Grading the NBA Draft: Who Had the Best Class?

The NBA draft is always an exciting time, as fans get to see which young players their team will be adding to the mix. But who had the best draft class? Let’s take a look at some of the top contenders and grade their draft classes

2019 NBA Draft Results: Grades for Every Pick

The 2019 NBA Draft is in the books, and we have grades for every single pick.

The New Orleans Pelicans started the draft off with a bang, selecting Zion Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick. Zion was the easy choice for the top spot, and he should be a star from Day 1.

The Memphis Grizzlies selected Ja Morant with the No. 2 pick, and while Morant wasn’t quite as highly touted as Zion, he has immense upside and could be a star in his own right. The Grizzlies made a Great Choice here.

Rounding out the top-3 was R.J. Barrett, who many believed was the best player in the draft. Barrett has all the tools to be a superstar in the league, and he landed in a perfect situation with the New York Knicks

Elsewhere in the lottery, Coby White (No. 7) and De’Andre Hunter (No. 4) were both excellent value picks, and they should be able to contribute right away for the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks respectively. Tyler Herro (No. 13) was another great value pick, and he should be able to provide instant offense for the Miami Heat off the bench.

In all, it was a very strong Draft Class and there will be plenty of future stars coming out of it.

Winners and Losers of the 2019 NBA Draft

It’s time to take a look at the winners and losers of the 2019 NBA draft There were a lot of trades, a lot of movement, and a lot of different directions taken by teams on Thursday night In the end, some franchises improved their long-term outlook while others took steps back. Here’s a look at who came out ahead and who didn’t have such a great night.

Winners:
1. New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson Ja Morant, RJ Barrett
2. Memphis Grizzlies Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke
3. Dallas Mavericks Kristaps Porzingis Luka Doncic
4. Atlanta Hawks De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish
5. Chicago Bulls Coby White Coby White

Losers:
1. Charlotte Hornets Picks No. 12 and No. 23
2. Cleveland Cavaliers Picks No. 5 and No 19

2019 NBA draft Grades: Best and Worst Picks

It’s time to take a look at how each team did in the 2019 NBA Draft We’ll go over the best and worst picks for every squad, as well as hand out some grades.

The 2019 NBA Draft featured a lot of Risk vs. Reward prospects. Some teams took chances on players with high ceilings and low floors while others drafted safe, yet unspectacular prospects.

There were also a lot of trades made on draft night, with some teams looking to cash in on their biggest asset (i.e. Anthony Davis) and others looking to acquire as much talent as possible (i.e. the Atlanta Hawks).

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the 2019 NBA Draft grades.

2019 NBA draft Biggest Surprises and Reaches

The 2019 NBA draft had plenty of drama, with big trades, unexpected falls and some reaches that will be debated for years. Here’s a look at the biggest surprises and reaches of the draft.

Picks 1-10
1. Zion Williamson New Orleans Pelicans
2. Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
3. RJ Barrett, New York Knicks
4. De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta Hawks
5. Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers
6. Coby White Chicago Bulls
7. Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards
8. Sekou Doumbouya, Detroit Pistons
9. Jaxson Hayes New Orleans Pelicans
10. Brandon Clarke, Memphis Grizzlies

Picks 11-20
11. PJ Washington Jr., Charlotte Hornets
12. Goga Bitadze, Indiana Pacers
13. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, New Orleans Pelicans
14. Tyler Herro Miami Heat 15. Kansas City Chiefslorance Mays IIIGRADE: C+ (from C)Kansas lost a lot on defense this offseason but they made a solid pick in taking Mays out of USC in the second round…Read More16Luka SamanicFALL: B (from A-)Samanic was one of my favorite international prospects heading into the draft but he seems to have regressed a bit over the last year or so and fell out of the first round as a result…Read More17Romeo LangfordFALL: B (from A)Langford has some serious potential but his lack of perimeter shooting is a real concern at this point…Read More18Matisse ThybulleREACH: C (from B)Thybulle is an elite defender but his offensive game is very raw and he’s already 22 years old…Read More19Cameron JohnsonREACH: C- (from B-)Johnson is a good shooter but he’s 23 years old and doesn’t really have much else to offer at this point…Read More20Tyler BeyREACH: D+ (from C-)Bey is a good athlete with some upside but he’s still very raw and might not be ready to contribute right away…Read More

2019 NBA Draft Best and Worst Value Picks

The 2019 NBA Draft is in the books, and while it will be some time before we know definitively how each team did, we can take an early look at which franchises appear to have landed the best and worst value picks in the class.

Using data from ESPN’s draft projections, we can compare where each player was expected to be drafted (their ” ESPN draft projection”) to where they were actually selected (their “actual draft position”). The difference between the two gives us a sense of which players may have been “underdrafted” or “overdrafted” relative to expectations.

Here are the 10 best and 10 worst value picks in the 2019 NBA Draft

Best Value Picks:
1. PJ Washington, PF, Charlotte Hornets (12th pick, ESPN projection: 21st)
2. Bol Bol C, Denver Nuggets (44th pick, ESPN projection: 51st)
3. Ty Jerome, PG, Phoenix Suns (24th pick, ESPN projection: 28th)
4. Mfiondu Kabengele, C, Brooklyn Nets (27th pick, ESPN projection: 33rd)
5. Carsen Edwards PG, Boston Celtics (33rd pick, ESPN projection: 40th)
6. Kevin Porter Jr., SG/SF Cleveland Cavaliers (30th pick, ESPN projection: 34th)
7. Talen Horton-Tucker , SG/SF Los Angeles Lakers (46th pick 48th) 8. Goga Bitadze , C Indiana Pacers (21st pick , 22nd) 9. Matisse Thybulle , SF Philadelphia 76ers (20th pick , 23rd) 10. Daniel Gafford , C Chicago Bulls (38th pick 39th)
Worst Value Picks: 1. Darius Garland , PG Cleveland Cavaliers 5th pick , 3rd ) 2. Coby White , PG Chicago Bulls 7th pick 6th ) 3 . Rui Hachimura , PF Washington Wizards 9 th pick 7 th ) 4 . Sekou Doumbouya , SF Detroit Pistons 15 th pick 11 th ) 5 . Nassir Little , SF Portland Blazers 25 th pick 16 th ) 6 . Cameron Johnson , SF Phoenix Suns 11 th pick 7 th ) 7 . Tyler Herro Kentucky Wildcats 14 th Kentucky Wildcats 13 8 . Grant Williams Tennessee Volunteers 22 nd 21 9 . PJ Washington Kentucky Wildcats 12 p 10 Zion Williamson Duke Blue Devils 1 New York Knicks

2019 NBA Draft Grades for All 30 First-Round Picks

The 2019 NBA Draft is in the books, and as always, there are winners and losers. The Phoenix Suns shocked everyone by taking Texas Tech guard Jarrett Culver with the No. 6 pick, while the Los Angeles Lakers continued to load up on young talent by drafting Duke forward Zion Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick.

So who had the best draft? Who reached for players that will be busts? And which teams set themselves up nicely for the future? Here are our grades for all 30 first-Round Selections in this year’s draft, starting with the unstoppable Zion …

Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans (Grade: A)
RJ Barrett, New York Knicks (Grade: A-)
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies (Grade: A-)
Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers (Grade: B+)
Coby White, Chicago Bulls (Grade: B+)

2019 NBA Draft Grades for All 60 Picks

The 2019 NBA draft is complete, and we have grades and analysis for all 60 picks.

National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including International Players The Draft Lottery took place on May 14, 2019. This was the first draft conducted under the new NBA labor agreement approved in December 2018 by the league’s Board of Governors which doubled the length of time that draft prospects are required to be out of High School before being eligible to enter the draft from one year to two years.

The first three picks of the draft belonged to the teams with the three worst records in each conference from the 2018–19 season: the New Orleans Pelicans Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference and the Cleveland Cavaliers Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls in the Western Conference These teams were also guaranteed no worse than a top-five pick in this draft or in 2020 – should they again have one of those three picks, they will instead receive selection No. 4 or No. 5 overall pick in 2020 – as a result of finishing with those respective league-worst records as well as owning better odds than any other team in winning one of those top three picks because they had missed out on greater chances at receiving it through previous drafts’ lottery systems (prior to this year’s change) while racking up bad records themselves over time due to other causes such as injuries or trades away of young talent drafted earlier by them during leaner seasons).

2019 NBA draft Live Grades and Analysis

It’s time to grade the 2019 NBA Draft We’ll be updating this page live as every pick is made, analysis from our writers and grades from our draft experts. Check back often for the latest information.

(1) Zion Williamson PF, Duke
The best player in the class goes to the Pelicans, which is already one of the most intriguing stories of the night. Zion is a unique talent and has the potential to be a franchise-altering player. But he also comes with some risk, as he’s just 6-6 and 285 pounds with a history of Knee injuries It will be interesting to see how he holds up against NBA big men Nevertheless, this is a great pick for New Orleans and Zion should be a lot of fun to watch.

Grade: A

(2) Ja Morant, PG, Murray State
The Grizzlies get the guy they wanted all along in Morant, who is an electric playmaker with incredible upside. He’s just 6-3 but has a 6-10 wingspan and is an elite athlete who can really score the ball. Morant needs to work on his outside shot and decision-making, but he has all the tools to be a very good player in this league.

Grade: A

2019 NBA Draft Instant Grades for Every Pick

We’re here to provide some knee-jerk takes and initial analysis for how each team fared with their 2019 draft picks We’ll also be handing out grades for every selection, based on trade value, draft slot and, most importantly, organizational fit.

The Draft didn’t feature a ton of drama outside of Zion Williamson going No. 1 overall to the New Orleans Pelicans as expected. But there were still plenty of intriguing storylines and even a few surprise picks along the way.

Let’s take a look at how each team did on draft night.

2019 NBA Draft Round-by-Round Grades

It’s way too early to definitively say who had the best draft class in 2019. We won’t know for sure for a few years. But that won’t stop us from trying.

Here are our grades for every team’s draft class rounded up to the nearest whole grade.

Atlanta Hawks: B+
The Hawks had a solid draft, landing two potential starters in De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish Hunter is the more polished player and should be able to step in right away and make an impact. Reddish is more of a raw talent with a higher upside. He may take some time to develop, but he has the potential to be a very good player. The Hawks also drafted point guard Bruno Fernando in the second round. He’s a bit of a project, but he has some upside as well.

Boston Celtics: B-
The Celtics only had one pick in the first round (20th overall), which they used on center Romeo Langford. He’s a decent prospect, but there are questions about his shooting ability. Langford could be a good player, but he probably would have been available later in the first round. The Celtics also drafted guards Carsen Edwards and Tremont Waters in the second round. Edwards is an undersized scorer with some upside, while Waters is more of a traditional point guard with limited upside.