everyone.
Winslow's stepping into a perfect situation. Consummate veterans who can offer a decade's worth of wisdom will be surrounding him. Erik Spoelstra is one of basketball's half-dozen best coaches. Pat Riley's around to look like a mob boss and teach you how to be a real-life boss.
Falling to No. 10 wasn't what Winslow envisioned before the draft. That said, it might have been the best thing for him.
Worst/Best: Frank Kaminsky
A big worst goes to Charlotte, which is apparently assembling the worst defensive frontcourt in NBA history. The Hornets' four main bigs next season will be Kaminsky, Spencer Hawes, Al Jefferson and Cody Zeller. Opposing teams are going to shoot, like, 80 percent at the rim.
Keep in mind that Charlotte is essentially drafting Kaminsky as a Zeller mea culpa. Michael Jordan and Co. are banking on the former Wisconsin star becoming a quintessential stretch 4, perhaps even playing some center in certain lineups. It's just disappointing that Charlotte would choose to hit a single—Kaminsky's ceiling is the fourth- or fifth-best player on a playoff team—rather than make a trade back for similar value or swallow hard and hit the Winslow button.
A big best, however, goes to Kaminsky's suit:
Swwwwwwwaaaag.
Best: Being Super Duper Smart
You know what's probably super dope? Being, like, incredibly super awesome at your job. I wouldn't quite know that feeling, which you probably know having read me use the word "super" in three straight sentences.
Daryl Morey, Larry Bird and Bob Myers know of the being awesome thing of which I speak. Each are among the NBA's best executives and furthered that reputation Thursday, making logical pick after logical pick.
Morey added Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell, two collegiate veterans who can step in right away. Dekker is a springy athlete who creates well off the dribble and can look like a superstar when he's playing well. Finding a level of consistency will be necessary, but going to an organization that forces players to shoot threes regularly is encouraging for him. Harrell is a high-energy big man who is going to have a long career a mid-bench player.
Bird went about revamping Indiana's outlook with Myles Turner and Joseph Young. Turner swats shots, hits occasional threes and could emerge as a two-way force if he's given developmental time. Young doesn't do much other than score, but he can fill it up from anywhere. If the Pacers are really turning up the pace, they added two players who can fit the bill.
Myers didn't do anything other than add Kevon Looney at No. 30, which is more a product of good luck than anything. Still, credit is due for pulling the trigger.
Worst: Being Super Duper Smart but Having No One Dumb to Talk to
Sup, Danny Ainge? Bet all those years of fleecing opposing general managers felt great. Grabbing Ray Allen for a half-eaten turkey sandwich was quite the ego boost. I bet sparking a new college coach revolution with the well-respected Brad Stevens also made you feel like a genius. Oh, and that Brooklyn trade. That glorious, glorious Brooklyn trade.
It's just too bad the NBA had to notice Ainge being great at his job. The Boston general manager has had a hard time parlaying any of those assets into a truly elite piece, and his efforts Thursday proved futile. Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com reported the Celtics offered a gigantic haul for Charlotte's No. 9 pick, hoping to land Winslow.
The Hornets passed and selected Kaminsky.
"Maybe we were going too hard at it," Ainge told Forsberg. "There was a time when I thought, 'Woah, this is getting a little out of control.' We're putting a lot of eggs in one young player's basket. So I'm not frustrated. In the long run, maybe it'll be the best."
Honestly, all this does is make Charlotte's refusal to move back look worse. Kaminsky damn well better be a superstar in the making to turn all that down. So let's upgrade Charlotte's worst to a worst ever and move on.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.
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