MEMPHIS – From dropping Mocks to now taking stock, my final thoughts on how the 2018 NBA Draft played out for lottery teams.
1.
Phoenix Suns
Picking Deandre Ayton at No. 1 was the no-brainer, but maneuvering to flip their No. 16 pick and acquiring a second lottery talent in reliable Mikal Bridges gave the Suns the biggest impact haul in the draft. They’ll turn the corner quickly coming off the NBA’s worst record. Grade: A+
2.
Sacramento Kings
The Kings may have outsmarted themselves by passing on Luka Doncic and taking Marvin Bagley III, although the Duke big man will contribute in a major way from Day 1. Either way, the Kings were in ‘house money’ territory by jumping from No.7 pre-lottery to the No. 2 pick. Grade: B
3.
Atlanta Hawks
Out of obligation in the three-spot, the Hawks effectively leveraged their real estate entering the draft (locking in on Jaren Jackson) and after it started (selecting/trading Doncic) to arrive at their preferred target: Trae Young. Plus, they snagged a 2019 first-round pick to boot. Grade: A
4.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies landed the two best defenders in the draft. There’s the Indiana native who is a uniquely dynamic power forward. And there’s the lockdown perimeter mauler out of Chicago. No, not Zach Randolph and Tony Allen. But Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jevon Carter. 2014’s Grit and Grind is now 2018’s Fit and Grind. Grade: B
5.
Dallas Mavericks
No one aside from Memphis took as hard a blow from the lottery ping pong balls. But the Mavs recovered nicely by trading up for a perfect fit in Doncic and completing the haul with steady, heady Jalen Brunson. They’ll again try to address big-man needs in free agency. Grade: B+
6.
Orlando Magic
Mo Bamba makes sense because he was the best talent on the board at the time Orlando picked. Now comes the hard part – clearing out the logjam on a roster overstocked on bigs, with vets Nikola Vucevic, Bismack Biyombo and last year’s lottery pick Jonathan Isaac. Grade: C+
7.
Chicago Bulls
Nothing’s sexy or sensational about what the Bulls did. They simply made smart, sensible moves to address needs. Adding sure-bet big man Wendell Carter Jr. and underrated wing scorer Chandler Hutchison to rising star Lauri Markkanan ideally solidifies the foundation. Grade: A
8.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs are in Keep-LeBron-in-Cleveland mode again, so every move carries significance. Point guard Collin Sexton is already making smart plays by launching that draft night recruiting pitch to LeBron and then a day later sliding into Kyrie Irving’s old No. 2 Cavs jersey. Grade: B+
9.
New York Knicks
The Knicks wanted Bamba desperately, but couldn’t execute a deal. Still, former Grizzlies coach David Fizdale came away with one of the draft’s fastest risers in forward Kevin Knox and got center prospect Mitchell Robinson, who was projected as a mid-first round talent. Grade: B
10.
Philadelphia 76ers
First, the Sixers selected Villanova star Mikal Bridges. It would have been fine to stop there. But then coach and acting GM Brett Brown flipped Bridges to Phoenix for an unprotected 2021 first-round pick, and also acquired guards Zhaire Smith and Landry Shamet for depth. Bold. Grade: B
11.
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets should have trusted their initial instinct. They appeared to shore up backcourt concerns when they drafted Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as eventual Kemba Walker insurance. Trading him for Miles Bridges was puzzling, but they also added Devonte Graham. Grade: C-
12./13.
L.A. Clippers
The Clippers were most active attempting to make trades. They entered the draft process enamored with Michael Porter Jr., but ultimately passed on him and ended up with Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson. So now they’ve got eight guards on the roster. Why? Grade: D
14.
Denver Nuggets
The Porter hype machine, at one point in the pre-draft process, had him potentially rising to the Kings as the No. 2 pick. Then his murky medical situation unfolded and his descent commenced. Rapidly. Still, the Nuggets getting Porter here is a pure case of low-risk, high reward. Grade: B
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