NBA Draft Grades 2020: Letter Marks, Results and Analysis for Every Team

In a year with so many surprises, twists and turns, Wednesday's NBA draft didn't provide many unexpected results. 

There were no blockbuster last-minute trades that shifted the balance of power in the league, and most of the selections—though not all by any means—made sense. And that's about to be expected with a draft class containing so many unknowns—including the top three selections. Neither Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman nor LaMelo Ball are surefire NBA All-Stars, but the former two likely have much higher floors, even if their ceilings aren't quite as impressive. 

A handful of teams found themselves to be quite lucky, landing prospects who were projected to go much earlier than they did, and a handful more made picks that left pretty much everyone wondering what exactly they were thinking.

2020 NBA Draft Results (Picks 1-60)

Catch up on all of last night's selections in the widget above.

Atlanta-Golden State

Craig Mitchelldyer/Associated Press

Atlanta Hawks: B

This was a bit of an awkward spot to pick in for Atlanta as it continues to rebuild around Trae Young. Okongwu was one of the more physically impressive prospects in this year's class, but how he fits into a frontcourt that already has John Collins and Clint Capela will be interesting to watch. 

Boston Celtics: B+

Boston knew exactly what it needed coming into the night, and it left with exactly that: a capable backup point guard (Pritchard) and a deadeye shooter to complement Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum (Nesmith).

Brooklyn Nets: B+

Brooklyn's biggest addition of the night came through of a trade, as the Nets acquired Clippers guard Landry Shamet in a three-way trade with Los Angeles and Detroit. His shooting ability plugs a hole, but an already crowded backcourt got a little more full.

Charlotte Hornets: A-

This franchise absolutely needed a win, and rebuilding around arguably the most dynamic player in the draft gives Charlotte that. Carey never quite lived up to his billing at Duke, but if the Hornets' coaching staff can coax his potential out of him, he could be a consistent starter in this league for a long time.

Chicago Bulls: C-

There weren't that many head-scratching picks in this year's class, in large part due to the lack of hierarchy between most of the prospects, but this was a big reach. Chicago is deep into rebuild mode, and taking the ACC Sixth Man of the Year this early doesn't exactly scream immediate impact.

Cleveland Cavaliers: B-

Cleveland is another team that has a long ways to go before it's regularly contending in the Eastern Conference again. Okoro is a solid but not spectacular value at the No. 5 overall pick.

Dallas Mavericks: A

Last season, Dallas was right on the cusp of being an elite Western Conference team with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. And though none of three players it selected are likely to be impact players on Day 1, each fills the exact needs that the Mavericks had coming in.

Denver Nuggets: B+

Before he opted to play professionally in Australia, Hampton was considered by many analysts to be among the five best prospects in this class. His shooting still needs some significant work, but his playmaking ability is something Denver just didn't have outside of Jamal Murray.

Detroit Pistons: A

The Pistons were by far the most aggressive team on Wednesday night, trading to get three picks in the top-19. A team that has largely been built around Blake Griffin and nothing else got an infusion of young talent, and for a franchise that won't be winning anything anytime soon, it's a good start to the rebuild.

Golden State Warriors: B

The Warriors are waiting with bated breath to learn the prognosis for a lower leg injury that Klay Thompson suffered yesterday in a workout. But regardless of his immediate future, Golden State had to start building for its own, and Wiseman is about as safe of a pick as there was at this spot.

Houston-New York

Michael Wyke/Associated Press

Houston Rockets: No picks 

Indiana Pacers: N/A  

Pretty much the entire direction of Indiana’s future depends on what happens with Victor Oladipo. A late second-round pick isn’t going to make a whole lot of difference one way or the other. 

Los Angeles Clippers: N/A

The Clippers mortgaged their entire future trading for Paul George, and adding Luke Kennard in the three-team trade with Brooklyn and Detroit is another win-now move after Landry Shamet’s regression in his sophomore season.

Los Angeles Lakers: No picks

Memphis Grizzlies: A-

One of the NBA’s best young duos resides in Memphis, and the Grizzlies made a couple of terrific value picks with Bane and Tillman, who should both be immediate contributors, even if they won't be Day 1 starters.

Miami Heat: A-

The surprise team of the NBA Playoffs filled its biggest hole by selecting Achiuwa, an energetic, defensive-minded big man who will help take some off the load off Bam Adebayo’s massive shoulders.

Milwaukee Bucks: B

The biggest storyline surrounding Milwaukee on draft night was the apparent trade snafu with the Sacramento Kings and Bogdan Bogdanovic, who reportedly didn’t agree to be traded to the Bucks and will instead enter free agency. But taking Jordan Nwora, one of the best pure shooters in this class, at No. 45 could be a real steal.

Minnesota Timberwolves: A

When it came down to it, there really wasn’t another pick that made sense here for Minnesota. Edwards is the most NBA-ready guard in this group, and if he can improve his outside shooting and defensive effort, he’s got a real chance to be a multi-year All-Star when it’s said and done. Bolmaro and McDaniels are both likely developmental players for the foreseeable future, but Minnesota just needs to be competitive to keep Karl-Anthony Towns in town.

New Orleans Pelicans: B

The Pelicans are shipping Jrue Holiday to Milwaukee and getting back a massive haul, including Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and three-first round picks. New Orleans is loaded with future picks and has one of the most promising young cores in the league with Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. Lewis only adds to that, making a team that was already good in transition even more dangerous.

New York Knicks: B-

In true New York Knicks fashion, getting Toppin at No. 8 overall (a very good thing) had to be followed by making a huge reach for Quickley at No. 25 (a very bad thing). It’s not that Quickley can’t be a contributor; he’s a terrific outside shooter. But he was projected by nearly everyone as a mid-to-late second-round pick.

Oklahoma City-Washington

Antonio Calanni/Associated Press

Oklahoma City Thunder: B-

No team has more draft capital over the next couple years than Oklahoma City does, and the Thunder are in no hurry to rebuild once Chris Paul is officially traded to Phoenix. Each of OKC's three picks are high-upside international players who likely won't see the floor this season, but Pokusevski has potential to be one of the better finds in this draft if he can build on his slight 7-foot frame.

Orlando Magic: B+

Orlando badly needed a point guard capable of distributing, and no matter the questions about his shooting ability, Anthony is a born playmaker. He was at one time considered a surefire top-3 prospect, but a year of injuries and a heavy offensive load at North Carolina derailed that. He now has a chance to prove right what people saw when he was among the best high school recruits in the country two years ago. 

Philadelphia 76ers: B

Philadelphia and its new front-office executive, Darryl Morey, were busy leading up to and during draft night. In addition to its three selections, Philly acquired Danny Green from the Lakers and Seth Curry from Dallas to bolster its very porous outside shooting. The 76ers also shed Al Horford's contract in the process, which is a huge win for a team that still believes it can win with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. 

Phoenix Suns: D+

For as good of a move that the Suns made by acquiring Chris Paul in a trade with the Thunder, they might have made an equally perplexing one by taking Smith at No. 10 overall. He was projected to be a late lottery pick at best, and most analysts had him going in the late teens or early 20s. How he'll fit alongside DeAndre Ayton in Phoenix's offensive will go a long way in determining the success of this pick. 

Portland Trail Blazers: N/A

The Blazers didn't make much noise on draft night because they'd already done it by trading the No. 16 pick, as well as Trevor Ariza, for Houston's Robert Covington. He's one of the most versatile wings in the league, and it seemed like his struggles in Houston were more due to bad positional fits and being left out of an offense dominated by Russell Westbrook and James Harden. 

Sacramento Kings: A

Sacramento got one of the steals of the first round when Haliburton fell to No. 12 after being projected as a top-5 pick by nearly everyone. With he and DeAaron Fox, the Kings have one of the most intriguing young backcourts in the Western Conference. 

San Antonio Spurs: A-

After finding diamonds in the rough year after year, it seems Gregg Popovich landed on one without having to dig very far. Vassell fits the 3-and-D prototype perfectly, and he's a good young piece for San Antonio to build around over the next few years. Jones, who a lot of people saw as a borderline first-rounder, is a point guard very much in the mold of Tony Parker. If he can even come close to that, San Antonio will have made another draft heist. 

Toronto Raptors: B+

With Fred VanVleet likely hitting free agency this year, Toronto very much needed to add a backup plan if he does indeed leave. Flynn is exactly that, and in many ways, he's in a similar mold to FVV. He's a ferocious defender and crafty scorer who has figured out how to be effective despite not having plus athleticism. 

Utah Jazz: C-

The Jazz are in a bit of a basketball purgatory right now: not bad enough to tank, but not good enough to truly contend. And they really don't have much in the way of assets to waive around as trade bait. Still, there were better options available here than Azubuike, who is a very one-dimensional offensive player and will almost certainly play a backup role to Rudy Gobert. 

Washington Wizards: B+

A few years ago, Washington was talked about as a potential destination for Kevin Durant, which would have created a big three with Bradley Beal and John Wall. That obviously never materialized, and both Wall and Beal have been the subject of trade rumors over the last year or so. But by getting Avdija, who was another projected top-five pick who fell, Washington gets an immediate impact wing who can hold his own defensively and has one of the most versatile skill sets in this class.

                  

Follow Keegan on Twitter @ByKeeganPope.