Draft Grades and Impressions

[yoyoboy]

Detroit: C+

Houston: A

Cleveland: A

Toronto: A-

Orlando: A+

Oklahoma City: C-

Golden State: B

Sacramento: F

Memphis: D-

Charlotte: C-

San Antonio: D-

Indiana: D

Washington: D

New Orleans: B-

Atlanta: A

New York: A

LA Lakers: D

LA Clippers: B-

Brooklyn: B

Denver: C-

Philadelphia: B+

No thoughts on the rest. I'll elaborate on my ratings later.

[Stillwater]

looking at it again the day after

Winners:

- Atlanta: just getting Jalen Johnson at 20 and Sharife Cooper at 48 is just bonkers...Schlenk really does it again and he's been one of the most underrated draft/personnel guys in the league...might be the best one @ this point...Johnson was 7th overall for me and Cooper was 15th overall...just absurd value and NBA teams should be embarrassed they let these guys drop

- Dubs: speaking of letting guys drop...Moody to the Dubs @ 14...my 5th ranked prospect. for once the Warriors capitalize on someone else's mistake in the draft and that a guy that is perfect fit on the team. Kuminga at 7 was just icing on the cake. This is surprising to me because I usually have the Warriors as draft losers.

- Orlando: pretty straight forward...Jalen Suggs @ 5 and Franz Wagner @ 8...two multi-position guys that can play two ways and provide a lot of versatility and playmaking to their group. Suggs can fit in easily with Hampton/Cole in the back court and same with Franz in the front court next to guys like Carter and Isaac...they didn't get cute and took perfect value fits and talent for that team.

- Spurs: yes the Spurs...Primo is one of the most underrated guys in this class...only question is how long was a team willing to wait for him to develop being so young and raw but looks like the Spurs made the long term play on him...you can make argument they could've traded down and got him but sometimes u just gotta pull the trigger. Joe Wieskamp @ 41 was a beautiful pick and the prototypical Spurs player.

Losers:

- OKC: not that they got bad players, but largely disappointing given the volume of picks they had...couldn't get a deal done to trade up and instead actually ended up trading down instead of taking guys like Sengun or Garuba who would've been good fits on that team. Giddey is good but wouldn't been my first choice @ 6 and Tre Mann is meh.

- Wizards: not a total bust because Isaiah Jackson should be decent but it's more about the opp cost with them...they passed up on both Sengun and Garuba...and Kispert @ 15 is a little too rich for "just" a shooter like Kispert...I get it, shooting is king in today's NBA but felt like they could've had that with a guy like Murphy at that spot who can offer more overall to the team long term.

- Kings: Kings went full KANGZ with this one again...after they killed it last year with Haliburton...taking Mitchell 9th overall especially over some of the guys that were available was just a huge reach...essentially the opposite of what happened with Hali last year...also from a fit standpoint I don't understand it, not sure what the plan is for him to play with Fox/Hali, don't see the fit there unless they stagger, and if that's your plan then why take the guy this high when much better fits were still on the board?

- Nets: draft all over the place, way too many players and could've easily packaged some picks to move up a couple of times to get guys that fit more easily around their stars. Cam Thomas is fine @ 27 but over Jaden Springer is a no go for me.

- Raptors: it's tough to call Raps losers because of their track record they have earned the benefit of the doubt but in the second round they had TWO opportunities to take Sharife Cooper and instead took Banton and Johnson and Cooper ended up going immediately after. i think there's a strong chance this could look terrible a few years down the line. Barnes over Suggs too is questionable but I understand it on some level so it's not a huge deal.


other thoughts....


Hornets killed it in the 2nd round with JT Thor/Scottie Lewis but I hate their first two picks (Bouknight/Jones) so i left them off both lists.

Clips gotta A STEAL in BJ at 51...in the right environment he'll pop off down the line and people will be wtfing themselves per usual

don't really understand what the Pacers are doing...Duarte is a decent player but is a win now guy essentially...why take a guy like that if you are trying to trade Myles Turner away? don't see the logic or roadmap for this team right now.

Cavs got the best player pound for pound in the draft @ 3 and that's all they did and needed to do.

Motor Cade might be one of the GOAT nicknames already.

Rockets got a lot of good players but not sure of the fit...Green's gonna be a stud but why take Christopher when you also have KPJ on the roster? i'd probably look to move KPJ pretty soon and just let Green/JC develop with Alpy.

Jazz with Jared Butler at 40...killed it...boggles my mind how Mitchell was 9th and Butler is 40th...but NBA GMs gonna NBA Gm

The first thing I thought of when I saw Motor Cade was shooter and dead presidents smh

[Marcus]

Might need to go to the Hornets board for answers but does Bouknight bring something completely different than the combo of Rozier and Graham?

Rozier and Graham are both combo guards that wanna play like PGs, Bouknight seems like a very pure SG which is probably a better fit next to LaMelo than those 2 in theory, but it only works if Bouknight is actually a much better shooter than he showed in college, which is what they were saying he showed in workouts + the combine

i appreciate your time.

[The Moose]

I personally think the Pistons will look back on tonight with regret.

Based on everything I read about Mobley and Green killing their workouts and Cade being meh + those guys have much better athletic profiles and long term upside

I think that Weaver actually wanted Green and passed because of media and fan pressure. Picking 2/3 in this class was straight up better than 1. And I think the Pistons were acutely aware of this, and I think they chickened out because they thought they’d get killed. It’s just my gut feeling and read on it based on all rumors. It was the safe, easily justifiable keep the job pick.

Hm, my impressions from watching the presser and knowing Weavers history in general is not that he felt pressured to take Cade. He has been on the record saying there was “no Shaqs or Lebrons” in this draft. He seemed to think Green and Mobley were right there along side Cade which is why they were in the discussion until the end. Weaver is obsessed with high character guys and drafting the right “person”, it seems to be the ultimate tiebreaker for him when evaluating prospects. This has been true for all his picks so far. Weaver was looking for someone to be the leader and help connect the complimentary pieces on the roster like Bey/Grant/Stewart. In that regard, the pick was always going to be Cade.

Mobley is fairly reserved, bordering shy, and doesn’t really project as a leader type who is going to rally others around him. Green is confident absolutely, but again doesn’t seem like the type of player who is going to connect and build for the others around him. You could argue for either Mobley or Green to be better prospects, but Cade is a guy who has been the leader and guy who runs and dictates the offense on every team he’s been on. Whether that’s high school/AAU/USA U19/ NCAA, that’s always been his role.

With all that being said, the Pistons could look back in regret, but I don’t think it will be because Weaver thought he had to pick Cade. If Mobley or Green end up a better player, they might wish they had taken the intangibles/leadership qualities out of the discussion and just looked for the best high end outcome as a basketball player for the future. But to me, Cade still has the potential to be the best player in the class coupled with a personality and play style that can act as an anchor for a franchise that has been rudderless for a decade plus, and that, ultimately, was too hard for Weaver to pass on.

[amcoolio]

Bouknight just seems to me like a guy who will be so much better in the NBA than college. FT percentage being high is a good indicator. UConn also ran a garbage system. It's the kind of "swing for the fences" pick Charlotte needs to make instead of playing it safe with Moody or Kispert

I really wanted Jackson or Garuba instead of Kai, but Mitch Kupchak fell in love with Kai immediately, and his track record in the draft has been lights out this decade. Its a far cry from the Rich Cho era.

I actually don't get or like the JT Thor pick at all. I just don't see the value in taking two very long term projects in Kai and Thor, especially when there was several NBA ready players available at 37. But that's nickpicking

[SNPA]

Biggest loser of the draft is Steph Curry.

[DCasey91]

Sixers fan:

Draft night - B to B+ Grade
1st rnd - Jaden Springer
2nd rnd - Filip Petrusev, Charles Bassey
Two - Way - Aaron Henry

Thought the 28th pick was as good as gone for a Ben trade deal. It wasn’t so it was anticlimactic on our boards lol

1st rnd pick: Jaden Springer is very young and a meatball... I like meatball types. Shot and handle is the make or break (Mechanics and foot base is a tad worrying). But the growing trend for us is to get upstanding guys with great work ethic (Thybulle, Maxey and now Springer). People are lukewarm on him but I don’t mind the pick if anything it was slightly unders in regard to Jaden (had him going closer to 21-25 then 28).

2nd rnd pick: Filip Petrusev. Love this pick. On my list of favs and a downright steal imo. To even get an NBA quality player is hard. Pre All Star Vucevic vibes from him. More stoked with him then anyone else we got

2nd rd pick - Charles Bassey. Look he has a two cent head on him when it comes to offense but the defensive and rebounding capabilities is all there. Reminds me of a early tenure Capela at the Rockets. Just without ever trying to limit his own obvious offensive limitations. Grab boards, block shots, rim run + lobs, hit the 3ball on occasion. Simple job it’s up to him if he wants that Backup Big spot. Will get plenty of action same with Filip if both are on the list come season start as Embiid misses 1 out of every 3 games.

Would have preferred Onu to swing for the biggest fence under the sun but I digress. Could be on NBA teams radar in the G league possibly. He’s just too athletic at his size to not be enticing to teams.

Two way - Aaron Henry. Great pickup. Nice value being a two - way contract.

All in all no botched picks and went for value and fit. A young talented guard to go with Maxey helps replenish our much needed talent stock especially at the guard position and getting two bigs with define skillsets helps our big men depth trouble that has plagued us for years. Henry was a sneaky nice add on too.

Solid as a mountain on draft night. Morey didn’t get a good deal for Ben so stick fat something will be on the horizon in due time as teams get more desperate closer to All Star break.

Winners: Rockets (duh), Cavs (Mobley so got the best player imo), Warriors, Magic, Hawks and us.

[clyde21]

Biggest loser of the draft is Steph Curry.

complete opposite but ok

[SNPA]

Biggest loser of the draft is Steph Curry.

complete opposite but ok

Those rookies mean squat to him. Myers should have traded those picks. The moment Kuminga takes the floor and looks raw his value drops below that pick. GS needs to pick, win now or rebuild. Doing both won’t work and will waste the end of Curry’s career.

[clyde21]

Biggest loser of the draft is Steph Curry.

complete opposite but ok

Those rookies mean squat to him. Myers should have traded those picks. The moment Kuminga takes the floor and looks raw his value drops below that pick. GS needs to pick, win now or rebuild. Doing both won’t work and will waste the end of Curry’s career.

good thing rookies stop being rookies at some point and he'll have two 2 way wings on the roster the next 5 years on a rookie scale.

and you're wrong, but its okay a lot of people don't seem to understand these basic concepts on this board apaprently.

[SNPA]

complete opposite but ok

Those rookies mean squat to him. Myers should have traded those picks. The moment Kuminga takes the floor and looks raw his value drops below that pick. GS needs to pick, win now or rebuild. Doing both won’t work and will waste the end of Curry’s career.

good thing rookies stop being rookies at some point and he'll have two 2 way wings on the roster the next 5 years on a rookie scale.

and you're wrong, but its okay a lot of people don't seem to understand these basic concepts on this board apaprently.

The window is 2-3 years to be a real contender. Myers is going to waste those on raw rookies like Wiseman and Kuminga. It’s malpractice. He better be looking to package ASAP.

Just last week was a report of Curry and crew wanting real help now. They know what’s up, rookies are pointless for them.

[clyde21]

Those rookies mean squat to him. Myers should have traded those picks. The moment Kuminga takes the floor and looks raw his value drops below that pick. GS needs to pick, win now or rebuild. Doing both won’t work and will waste the end of Curry’s career.

good thing rookies stop being rookies at some point and he'll have two 2 way wings on the roster the next 5 years on a rookie scale.

and you're wrong, but its okay a lot of people don't seem to understand these basic concepts on this board apaprently.

The window is 2-3 years to be a real contender. Myers is going to waste those on raw rookies like Wiseman and Kuminga. It’s malpractice. He better be looking to package ASAP.

Just last week was a report of Curry and crew wanting real help now. They know what’s up, rookies are pointless for them.

the window is not 2-3 years, the window is 5 years, and that's being conservative, Klay/Steph/Dray are all still in their primes, and now might have the deepest team since the 14-16 Warriors.

we can go deeper into this, but i've already proved on the GB to many people like you why your position is clearly the wrong one.

[SNPA]

good thing rookies stop being rookies at some point and he'll have two 2 way wings on the roster the next 5 years on a rookie scale.

and you're wrong, but its okay a lot of people don't seem to understand these basic concepts on this board apaprently.

The window is 2-3 years to be a real contender. Myers is going to waste those on raw rookies like Wiseman and Kuminga. It’s malpractice. He better be looking to package ASAP.

Just last week was a report of Curry and crew wanting real help now. They know what’s up, rookies are pointless for them.

the window is not 2-3 years, the window is 5 years, and that's being conservative, Klay/Steph/Dray are all still in their primes, and now might have the deepest team since the 14-16 Warriors.

we can go deeper into this, but i've already proved on the GB to many people like you why your position is clearly the wrong one.

So 38 year old Curry? And that’s conservative?

Sorry, I don’t see it. This core has a few years left at a championship level. Klay might never be the same, Draymond is clearly starting to decline and Curry can play a long career but he’ll find losing a step makes it harder to get off shots. The arch’s of these rookies and the core don’t intersect soon enough.

[NO-KG-AI]

Players are short sighted snd awful GMs. By the middle of next season there is a good chance all 3 of the high draft picks are very solid players with a potential star waiting to burst. Someone like Beal isn’t even necessarily going to make the Warriors better than filling out the bench with versatile multi talented athletes with size and skill. Usually if rookies are quality players, they’ll resemble good rotation players by the end of their rookie year, and will be quality in their second year.

Can’t let your stars bully you into trading all your youth for their friends that don’t necessarily fill needs.

[SNPA]

Players are short sighted snd awful GMs. By the middle of next season there is a good chance all 3 of the high draft picks are very solid players with a potential star waiting to burst. Someone like Beal isn’t even necessarily going to make the Warriors better than filling out the bench with versatile multi talented athletes with size and skill. Usually if rookies are quality players, they’ll resemble good rotation players by the end of their rookie year, and will be quality in their second year.

Can’t let your stars bully you into trading all your youth for their friends that don’t necessarily fill needs.

So burn a year and hope for rookies to progress, and maybe next year is better. I’m sure Curry loves that plan.

[yoyoboy]

good thing rookies stop being rookies at some point and he'll have two 2 way wings on the roster the next 5 years on a rookie scale.

and you're wrong, but its okay a lot of people don't seem to understand these basic concepts on this board apaprently.

The window is 2-3 years to be a real contender. Myers is going to waste those on raw rookies like Wiseman and Kuminga. It’s malpractice. He better be looking to package ASAP.

Just last week was a report of Curry and crew wanting real help now. They know what’s up, rookies are pointless for them.

the window is not 2-3 years, the window is 5 years, and that's being conservative, Klay/Steph/Dray are all still in their primes, and now might have the deepest team since the 14-16 Warriors.

we can go deeper into this, but i've already proved on the GB to many people like you why your position is clearly the wrong one.

5 years seems a little optimistic. Title windows in general close so much faster than people think. Draymond at 31 has already taken a couple steps back, and I think for him, his athleticism is absolutely crucial because he’s undersized. His basketball IQ will help him as he ages, but without a jump shot and considering how important his mobility is to his game, I don’t see him playing at this level when he’s 35-36.

I’m not sure Klay can be counted on at all for much of anything. He’ll be 32 this season, he’s missed 2 full seasons, and he’s coming off an awful injury. He also doesn’t have the insane length someone like KD has to overcome any hits to his athleticism it brings, which could affect his ability to get himself open and defend. Looking at his advanced metrics, he’s also already been on a clear decline since like 2015.

Steph is the best bet to still be doing his thing in 5 years and I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s safe to say though even he’ll be a fair bit worse than he is now because nobody is safe from Father Time. Even LeBron who takes care of his body as much as he does, at 36 this past year looked nothing like he did even a few years ago at 33 in the 2018 playoffs. Steph will likely still be All Star level, but if he’s not a top 5 player in the league, and Klay and Draymond are merely decent starters by then, that’s not a contending core.

Moody was a great pick but I’m not a fan of Kuminga, both as a prospect and in terms of fitting into the Warriors’ title window. I really think GS should’ve looked to take Sengun and Wagner. Those are two guys who are not only ready to contribute right now but offer fantastic upside and address needs for this Warriors team. But Moody is the guy I like the most after those two. Kuminga on the other hand is just so raw.

Curry / Klay / Wiggins / Green / Looney
Bench: JTA, Poole, Wagner/Moody, Sengun, Batum/Porter Jr?, McGee/Howard/Dieng?

I think that rotation has a good chance of winning a title next season if Brooklyn doesn’t put it together and totally annihilate everyone. And then in a few years you would hope Sengun and Wagner/Moody can become the 2nd and 3rd options while Klay and Green take a backseat.

[Brofessor24]

Players are short sighted snd awful GMs. By the middle of next season there is a good chance all 3 of the high draft picks are very solid players with a potential star waiting to burst. Someone like Beal isn’t even necessarily going to make the Warriors better than filling out the bench with versatile multi talented athletes with size and skill. Usually if rookies are quality players, they’ll resemble good rotation players by the end of their rookie year, and will be quality in their second year.

Can’t let your stars bully you into trading all your youth for their friends that don’t necessarily fill needs.

Fans are too idealistic and would make awful GMs. Some of y'all don't appreciate just how fragile an NBA career can be. Hopefully Curry (as well as Klay and Dray) can stay healthy, but there is no guarantee that he is gonna have a super long career. A serious injury can prevent that from happening (and that can happen at any time).

Right now, the front office needs to be doing everything it can to acquire another All-Star level player. Expecting two rookies to be immediate contributors on a championship contender is asinine/way too idealistic.

Stop overrating youth. Front offices (as well as players) should never let delusional/idealistic fans influence their team-building decisions.

[clyde21]

5 years seems a little optimistic. Title windows in general close so much faster than people think. Draymond at 31 has already taken a couple steps back, and I think for him, his athleticism is absolutely crucial because he’s undersized. His basketball IQ will help him as he ages, but without a jump shot and considering how important his mobility is to his game, I don’t see him playing at this level when he’s 35-36.

it's not optimistic at all -- players now have longer primes than ever before. look @ Cp3, look @ LeBron, etc...great players barring any serious injury (which can said about anyone) can play at high level well into their late 30s, especially skilled based players...and that includes Steph, Klay and Dray.

and I disagree that Dray's game has ever really been about athleticism, his game has always been much more skill and IQ based than anything else, and both of these things last a long time. no one is saying he's got DPOY years ahead of him, but he's be + starter for a long time.

I’m not sure Klay can be counted on at all for much of anything. He’ll be 32 this season, he’s missed 2 full seasons, and he’s coming off an awful injury. He also doesn’t have the insane length someone like KD has to overcome any hits to his athleticism it brings, which could affect his ability to get himself open and defend. Looking at his advanced metrics, he’s also already been on a clear decline since like 2015.

if Klay is not Klay anymore then it makes even LESS sense to do anything stupid like gutting our team for a Bradley Beal or Pascal Siakam...this entire discussion is moot if Klay is no longer that dude and everything we do will have to be recalculated.

that said, Klay's game again has never been about athleticism, he barely even dribbled before the injury. im confident in saying that he'll be at least 80% of what he was before, maybe more. again, 31 for a guy like Klay is young...he's got 5+ good years in at least.

Steph is the best bet to still be doing his thing in 5 years and I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s safe to say though even he’ll be a fair bit worse than he is now because nobody is safe from Father Time. Even LeBron who takes care of his body as much as he does, at 36 this past year looked nothing like he did even a few years ago at 33 in the 2018 playoffs. Steph will likely still be All Star level, but if he’s not a top 5 player in the league, and Klay and Draymond are merely decent starters by then, that’s not a contending core.

no one ages better than shooters, that's well documented. yea LeBron isn't the same guy but he's still a top 5 player in the league, and Steph's still a top 5 player in the league and he is just coming off one of his best seasons ever...even in 4-5 years he's not AS good as he is now in his prime...so what? he's still going to be very good (same with Dray and Klay).

Moody was a great pick but I’m not a fan of Kuminga, both as a prospect and in terms of fitting into the Warriors’ title window. I really think GS should’ve looked to take Sengun and Wagner. Those are two guys who are not only ready to contribute right now but offer fantastic upside and address needs for this Warriors team. But Moody is the guy I like the most after those two. Kuminga on the other hand is just so raw.

i mean, you can make an argument that we should've gone with someone more ready than Kuminga sure, but I think the idea of having two wings like Kuminga/Moody the next 5 years on rooke scale deals is theoretically speaking one of the best, if not the best, to elongate our window with Steph/Klay/Dray as much as possible.

we have 3 stars: Steph/Klay/Dray

we have role players: Wiggins/Looney/Poole/JTA

we have young talent on rookie deals: Moody/Kuminga/Wiseman

i mean...most teams in the league would kill to be in this position right now. the Warriors don't have to make a single more and we are contenders in the WC pretty clearly, and who knows what this team will be in 3 years if Moody/Kuminga start realizing their potential.

[clyde21]

The window is 2-3 years to be a real contender. Myers is going to waste those on raw rookies like Wiseman and Kuminga. It’s malpractice. He better be looking to package ASAP.

Just last week was a report of Curry and crew wanting real help now. They know what’s up, rookies are pointless for them.

the window is not 2-3 years, the window is 5 years, and that's being conservative, Klay/Steph/Dray are all still in their primes, and now might have the deepest team since the 14-16 Warriors.

we can go deeper into this, but i've already proved on the GB to many people like you why your position is clearly the wrong one.

So 38 year old Curry? And that’s conservative?

Sorry, I don’t see it. This core has a few years left at a championship level. Klay might never be the same, Draymond is clearly starting to decline and Curry can play a long career but he’ll find losing a step makes it harder to get off shots. The arch’s of these rookies and the core don’t intersect soon enough.

of course it's conservative -- Steph doesn't have to be MVP Steph to be a great player...he's 33 and is coming off a top 3 or 4 season of his career, and shooters in general are the one group in the entire NBA that age the best. this also includes Klay, who's still 31 by the way. Dray's only 31 and he's also a skill based player.

and, really, people need stop using the 'Klay will never be the same' argument...that possibility is exactly why we SHOULD'NT make any stupid ass trades right now and completely gut our depth...because if Klay isn't anywhere near his old self, this entire discussion is moot.

and again, there is nothing more valuable in this NBA that rookie scale players that can play...especially ones at THE most valuable position in the NBA (wing) like Kuminga/Moody...will they be that? who knows...if not...guess what? we're still contenders. and if they are...we'll we've just indefinitely extended our window to the next 5 years and beyond.

[clyde21]

Players are short sighted snd awful GMs. By the middle of next season there is a good chance all 3 of the high draft picks are very solid players with a potential star waiting to burst. Someone like Beal isn’t even necessarily going to make the Warriors better than filling out the bench with versatile multi talented athletes with size and skill. Usually if rookies are quality players, they’ll resemble good rotation players by the end of their rookie year, and will be quality in their second year.

Can’t let your stars bully you into trading all your youth for their friends that don’t necessarily fill needs.

Fans are too idealistic and would make awful GMs. Some of y'all don't appreciate just how fragile an NBA career can be. Hopefully Curry (as well as Klay and Dray) can stay healthy, but there is no guarantee that he is gonna have a super long career. A serious injury can prevent that from happening (and that can happen at any time).

Right now, the front office needs to be doing everything it can to acquire another All-Star level player. Expecting two rookies to be immediate contributors on a championship contender is asinine/way too idealistic.

Stop overrating youth. Front offices (as well as players) should never let delusional/idealistic fans influence their team-building decisions.

you can make the same stupid ass argument the other way...what if we completely gut our depth/trade all of our assets and Steph gets injured next year? then what?

you don't **** make plans on 'what if this or that' scenarios. you look at your team and its current window (we've decided that it's the next 5 years or so) and are making moves to make we're maximizing those next 5 years...not just next season.

we have 3 all stars, we now finally have decent depth, probably the best depth since 14-16 and we have young talent, also probably the best young talent since our first championship...the vast majority of franchises would kill to be in the Warriors' position right now and anyone like you suggesting we should trade 3/4ths of our roster because herp derp NeXT SeASOn has no clue what they are talking about.