The best draft class since 2003? Well, that is still to be the seen, but it has certainly generated a type of buzz that goes beyond what most drafts can conjure. After the class of 2013 being regarded as a weak class, the prospects this year are out to take the league by storm and assert themselves as one of the best classes ever. Also note that my grades are based on the evaluation I have of the pick and the things surrounding it, not a shot at any team. In the long term, who really knows what these guys are, so let’s all take it easy. ;) Note: We will not be giving grades to anyone that traded picks away and has no rookie rights. We are only going to grade the teams on the rights of the players they have right now.

	A	Marcus Smart (#5), Glen Robinson III (#29) Atlanta did a very good job adding insurance to their uncertain contract situation with Kyle Lowry and taking Smart at the fifth spot was a sound move for GM Houndy as Smart is a natural born leader who will have solid defensive ratings right away. Marcus is a hard worker that plays with a passion unlike any player in this class. He will have to answer questions about his athleticism and inconsistent jumper. Next, Atl went on to address their glaring weakness, the wing position. Taking Glen Robinson III at that point after a lot of teams were buzzing in the 20s for the opportunity to get him, was a good pick by Houndy. Glen is versatile and looks the part, but may never rise to the next level due to his passive nature, working on that will be a key point in his development although these types of things are always tricky.
	C+	K.J. McDaniels (#20) Boston only had one pick when it was all said and done, and they used it to grab the hyper-atlhetic K.J. McDaniels who’s game is predicated on defense first and has a developing offensive. This pick was called a reach by some at the time, but I think this is a reasonable pick for the Celtics and might be what they need, which is players that can contribute right away and add depth to an already dangerous team.
	D	Jordan McRae (#53) This pick was made by the league as this franchise currently doesn’t have a GM, but at #53, if you can get pretty much anything tangible, it’s a good thing. I feel the Nets did that here with McRae, he reminds me of Will Barton, obviously because he’s a little on the lite side (179 pounds) but also because he can do different things on the court. McRae doesn’t excel at anything at this point and will have a hard time against stronger opponents but was counted on as a primary scoring option at Tennessee.
	B	Elfrid Payton (#9), Gary Harris (#10), Alec Brown (#50) This grade is elevated because I think Payton will be a dynamite player and given his 2-3 years of development under coaches and tweaks. He is so explosive and has the point guard skills every team looks for, has a killer first step and is very difficult to stop in transition. His jump shot is horrible at this point and will need to be re-worked otherwise teams will just focus on that weakness. His next pick was called a reach based on how the player slid in the NBA draft but Harris is a ready-now player that can do so many things on the basketball court, his height was something that scared some teams off, but apparently GM Digeze is a big fan. Though Harris may never develop his game to the point of being called a star, he’ll slide right in be good for a number of years but limited upside is our opinion. With his third selection, the Hornets selected C/PF who’s a sweet shooting big who needs to work on bulking up and not getting bullied inside for positioning, stretch bigs are the thing of the moment so why not take a shot at him here.
	N/A	No players
	N/A	No players.
	D	Xavier Thames (#58) Thames is a senior out of San Diego State who’s one of those specialists people look for in the draft this late. His mid-range game is developed to a high level and that is his selling point maybe he’ll find a niche in the NBA if he can improve in other areas as well, he has college experience already so that might help him stick around.
	B-	Mitch McGary (#26), Josh Huestis (#43) The words here are value and depth, and that is what pumped the Denver grade up. GM Rootsey was able to pick the #21 and #29 overall picks in the NBA pick at the #26 and #43 spots respectively. Say what you want, that is a good haul. McGary shot up the draft board in the last month all the way to a first-round lock despite little playing time, back injuries and character issues. He is a hard working big who is proactive and has nimble feet, if the chips fall in the right place and he can overcome those hurdles, the payout could be good. Huestis was a surprise pick in the NBA and was a reach in that league if you ask me, but over here, at the 43rd selection, it’s the utmost value. He is a defender first and hustle guy who’s going to play for a good organization around talented players, which can be good and bad for a young player. His upside is really limited, but if he reaches it, you’re looking at a solid bench guy for a long time.
	B+	Tyler Ennis (#25), Cleanthony Early (#27) Love both picks for Detroit here, the word value comes to mind again here because Tyler Ennis at pick #25 may pay huge dividends in the end and he seems to be one of those guys who’s never rattled and sees the whole floor, plus now he has a chip on his shoulder, which always helps. Early with his next pick was also a nice find as this guy is a player. He won’t wow you with size and mind-blowing speed but he is an experienced guy who’s improved every year and can play multiple positions. He’ll have trouble against long defenders who can’t be taken off the dribble and that 3-point % needs to go up for him to expand his game. Overall a great job by GM Mavs
	C	Clint Capela (#35), Joe Harris (#40), Johnny O’Bryant (#51), Lamar Patterson (#54) GM Wallrus must have based his draft board on draft positions, because he all his picks went higher in the NBA, which would suggest that talent slipped into his hands. First he grabbed a first-round guy in Capela who slid because aside from his lottery caliber athleticism and body, there isn’t much else there, he still has a long way to go. Then Joe Harris was next in fold, who is a marksman from 3-point territory, who has a high IQ and intangibles. He’s not very athletic so he’ll need to compensate that by outworking everybody. O’Bryant is an intriguing prospect that is drafted because of his inside-outside game and NBA body, but he has so many question marks regarding conditioning, consistency, free-throw and turnovers. Wallrus might have saved his best pick for last, as Patterson is such an interesting prospect who’s well liked by his coaches and trainers as a glue guy who can do everything the team needs to while impacting the game in some many different areas. There’s a place in the NBA for guys like that.
	B-	Aaron Gordon (#6) Their only pick in the draft was a high lottery one and this grade is solely based on the talent available at GM Thebirdfalcon24’s disposal and how they were rated on my board. Gordon is not a bad player by any stretch of the imagination, he is a freak athlete that can rebound at a high rate, has a lot of hustle to his game, is very young still, but his offensive game is solely reserved to putbacks and hustle baskets and when comparing his overall package with the likes of Noah Vonleh and Julius Randle, it leaves something to be desired. Aaron Gordon will forever be compared to the fellow bigs in this high lottery, but it takes guts to make a pick like this and this GM showed it here getting the player he wants. One interesting point is that there is a notion that he can maybe be switched to a small forward in the long run, which might have been the motivation to make this pick.
	C+	Dwight Powell (#38), Nick Johnson (#39) GM Sheed had back-to-back picks and he went for need and best player available respectively. He was after a big man all along and when some of his targets weren’t there, the stretch big Powell was a solid choice for a 6-11 guy who can shoot it but he needs to bulk up a lot and rebound a lot better to stay in the league. Johnson might be one of the secret weapons of this draft and if it weren’t for his height, he would be drafted way higher. He is an SG trapped in an PG’s body, is so explosive and looks to always make the right plays. He’s got Hall of Fame bloodlines as his uncle is the late Celtics great Dennis Johnson.
	B	Dario Saric (#15), Semaj Christon (#47) Like both picks here. Saric seems almost scared to come over since saying he wanted a guarantee he was gonna be a lottery pick last year and waiting until the last minute to sign a new contract that runs until 2016 and who knows what he’ll come up with then? He is a do-it-all-player and has a lot of flair to him. Can be erratic at times due to overconfidence and there are question marks about his defense and jump shot, but potential is very high. Semaj’s got a lot of tools going for him and is a playmaker, who’s a great athlete and most of the things you’d like in a point guard. He still has to put it all together and improve his shooting, but if he does that, he can be in the league for a long time.
	A	Noah Vonleh (#7) If you can choose one player to come out of a draft with and you choose Vonleh, it’s a pretty good choice. This guy is freak in terms of size, just so good in rebounding, shot-blocking and extremely mobile for a big, his per36 and per40 numbers are amazing. Oh, did I tell you he can shoot too? Potential here is huge. He was underutilized in his time with the Hoosiers and that might not be a good sign because good players find their way to the court, but college basketball is a strange monster so I’m just gonna leave it at that.
	A+	Adreian Payne (#19), Bruno Caboclo (#22) Memphis went to both extremes in this draft, from one of the draft’s most talented wildcards in Dante Exum to one of the surest things in Payne and back to THE biggest wildcard of the draft in the brazilian Bruno Caboclo. Exum is a blazing fast point guard who’s got a 6-6 frame and simply got bored of schooling aussie high schoolers that he finally came here to see what’s what in the states. This kid has potential coming out of his year since the game comes so naturally to him and doesn’t seem to have anything he can’t do on the court. Questions about his level of competition up to the point where he was “hidden” to preserve his draft status will come up and also how he’ll adjust to the tempo here. He says he wants to be a point but his future might be at SG. Payne is a warrior who will look to fit in right away with most teams because of how tough he is and the sweet touch on offense that usually doesn’t come with the package when talking about tough big men. Payne might not have a great upside but he can contribute right away and depending on what you are looking for, he might be perfect. Caboclo is the definition of a boom or bust pick, and that makes a difference when you’re talking about a draft that is supposed to be loaded so you gotta know your stuff if you’re the Raptors in the NBA and in this case, Memphis here. Bruno is a great athlete that can do so many things on the court because of size and length (6-9 and 7-6 wingspan), the sample size is very small and he is very skinny (200 pounds on a good day) but if he’s given time and patience, this could become the steal of the draft for GM Bacthemac, or not, who knows? lol
	A	Julius Randle (#8) He once called his picks player-vouchers, but on an interesting turn of events, and I’ll need to check the history books because of how uncommon this is, GM ProID actually PICKED someone! And boy was it a good one. Julius Randle is a bully who plays with an endless motor, so strong, rebounds with the best of them, is a natural scorer and has the will to improve himself as a player. He went to the NBA Lakers, which I think it’s a match made in heaven because he’s needed there and he’s got the mindset to sustain the pressure. Randle is such a one-dimensional player because he only goes left in his moves, so, theoretically he’d be easy to stop right? Try again. Actually he was one of the most unstoppable players in NCAA, although NBA defenses will be a lot tougher. Needs to find himself a jump shot and get consistent with it and also work on defending better against size. His ceiling is also very high and this particular player-voucher, might turn out to be pretty good. Of course odds say he’ll be traded 3 times before the season even starts! lol
	A-	Doug McDermott (#12), Zach LaVine(#14), Jusuf Nurkic (#17), Nemanja Dangubic (#52) GM Badwolf ended up with 3 1st rounders this year, as he seems to have in most drafts. lol He started out with Doug Mcbuckets, a pure scorer, probably the best in the draft that is more athletic than people give him credit. There are questions about his ability to guard PFs, or SFs for that matter, due to his lack of lateral quickness which might limit his ceiling because defense is what gives you minutes in the NBA, he’s on the Bulls thought so he might learn a thing or two. Next Milwaukee took Lavine, who’s skillset is made for the draft evaluation process because he is so athletic, jumps through the roof, has such a beautiful jump shot and has blazing speed, so when he is running drills alone inside a gym, you might actually believe he is Russell Westbrook. Great, now put the tape on and let’s run 5-on-5 real game of basketball, and you might not think the same way. It’s the case of glass half empty or half full, but it depends on whether he can add size to his small frame while also improving his playmaking skills and shot selection, his ceiling is as high as any guard in this draft. Badwolf still had one more pick to make and this was one he’d hinted for a while in Jusuf Nurkic, the center that plays in Croatia and has awesome projected numbers, because he doesn’t actually get a lot of playing time over there. The tools are there, size, strength, power, a nice shooting touch for a big and you have another guy who looks the part but we don’t know a lot about his ability to defend NBA bigs, and apparently he has maturity red flags. If it all works out, you have a Center who can be something special, similar to Pekovic. Lastly, GM Badwolf took Dangubic who is destined to be another stash pick. He was the MVP of the 2014 Eurocamp, has some athleticism to his game while scoring most of his points in transition but that is pretty much all we can say about him. See you in three years Nemanja!
	N/A	No players.
	C+	DeAndre Daniels (#36), Bogdan Bogdanovic (#44) New Orleans took Daniels with the first of his 2 second rounders, a prospect I like because of his versatility as he has a nice inside-outside game and got hot at the right time and played himself into a high second round selection with an efficient showing at the NCAA tournament. Daniels needs to get stronger and bigger, but if he can get that while being consistent, he can be a solid contributor. Bogdanovic slid in the NLL after being a first-rounder in the NBA, at 44 this is a good value pick for a player who might not come right away but has a solid game, similar to Sergey Karasev, long range bomber who is not afraid to take the clutch shot, great size but as most guys in this profile, there are questions about his defense and his ability to play against NBA pressure.
	D	Cory Jefferson (#59) The 59th pick of the draft was big man, and one that has some talent for a 5th year senior. He is a good athlete that needs to add muscle and some polish to his game, but he’s very crafty and does some of the little things that might suggest he can make it in the league, although playing in the NBA Spurs is like going to Harvard, so if he can learn anything, he’s already in the perfect place.
	B-	Nik Stauskas (#11), C.J. Wilcox (#30), Nikola Jokic (#33), Damien Inglis (#37), Vasilije Micic (#48), Roy Devyn Marble (#56), Louis Laberyie (#60) OKC had the most draft picks this year, even though many were 2nd rounders. Stauskas is an SG that everyone has raved about due to his ability to shoot the ball and should come in and take over the 6th man spot at least for the first season. He has quite a bit of athleticism on him and has improved his abilities as a distributor. In order to develop his game even further, he needs to get bigger, stronger and show he can defend NBA wings consistently. Wilcox is one of those specialists who will come into the game and do one thing, shoot the ball, specially from deep. C.J. has to prove himself valuable on defense too if he wants to increase his playing time along with putting the ball on the deck. Jokic was a bit of a reach in our eyes, but clearly GM Nenjabin wanted to make sure he got the 6-11 Center, not much of an athlete but has a strong body who can also stroke it from the outside, though not consistently at this point but the shot is there. Still very young at just 19 years old. It might take him a long time to come, but there’s a lot to like there. Inglis is a good athlete that has so many tools to work with but is raw at this point, needs to add pretty much all the intangible tools needed to succeed in the NBA, he has time on his side though. Micic is a 6-5 pass-first point guard which are almost as rare as a Raiders fan these days. He sees the whole floor and knows where people are at all times. He’ll need to make a lot of adjustments in order to make it in the NBA but he has that one special skill that might make him worth the wait. Marble is one of those guys that plays winning basketball, all the time, he can play 3 positions and competes in all of them. In a league where “special” is needed, he’ll never be on the cover of magazines but I’d say he makes it in the league no matter what. Laberyie is a French big who’s played for the national team in almost every stage of his development and some might call him a reach by NBA guys because there were more talented prospects on the table, even if he was selected as a late second-rounder. He’s a stretch four and could very well be the worst player drafted this year given the depth of this class.
	A+	Joel Embiid (#4), T.J. Warren (#18), Thanasis Antetokoumpo (#49), Alessandro Gentile (#55) Orlando deserves the A+ here because he put up a clinical, Embiid has #1 type potential and if it all falls into place he has the highest ceiling of any player in this draft, which is saying so much about how good this guy can really be. He is already a factor on defense with his 7-5 wingspan, can alter shots and handle his man inside on switches, he has everything you look for in a franchise Center, oh and did I tell you he started playing basketball yesterday? Yeah, he’s that good and scouts have been calling him a “natural” by the way he grasps techniques and footwork. Only thing he can’t control are his injuries, back issues before the draft, a more than common problem with big men, and then a foot surgery that sidelined him for the whole season, which is another problem amongst bigs. The red flags are HUGE, because we’ve seen this movie before with big men and no, I will not mention Greg Oden or Sam Bowie as comparisons…OOPS! If he magically heals and is all good, Orlando may have found himself a cornerstone for the franchise, gutsy pick Laddas, I like it! At #18 GM Laddas selected a dynamite scorer, a flat-out bucket-getter and a total steal at the 18th pick, he has scoring instincs you just cannot teach, package that along with good quickness and smart movement along the floor and you have yourself a weapon. Biggest letdown on Warren is his inability to hit 3s consistently and the fact that he is not very explosive. If he can’t find a way to create that 3-point threat, defenses will find a way to stop him. The later picks for the Magic were the exact opposites of one another, The Greek Freak 0.5 (Giannis’ older brother), who’s basically a defense-only guy but a very good one at that with athleticism to shut his man down and later at #55 Alessandro Gentile who’s literally a 22 year-old veteran who’s been playing professionally since he was 15-16 and has been successful in every step of the way. He is an offense-only prospect who has a hard time defending but knows how to hide himself in defenses, due to experience, so as to not be detrimental to his team. I project a poor man’s Marco Belinelli type here. Overall I loved the job Orlando did, solid GMing.
	A+	Jabari Parker (#2), Shabazz Napier (#21), Jordan Clarkson (#41) Any class that has Jabari already grades very high but GM Vt managed to add some more players through later picks that further improve his draft haul. Parker’s upside is high because of how he scores the ball and the type of polish he already has in his game at such a young age, add that alpha-dog mentality and you got yourself a potential star. He plays like a seasoned vet is ready the player who can impact right away. If his offensive arsenal is so developed, his defense needs work as he struggles to defend against length due to his tweener size and may be switched on defense from the 3 to the 4 or vice-versa depending on the favorable matchup on defense if he doesn’t improve. Napier is another player who’s ready to contribute right away due to his immense experience and style of play. He has such a will and confidence in his game that he always KNOWS he’ll make the next shot and there is a place in this league for game managers who can knock down shots in this league. He’ll make himself a player on his heart and constant chip on his shoulder alone, but his upside is not very high due to limited athleticism and size. Picking up Clarkson with the 41st choice was also a good pick because of the whole package, a 6-5 point guard that gets into the paint and the line a lot, knows his stuff but needs a little more seasoning, work on his strength, decision-making and a perimeter game.
	C+	Rodney Hood (#16), Markel Brown (#42) GM Pennywise started his draft picking the marksman Hood out of Duke that has perfect size nd comes from a school where you usually learn a lot about the game so he should be able to translate well. Hood has the potential to be one of those sought after 3-and-D guys and then some due to his great athleticism if it all goes according to plan and he’s able to get bigger, stronger and finds a way to be a better defender and rebounder. Later in the draft the Suns found the bouncy SG that was backcourt buddies with Marcus Smart, Markel Brown. He’s such a gifted athlete and as a senior he’s learned to do most things the right way and will do whatever is asked of him, the only thing he can’t control is his size which makes him an SG inside a PG’s body and limits his upside in the long term in the NBA.
	C+	P.J. Hairston (#24) GM DJDrew took a flier on a 6-5 scorer in Hairston the hopes that his off-the-court issues are behind him. P.J. has such a developed offensive repertoire and is also a good player on defense, where he struggles is the consistency, motor and at times, conditioning. Add maturity to that list of struggles and you got a pick that might boom, but might also bust if you rub him the wrong way. Needs to go to a place where the players don’t have that much leeway in the organization, in order for him to be successful.
	C+	Jordan Adams (#28), Walter Tavares (#46), Cameron Bairstow (#57) Adams was the worst athlete in the NBA Combine but has such a high IQ and scoring instincts and defensive steals that you can’t ignore him. Adams has an overall game and looks ready to play right now. Tavares wins the famous “I’m really really big and so are my arms, draft me!” Award of this draft and is a tower who seems to struggle with walking, so running eh…might be a problem. lol Kidding aside he has some instincts on defense as a shot blocker and rebounder with all that size (7-3, 7-9 wingspan), has just started playing and may start being ready in 3-4 years with a lot of hard work. Bairstow is a hard-working player, who plays smart and has a face-up game that was drafted by the NBA Bulls so he must be worth something and as they say he should be a solid contributor three years from now due to the system that team employs with its draft picks
	C+	Spencer Dinwiddie (#32), Jerami Grant (#34) GM Leeroy had two targets, and one pick so he traded back and got them both. Spencer and Jerami. Spencer was nearly selected one pick earlier by Utah and was gladly accepted by the Spurs as he might have had a first-round grade on him if it wasn’t for his torn ACL in January. As a 6-6 natural point guard (with THE cheesiest mustache, lol), that can work inside and out in terms of scoring while still distributing, you can see the potential for mismatches that this guy creates. He is a little on the lite side so strengthening and bulking up will be on his checklist along ALL the rehab sessions for his knee, aaaand when he comes back, we’ll question whether or not he can defend NBA PGs and their blazing speed. Next up was Jerami Grant a guy that is more of an athlete than a basketball player at this point, thing is he’s so gifted as an athlete that he might just turn himself into a player. It’s one of those cases where he should have stayed in college and showed just a little more and that would push him into near lottery contention, but he decided to come out and right now there isn’t much to like in terms of polish, mechanics and literally anything really close to the basket. He’s very long and seems to work very hard. If the stars align he can be a very good player because the physical tools are there but how much time would that take.
	B-	Kyle Anderson (#23) Do you guys know Roger, the Alien in American Dad? Yep, that’s Kyle Anderson, he plays that character when he’s not balling for UCLA and now the NBA. Just kidding!! He’s such a unique prospect that comparisons of a 6-9 point guard have to go waaay back to a certain baller named Magic, which is almost unfair in itself but that’s how rare his skillset is. Nope, he’s Magic and I’m not saying that, but he is a PG trapped on a 6-9 frame. Can get to any spot on the floor and knows how to use his length to finish over or around guys, not to mention his crazy vision of the floor. The biggestquestion is that he doesn’t have the lateral quickness to defend NBA PGs, SGs, SFs or even some PFs so he is a problem when he’s defending and teams will have to find a way to hide him in the defense as probably a small forward which looks to be his long term position. The point-forward if you like using trendy expressions. Nobody knows whether this guy will make it or not but he got drafted by simply the best organization in ALL of sports (and no, I’m not a fan, quite the opposite actually) so I’ll say he’s at least the Finals MVP in 4 years. Wanna bet?
	A	Andrew Wiggins (#1), Jarnell Stokes (#31) GM Merencio, surprinsingly didn’t have 100 2nd rounders this time around, but instead used his picks to fill two big needs at SF and PF/C. Wiggins was the #1 overall pick in both sides of the basketball universe and is a one of a kind athlete that seems very fluid on the court because things come so easy to him based on natural power alone. He is an excellent defender already and that will buy him playing time off the bat as he works on the other parts of his game. While his jumper is reliable, Wiggins needs to work on overall consistency in his game, bulking up, being locked in at all times and even more than that, he needs to feel the game and be aggressive accordingly taking charge and control of the situation as the best superstars do. Even he’s able to do all these things and improve mentally, the sky is the limit for this kid. Next up Utah selected the PF Jarnell Stokes out of Tennessee who is arguably the best rebounder in this draft and that is something the Jazz are really looking from their bigs, so Stokes is the type of player that fits the system perfectly. Although there were other player with more potential on the board and that had GM Merencio tempted for a while there, picking Stokes was the smart thing to be done and feel possess his skillset in the draft. Jarnell is very strong and has amazing lower body strength that works wonders for his positioning along with an NBA-ready body and an offensive game that has post moves and jumpers but is not very polished at this point. Downside is he’s not much of an athlete and plays below the rim, so needs to prove he can score against length, given his almost 6-9 size, he has a chance of being a tweener.
	C-	Russ Smith (#45) Arguably the streakiest shooter in the draft. When Russ get hot, get out of the way! He’s a former NCAA Champion and has played in tons of big games with some of the best coaching staff there is so there’s a chance he’s ready to contribute right away. Can facilitate, score, defend at a good level, and is a nightmare in transition. His size limits his upside but he has a place in the league as a spark of the bench. Russ is exciting to watch play, think John Lucas III, Nate Rob and Pierre Jackson.