My NBA Draft Grades
I Found Grading NBA Teams' Drafts A Formal Grade Tad Difficult In Practice. Unlike the NFL Draft, where a team could overhaul an entire unit of a roster in one draft of 7-13 picks,giving an observer more value, a team has a higher chance of landing a difference-maker and therefore more points To Generate A Grade. NBA Team Usually Select 2-3 Players Between—Brooklyn’s Five First Round Selections In 2025 Serves As An Outlier— Which Doesn’t Give Teams Much Room For Team to Transform From Rebuilding To Contender Through One Draft. Basketball Lacks Player Role-Specific Systems, so All Big Types, Stretch, Defensive, and playmaking types all get Fitted Into One Type, Not Like In Football, Where Zone-BlockingGuards Matter More Than Any Guard Or Blocking Tight End Compared To Receiving Tight Ends. The Jazz could earn an A ifAJ Dybansta falls to them, or take Cam Boozer. Still, both players overlap with players presently on the roster, and the Jazz would operate under an offensive influence that optimizes AJ's orCam's skill set in particular. Ill Grade Teams Based On How They Addressed a Need, And The Players They Selected Based On Draft Boards By Draftballr and ESPN.
Atlanta Hawks—The Hawks selected Kingston Fleming eighth overall via New Orleans, Thanks To The Derik Queen Trade In 2025, to fit a needed role as a true point guard, something Atlanta Lacked After Moving On From Trae Young. Flemings Represented The Closets Prospect To A Trae Young in this draft, minus the lethal three-point shooting, but with the bonus of Flemings’s Defensive Impact. The Hawks Added Another Defensive Orientated Force In Big Man Zuby Ejiofor from St.John’s. A smaller But Strong Switchable “Big”(he’s only 6’7),You Need To Have A Chance In The East. I Love Atlanta’s Draft As They Addressed Immediate Roster Needs With The Best Players Available At That Position.
Grade: A
Brooklyn Nets—
The Nets selected Mikel Brown, the Big Combo Guard Out Of Louisville, with A Game Similar To Cam Thomas(A Chucker At Times), with added play-making potential to join the glut of talent the Nets already have. In the second round, the Nets Pick Up Tyler Bilodeau Out Of UCLA, a 6’9 Wing Who shot 46% From Three As Season With The Bruins. Mikel has a lot of potential but needs to shore up some lesser-known habits, like his shot selection. The Nets still have a rebuild in front of them. The team is expected to return to the lottery next year. Mikel shouldhave the time to work on his wrinkles as a pro.
grade B
Boston Celtics—
As Projected Boston Focused On Retooling Their Front Court, Not One But Two Bigs, Chris Cenac Jr., out of Houston, the 6’11 Freshman, Has A lot of tools and good shot mechanics, but he’sStill More of a Project than a Fully Optimized basketball Star. Cenac Has Flashes Of A Young Amare Stoudemire. The Celtics Double Down On Trait-Heavy Hyper Athletic Wing Type In Dijon Mitchell, A Defensive-Oriented Slasher Out Of St. John’s.
Grade B
Charlotte Hornets—
The Hornets Selected Two Players Who Fit Into the Roster Even Before The Big Lamelo Ball Trade. Hannes Steinbech Out Of Washington Gives Charlotte A Natural Fit At Center/Power Forward. No Offense To The Impactful But Slightly Undersized Mousa Diabate, Who Plays Center For Charlotte At 6’9. Christian Andersen Jr., The Guard Out Of Texas Tech, At 18 Will Most Likely Fill The Back Up, Possibly Behind Coby White,After the Lamelo Trade. Lamelo As Player Dominated The Ball,And The Early Emergence Of Kon Knueppel Made Lamelo Expendable Earlier In His Career Than Projected.
Grade A
Chicago Bulls—
Chicago made four selections but ultimately traded two of them. The Bulls Pick Up Another Potential Franchise Cornerstone In Caleb Wilson, though I’m Curious How This Hyper Athletic Non-Stretch Forward Fits With The Hyper Athletic Less Than Stretch Forward. The Bulls Already Have Set As The Franchise Matas Buzelis. Adding Dailyn Swain Later In The First Round adds another athletic wing who can defend all three perimeter positions, but yet another player who tanks the Bulls' three-point shooting. Who’s Going To Space The Floor For All These Slasher Perimeter Types?
Cleveland Cavaliers—
The Cavs traded their first-round pick, Alex KaraBan, To The Kings and secured the rights to the 34th pick, Maleek Thomas, a shooting guard out of Arkansas. Maleek Faced Questions About His Frame and his playmaking ability, but still entered draft day with a first-round grade and fell to the second round. Maleek As Good Floor Spacing Capacity And Worked Off The Ball as Expected In Cleveland Alongside Harden and Mitchell.
Grade B-
Dallas Mavericks—
The Mavs selected one of my favorite players, Morez Johnson, a strong Defender, rebounder, and Utility Man Who Could Become A Go To Lob Threat In Pick-N-Roll.
The Mavs Pick Up Sergio De Lerrea To Possibly Serve As The Long-Term Option At Point Guard, But He Adds Some Floor Spacing Potential. Forwards Tobi Lawall out of Virginia and Vsevolod Ishchenko, a potential European Stash Player In The Second Round.
Grade B
Denver Nuggets—
The hard Cap Denver Traded Out Of The First Round and landed Trevon Brazile, An Athletic Forward Out Of Arkansas, to serve as backup to an injury-prone Aaron Gordon. Bryce Hopkins, a switch forward, the 85th Player On Some Boards,Provides The Broncos With Insurance For Peyton Watson's free agency situation as a smart player who fits into any offense seamlessly.
Grade B
Detroit Pistons—
Cade Cunningham functions as the engine, Wheels, horns, and lights of the Pistons' offense in the playoffs. It proved Detroit's need for secondary playmaking more than any team In Basketball. Detroit Secured The Rights For Stanford Point Guard Ebuka Okorie, and an undersized but impactful play-making point guard. It’s Interests That Okorie BoostsPlaymaking But Potentially Craters Detroit's Defense. I Would Have Chosen Labarron Philon Over Okorie, but the Pistons chose the better shooter over the better all-around option.
Grade C
Golden State Warriors— I Like What Yaxel Lendeborg represents as a player with a combination of skills, A Good Basketball Player who Makes The Right Play And Impact The Game On The Box Score, and In Terms Of Intangibles. However,at 6’7 He Doesn’t Solve The Warriors' issues with size. The Warriors Need A Dependable Big Man. Yaxel will Serve As The Heir Apparent To Draymond’s Point Forward Role. Lajae Jones,a three-and-D forward out of Florida State, is in the Second Round.
Grade C+
Houston Rockets—
The Rockets lacked a first-round pick thanks to acquiring Kevin Durant Last Summer with the First Pick in the Second Round: Houston Selected Bruce Thornton, a sharp-shooting two-guard out of Ohio State. Thorton became the Buckeyes All Time Leading Scorer In His Final Year Of College Ball And Knock Down 40% Of Three Pointers.
Grade C
Indiana Pacers—
The Draft Lottery dealt the Pacers a harsh blow, vacating their projected top-three pick that landed outside the top four, and Into The Pacers At Five. In the Second Round, the Pacers Selected Braden Smith, a 5’10 Point Guard Out Of Purdue, theNCAA All-Time Leader in assists. I don’t Believe He’ll Make The League At His Size, and the Pacers Could Have Taken A Swing At A More “Practical” Floor spacer of a wing.
Grade C-
Los Angeles Clippers— The Clippers Picked Up One Of The Best Guard Prospects and Pure Basketball Players In Keaton Wagler,Who Could Has Eyes On The Lead Role Right Out Of The Gate. Keaton Became The Clippers' first top Five Since 2009. In the second round, the Clippers select Baba Miller, A Springy Combo Forward reminiscent Of Former Clipper Darius Miles.
Grade A
Los Angeles Lakers—
The Lakers selected Baylor sharp-shooting wing Cameron Carr 24th Overall. Carr has next-level athletic ability coupled with high frequency and high knockdown three-point shooting, a skill set that could Thrive Around Luka Doncic.
Grade B-
Memphis Grizzlies—
The New Era Of Memphis Grizzlies Basketball Begins with theSelection Of Cam Boozer Third Overall Out Of Duke. He’s an all-around impact player who equips the Grizzlies With A Force To Help Move Into A Next Era. The Reported Arrival Of Pistons Big Isaiah Stewart Only Makes The Boozer Selection More Satisfying as Stewart Covers A Lot Of Boozer's Shortcomings. The Grizz also drafted Mexican Wing Karim Lopez with the 21st pick, making him the First Mexican Player Selected In The First Round. Richie Saunders, A Player Who Will Turn 25 at the start of the regular season, is a sharp shooting guard from BYU with the 32nd Pick.
Grade A
Miami Heat—
The Heat Traded Their First Round Pick To The Bucks In Splash Giannis Antetokounmpo Deal. In The Second Round The Heat Select Ryan Conwell Out Of Louisville Regarded As “one of the best shooters in the draft” After Notching back To Back 40% Three Point Shooting Season Before Dropping Off To 34% In His Final Year Of College Ball At Louisville.
Milwaukee Bucks—
The Bucks Will Bank The Next Stretch Of Their Basketball Existence On Young Draft Picks as They Have Before. Brayden Burries, a sharp-shooting combo guard, would have fit nicely next to Giannis As A Floor Spacer. Nate Ament, Out Of Tennessee, Looks The Part As A Player Who Could Become The Bucks' next star, standing at 6’10 With Guard Skills. Not Every 6’10 Swing Forward Becomes Kevin Durant, Some Become Perry Jones, Quincy Miller, Donte Greene, and So On, and while I fear Ament leans closer to the Perry Jones Type, His Potential Demands investment. The Bucks Will Face A 3-5 rebuilding process, allowing them to take a flyer on upside while securing a better projectable player like Burries. Had The Bucks Selected Ament Tenth And Burries at 13th, I Would Have Hit The Bucks With B- But…
Grade A
Minnesota Timberwolves—
In the second, the Timberwolves selected Duke sharpshooterIsaiah Evans, whose frame and dimensions may have turned teams off from him in the first round. He’s a Flame Thrower Who Should Fit The Role vacated By An Injured Donte DiVincenzo. A loaded Duke Roster Didn’t allow Evans To Flourish As a Shot Maker. The Timberwolves got a first-round talent early in the second round.
Grade B
New Orleans Pelicans— The Pelicans traded their first-round pick in this draft for the rights to Derik Queen in 2025, which works out just fine. I Think Queen Will Pan Out For The Team. With the 58th pick, the Pels selected Jaron Pierre Jr., shooting guard of SMU, Who Shot 37% From Three. The Pels Needed More Two Guard Help and More Shooting, and They Could Have Done Worse.
grade C+
New York Knicks—
The Knicks Won’t Have The Cap Capacity To Resign All Of It Key Reserves And This Draft Will Prove Crucial To Helping Furnish the Roster Underneath The Knicks Star. Jack Kayil, A Combo Guard Out Of Germany, Will Bring Some Upside and Savvy To The Knicks as A Secondary Ball Handler. Tyler Nickel Scorch College Defense. With his 40% Three-Point Shooting and championship rosters, he always welcomes three-point shooting.
Grade B
Oklahoma City Thunder—The Final Note Of The Paul George Trade Finally Rang In When The Thunder Selected 7’3 Michigan Center Aday Mara With The 12th Overall Pick. Mara’s 9’9 Standing Reach Makes Him A Menace Around The Rim Offensively and Defensively. Still, I’m Curious Why The Thunder went with A Big, Especially One In The mold of Chet Holmgren, Slender With High Injury Risk. I like Bennet Stirtz.He’s a good backup, a good shooter, and a change of pace to Shai at point Or A Player Who Can Run An Offense Alongside Shai. Ortega Oweh Out Of Kentucky Irons Out The Thunder Draft. The Thunder Have and Will Move A lot Of Players In The Coming Season As The NBA’s new Cap Structure Takes Effect,and These Draft Picks Will Prove Crucial To OKC’s Hope Of Stretching Their Title Window Into A Dynasty. While My Reservations Towards Mara won’t shift, I Like This Haul.
Grade A
Orlando Magic—
The Magic Traded Away Nearly All Its Draft Capital For Desmond Bane. It ultimately settled for Izaiyah Nelson, a 6’8 forward out of South Florida, Who Will Add To The Magics Defensive Identity.
Grade C+
Philadelphia 76ers—
The Sixers Made Just One Selection in the 2026 Draft in LabaronPhilon, One Of The Best Guard After Peterson. I’m curious whyPhilly went guard instead of forward or big, since Embiid and Paul George won’t Get Much Younger From Here, and theirroster Already Features Multiple Guards. Philly Selected A Point Guard, a True Point Guard, and the Best Player Available,Possibly Paving The Way For More Creative Three Guard Lineups.
Grade B-
Phoenix Suns— The Suns Trade into The Final Pick Of The First To Grab Local Product Arizona’s Koa Peat, an athletic forward, who is still scratching the surface of his potential as A Basketball Player. Unfortunately, Koa hasn’t —To This Point—Exhibited A Polished Offensive Game Or The Capacity To Stretch The Floor As A Shooter.
Portland Trailblazers—The Blazers Made No Selection in the 2026 Draft.
Grade N/a
Sacramento Kings—
With the seventh overall pick, the Kings selected Darius Acuff,Guard Out Of Arkansas. The explosive guard will take over as the franchise anchor as the Kings Rebuild Once Again. Alex Karaban, The Floor Spacing Semi-big Out Of UConn, Will Move Into The Sabonis. Guard Emmanuel Sharp Closed Out The Kings ' draft in the second round. Acuff Carries Some Concern About His Defensive Impact Into The Next Level, But He’s A Star, and If The Kings Can Make This Guard Work Long Term,He’ll Get Them Back To The playoffs.
Grade A
San Antonio Spurs—
The Spurs Will Find The Climb Back To The Western Championship Harder Than When This Unit First Made The Finals Together. The Spurs leaned heavily on defense, selectingKentucky Big Jayden Quaintance, a high-energy, high-fluidity big man who should serve as Wemby’s chief backup, but he may need season-ending surgery. In The Intermediary, Tarris Reed Jr. will serve as Wemby's backup, a fully developed four-year player out of UConn. Ja’kobi Gillespie, a small, quick Point Guard Out Of Tennessee, and Maliq Brown, one Of The Best Defenders In The Draft Out Of Duke, who Duke “Sheltered” Offensively. The Spurs Will Bet On The Limitless Upside Of Jayden Quaintance and his recovery instead of drafting an immediate impact player, although Jayden Looked Like A Top Ten Pick When Healthy.
Grade A
Toronto Raptors—The analytics Movement Took over the NBA in the 2010s, Birthing The Three Point Revolution, and The Next iteration of case study entered the association in Allen Graves,Santa Clara Forward, and the Raptors' selection at pick 19. Graves didn’t Start In college, and he's not overall physically impressive, but he excels between the lines, and His Defensive Output and Numbers Suggest He’s at worst a plus on the box plus minus. He’s The Next Iteration Of Draymond Green Or Another Example Of People Who “never played the game” Don’t know The Difference Between “Good Stats” and Talent.
Grade C+
Utah Jazz—
The Jazz sat at number two with one simple job: wait and see which of the two top prospects the Wizards Pass On At One and Snatch One Up. Peterson Has Looked Like The Top Player In This Draft When He Played At Kansas. Peterson famously didn’tWorkout For The Jazz, and sure, the Utah brass did their homework on Peterson's interesting injury situation at Kansas. The Jazz Should Give Peterson Every Opportunity To Succeed—Starting Him, Resting Him, then trading him at the height of his ability, given that reason, he probably doesn’t Want To Stay In Utah. Peterson also overlaps with a lot Of The Skills That Ace Bailey and Keyonte George Provide To The Jazz, But He’s Clearly The Better Option.
Grade B
Washington Wizards—
Darryn Peterson Created Some Artificial Smoke and suspense surrounding the number one overall pick, the Wizards’ selectedBYU Forward AJ DyBansta. Dybantsa Revealed On A Podcast That He Declined To Work Out For The Top Two Teams, Or Any Team Deciding To Trust In What Teams Already Knew About Him and His Abilities as A Basketball Player. How Will Dybasa Fit With Star Wizard’s Guard Trae Young? How will THE WIZARDS Accommodate Two Defensive Liabilities In Both AJ and Trae?
