Overall
The Pacers did a great job addressing two needs on Thursday night, grabbing both a point guard and someone who can possibly play the role of a larger wing that can hit an outside shot down the line.
Did Indiana end up with a top notch talent? Probably not (although there are some who thought Holiday was borderline lottery-worthy). With that being said, an opportunity to trade up never really presented itself, and with a clear need at point guard, Holiday was probably the guy they would have taken even if they were able to move up a few spots.
When Johnson was taken, there weren’t many loftier names on the board, but there were some taken just before the Pacers picked, including Keita Bates-Diop at No. 48 (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Hamidou Diallo (No. 45) to the Brooklyn Nets. Could they have moved up to select one of those players? It’s unclear, but it’s a question worth asking.
All in all, this is a draft Pacers fans should be happy with.
Next: Complete 2018 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams
Final Grade: B+