NBA Draft: Grades for all 30 teams in the 2021 NBA Draft
NBA Draft Grades: Southeast Division
Atlanta Hawks: Jalen Johnson (20); Sharife Cooper (48)
The Atlanta Hawks stayed calm in the chaos around them, staying put and letting value fall to them. With the 20th pick, they took Duke forward Jalen Johnson, who has serious question marks about his commitment and shot creation but is a dynamo in transition, a good passer at 6’8″ with plenty of defensive tools. He was the highest-rated wing or forward on my board at 20.
Then the 22nd-ranked player on my board plummeted to them at 48, and the Hawks may have landed their long-term Trae Young backup. Sharife Cooper was one of the best passers in the draft, and at least with Atlanta, he joins a team used to dealing with a poor defensive point guard. Cooper needs to figure out his jumper to make a true impact, but he was a tremendous value at 48.
Grade: B+
Charlotte Hornets: James Bouknight (11); Kai Jones (19); JT Thor (37); Scottie Lewis (56)
The Charlotte Hornets have a loaded backcourt already, with LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier and Devonte’ Graham, not to mention restricted free agent Malik Monk. The last thing they needed was another ball-dominant guard, but the Hornets saw “UConn” next to his name and were contractually obligated to take him, as they did with Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb back in the day.
Kai Jones is a hyper-athletic project big and was fine value in a vacuum, but absolutely not before Turkish center Alperen Sengun. The pick they traded to take Jones has a really good chance of rolling over until it lands around this range, which is a weird asset play for the Knicks but totally fine for the Hornets. JT Thor is a raw power forward with insane upside, absolutely worth a swing in the early second. Scottie Lewis is a tough defender with shooting woes, and there were better wing options there, but any swing at 56 is mostly fine.
Grade: D
Miami Heat: The Miami Heat traded their first-round pick in the Goran Dragic deal in 2015, and their second-round pick in a salary-dump trade of Brian Roberts in 2016. They made no selections this year.
Orlando Magic: Jalen Suggs (5); Franz Wagner (8)
It was a disappointment for the Magic when they landed fifth in the draft lottery for a four-person draft but found favor Thursday night when the Toronto Raptors went off-script and let Jalen Suggs fall to them at five. He steps in immediately as their best guard and will help set an identity for this team. Franz Wagner joins him as a high-level defender who passes well and has a projectable shot, even if it’s not there yet. For a team often seeming to close its eyes before it throws a dart, these were a pair of bulls-eyes, the third and sixth-best players on my draft board.
Grade: A+
Washington Wizards: Corey Kispert (15); Isaiah Todd (31)
The headline for the Washington Wizards is that they somehow traded Russell Westbrook and got back a first-round pick, along with a collection of decent veterans on movable contracts. They flipped that second first-rounder to the Indiana Pacers for 31 and young guard Aaron Holiday, another solid return.
Kispert can absolutely shoot the ball, but has good athleticism and can finish inside the arc as well. Defensively he is a negative but not a problem, and he should be a solid role player slotted around Bradley Beal. Todd at 31 is more of a head-scratcher, a talented stretch-4 who is probably a long way from making an impact. There were better players and better projects available there.
Grade: B+ (including the trades)