NBA Draft: Grades for all 30 teams in the 2021 NBA Draft
NBA Draft Grades: Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets: Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland (26)
The Nuggets had a single late first-rounder in the draft, and they used it on one of this summer’s biggest draft board risers. Hyland can absolutely launch the ball from anywhere, and his length helps him on the defensive end. On the other hand, he turns the ball over a ton and doesn’t do well on any shot but a jumper. I would have taken Jared Butler here, but it’s reasonable value and fills a need.
Grade: B-
Minnesota Timberwolves: The Timberwolves moved both of their picks in the Andrew Wiggins / D’Angelo Russell trade. The Warriors took Jonathan Kuminga with the seventh pick, and the New York Knicks ended up with the 36th pick and took Miles McBride.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Josh Giddey (6); Tre Mann (18); Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (32); Aaron Wiggins (55)
The Oklahoma City Thunder came into the draft with six picks, three in each round. General Manager Sam Presti looked around and decided “I should probably find a way to get more picks in the future.” They flipped the 16th pick for a pair of future firsts and consolidated 24 and 36 into pick No. 32.
The problem is that the Thunder got poor value at every turn. Josh Giddey is an exciting “big passing wing” who could absolutely be a top-6 player in the draft, but I had him 10th on my board rather than sixth. Then they reached for Tre Mann at 18 ahead of a number of better guard prospects. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl doesn’t do anything at an elite level and wasn’t worth trading two picks to move up two spots. Aaron Wiggins is fine at 55 but again, better options were there.
Grade: D+
Portland Trail Blazers: Greg Brown (43)
Down a first-round pick to the Houston Rockets from the Robert Covington trade, and down their own second from the Rodney Hood deal, they traded back into the second round to take Texas forward Greg Brown. He is a leap-through-the-ceiling athlete who many have compared to Derrick Jones Jr. The problem is that the Blazers currently employ the original DJJ, and he’s not working out for them.
Grade: C-
Utah Jazz: Jared Butler (40)
The Utah Jazz are a contending team trying to find a way to bring back Mike Conley without wading neck-deep in the luxury tax, so their priorities weren’t on maximizing talent down the road. To that end, they moved the 30th pick in the draft to Memphis and sent a future first along with Derrick Favors to the Oklahoma City Thunder (not a part of their grade). Then, seeing Baylor guard Jared Butler fall they jumped back in and took him at 40, an excellent value (14th on my board, although I don’t get to see medicals) who can fill a role on a cheap contract.
Grade: B+