NBA Draft: Regrading all 30 teams for the 2020 NBA Draft
Regrading all 30 teams for the 2020 NBA Draft: C- Grades
Golden State Warriors: C-
James Wiseman, 2; Nico Mannion, 48; Justinian Jessup, 51
Let’s start with the positives. Nico Mannion balled out in the G League Bubble and looks like a keeper as a rotation point guard at the very least. Justinian Jessup played very well in Australia this past season and could be a source of shooting as early as next season.
The problem is that the Golden State Warriors are a team that hopes to continue to contend with their current core, a team that knows it can devalue the center position and still win, a team that had one shot to pick as high as second overall and come away with a difference-maker.
LaMelo Ball went one pick later and would be awesome on this team. Tyrese Haliburton would fit like a glove alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Even Patrick Williams could be helping this team. Instead, the Warriors took a raw center prospect, one who predictably struggled in his rookie season. Wiseman could still turn into an interior force, but the odds have plummeted, and at this point, it’s more likely they move Wiseman than wait around for him to become helpful.
LA Clippers: C-
Daniel Oturu, 33; Jay Scrubb, 55
With a pair of second-round picks, the LA Clippers weren’t bursting with draft capital. Yet as they have done with almost every single late pick they have had over the past decade, the Clippers may have completely whiffed. Daniel Oturu is a low-upside center who went two picks before Xavier Tillman. Jay Scrubb has some pop as a scoring guard, but Paul Reed could be a difference-maker defensively. Low picks mean a low impact missing on them, but it’s likely neither of these players matter for the Clippers moving forward.
Denver Nuggets: C-
Zeke Nnaji, 22; R.J. Hampton, 24
The Denver Nuggets had a pair of late first-round picks, one of which they have already traded in a deal for Aaron Gordon. It’s possible they would have moved that anyway so whether they had used it on R.J. Hampton or a better player may not have mattered to them. But it could have, and perhaps they get more out of the Orlando Magic or another trade partner if they had Immanuel Quickley and Jaden McDaniels instead.
Zeke Nnaji was fine, but he was an investment in a center for a team with an MVP-caliber center and plans to play him significant minutes. R.J. Hampton was a fine flier at 24, a former top-10 talent who slid a bit on draft night. There was nothing necessarily wrong with their picks, but they didn’t maximize the slots very well.
Cleveland Cavaliers: C-
Isaac Okoro. 5
The Cleveland Cavaliers assessed the talent on their roster and knew it had to get a defensive difference maker and it had to add wing players, and it just so happened that Isaac Okoro was available at 5 and fit both needs. The process was sound, but Okoro just hasn’t been awesome thus far as he really struggled offensively. Tyrese Haliburton would have given them a dangerous three-headed guard combo, or Saddiq Bey could have filled that wing need well.
Washington Wizards: C-
Deni Avdija, 9; Cassius Winston, 53
The problem with drafting Deni Avdija is that the theory of Avdija always involved him playing with the ball in his hands, something that was unlikely to happen with Bradley Beal running the show and became nonexistent once Russell Westbrook was brought into town. He plays hard and is working to become a valuable off-ball player, but his landing spot certainly dampened his production. The Wizards would have been much better off with Haliburton or a shooting wing.
Miami Heat: C-
Precious Achiuwa, 20
Leading into the draft, The Athletic’s John Hollinger was banging the drum for Paul Reed, highlighting that he was everything that Precious Achiuwa was but better. Achiuwa went 20th, Reed fell to the bottom of the second round…and one season later it looks like Hollinger was right. Achiuwa plays hard but doesn’t have enough skill or shooting, while Reed looks like a two-way player capable of being a long-term starter. Miami also could have found their replacement for Goran Dragic in Immanuel Quickley or added shooting in the form of Desmond Bane.