Cleveland Cavaliers
Nino Brown's D720 Draft Grades Part 1
Dec 6, 2020 12:44:05 GMT -5
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Post by Nino Brown on Dec 6, 2020 12:44:05 GMT -5
Atlanta Hawks : N/A
Boston Celtics: With the #3 overall pick in the 2020 D720 Draft, The Boston Celtics drafted the much controversial SG out of Georgia, Anthony Edwards. Later in the first round, they took the 3&D wing Saddiq Bey out of Villanova, and rounded out their draft with Jaden Mcdaniels, Daniel Oturu, and Devon Dotson. I personally think they killed it, considering they already had a young core of Dillon Brooks, De'Aaron Fox, Rui Hachimura, and Malik Beasley. That's a lot of talent Boston have comprised, and it seems that their days of being a bottom of the barrel team are close to being done.
Draft Grade: A+
Brooklyn Nets: Brooklyn are usually quiet on all fronts, but took the sharp shooting Josh Green with the 19th overall selection. Green should give the Nets good floor spacing, and should make a good backcourt duo with De'Angelo Russell. Brooklyn also selected Kenyon Martin Jr whose dad was a pretty good NBA Baller himself. Martin Jr brings high energy, and athleticism with his game, and though he’s still raw, there is potential for him to be a good defender of multiple positions.
Draft Grade: B
Charlotte Hornets: The Hornets had 3 Selections come at the end of the first round, taking two bigs with completely different profiles, in Zeke Nnanji, and Isaiah Stewart. They also took Leandro Bolmaro who will be stashed until he's bought out from Barcelona. Ultimately there is a lot of risk in these picks! Nnaji is an athletic big, with a solid midrange game, but lacks the defensive presence you'd want out of your 5. Isaiah Stewart is a traditional big, but the NBA seems to be moving away from guys with his skillset, and though Bolmaro does everything pretty well, he doesn't stand out in any facet, and his shooting might be a red flag for most. They finished up their draft by taking Jay Scrubbs, and Karim Mane in the second round. Overall an interesting draft to say the least, and though I'm personally not enamored with any of these guys, I'm sure there is rhyme, and reason behind the Hornets selections.
Draft Grade: C
Chicago Bulls: N/A
Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavaliers did a bold thing by trading into the First Round to Select Tyrell Terry with the 12th overall pick with guys like Nesmith, and Kira Lewis still otb, but I love the pick. Terry is an excellent three point shooter, with extensive range that is able to create for his teammates because defenders respect his shooting ability. He also has a nice layup package, thus making him a good finisher, and though he's never going to be a lockdown defender, he has great anticipation, and will rack up steals. Ultimately, there seems to be a wide variance on his career outcome, ranging from solid bench player, to starter, and even some people have him as a lottery talent in this draft. I'm probably more on the extreme side of evaluators that believe at the very minimum, he's going to be an elite offensive talent. Since the start of the college season he's killed questions about his size having grown to 6'3 since the start of the season, and he's put on 15 pounds of weight, being noticeably larger, and more athletic in his most recent workout videos. The Cavs also selected Isaiah Joe, who many scouts believe to be the best shooter in the draft, whose also capable of creating his own shots. Finally, The Cavs finished up by taking Ty'shon Alexander whose a good shooter, and a really good guard defender out of Creighton. I love this draft for the Cavs as they took players that have high upside, and compliment Ben Simmons skillset. At the very least, these should be a group of guys that can come in and light it up off the bench.
Draft Grade: A
Dallas Mavericks: With their lone pick in the 2020 D720 Draft, The Mavs took Vernon Carey Jr. Vernon is another one of those guys with a lot of critics. What you hear when you hear Carey's name is not very athletic, and not much of a floor spacer either. This is an odd fit for a team with Zion Williamson, and Luka Doncic. What Carey does have going for him is analytics. His advanced stats are off the charts, and he could be very valuable anyways with the Mavs choosing to Zig, while the rest of the league tries to Zag.
Draft Grade: C
Denver Nuggets: With their only pick in the second round in the 2020 D720 Draft, the Denver Nuggets selected PG, Saben Lee out of Vanderbilt whose a fierce competitor, and a product of Jerry Stackhouse. Saben should be able to at least carve out a bench role in the league.
Draft Grade: C
Detroit Pistons: The Pistons had two selections within the first 5 picks of the D720 Draft selecting Killian Hayes, whose my number 1 prospect in this class, and James Wiseman, who I had 5th coming into the draft. The Pistons are another team that look as though they are ready to take the next step as a team with two high potential studs. I believe Hayes elite playmaking ability, will combine well with Wiseman whose really good at setting screens, and pick and roll scenario's. His athleticism will make him an elite rim runner, and his rim protection should also be amongst the best if everything breaks right. Neither one of these guys, are flawless, but the Pistons hit the jackpot twice imo. They finished up their draft by taking Elijah Hughes in the second round. The Eastern Conference is going to be interesting for the foreseeable future at the very least.
Draft Grade: A+
Golden State Warriors: N/A
Houston Rockets: N/A
Indiana Pacers: N/A
Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers were extremely active this draft, making multiple trades in the first round, and adding assets for the future, and still ended up with Desmond Bane, another player who some argue is the best shooter in the draft, and a solid PG in Payton Pritchard. Yam Madar is an intriguing Euro stash that has drawn comps to Patrick Beverly, which are pretty lazy. I think he has the potential to be a steal. He plays defense extremely hard, can facilitate, and his shooting is improving. All in all, I do have to wonder what exactly their plan is for these guys, and their roster as a whole with 24 guys signed, which is not a typo.
Draft Grade: B-
Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers who originally had 3 picks in this draft, traded their picks to acquire Russell Westbrook, and Brook Lopez to pair with Kawhi Leonard, and Jerami Grant. Ultimately, they were able to acquire a second round pick where they took PF, Paul Reed out of Depaul. Reed can be a bit eccentric on the offensive end, and definitely needs to refine his shooting, but defensively he's a monster, and can really fill up a stat sheet. He was taken in the second round, but grades out as a top 30 guy for me with his athleticism, length, and defensive ability/potential. The Lakers have traditionally been a very good defensive team in D720, and they're about to continue that tradition with the addition of Paul Reed, who I love as a prospect.
Draft Grade: B+
Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies used their first round draft pick to take Aaron Nesmith, who they have agreed to trade to the Phoenix Suns at a later date, and Immanuel Quickley who has interesting measurables. He projects to be a good shooter, and a good defender with his long arms.
Draft Grade: B, but would be an A if they kept Nesmith.
Part Two: 12/7/2020
Boston Celtics: With the #3 overall pick in the 2020 D720 Draft, The Boston Celtics drafted the much controversial SG out of Georgia, Anthony Edwards. Later in the first round, they took the 3&D wing Saddiq Bey out of Villanova, and rounded out their draft with Jaden Mcdaniels, Daniel Oturu, and Devon Dotson. I personally think they killed it, considering they already had a young core of Dillon Brooks, De'Aaron Fox, Rui Hachimura, and Malik Beasley. That's a lot of talent Boston have comprised, and it seems that their days of being a bottom of the barrel team are close to being done.
Draft Grade: A+
Brooklyn Nets: Brooklyn are usually quiet on all fronts, but took the sharp shooting Josh Green with the 19th overall selection. Green should give the Nets good floor spacing, and should make a good backcourt duo with De'Angelo Russell. Brooklyn also selected Kenyon Martin Jr whose dad was a pretty good NBA Baller himself. Martin Jr brings high energy, and athleticism with his game, and though he’s still raw, there is potential for him to be a good defender of multiple positions.
Draft Grade: B
Charlotte Hornets: The Hornets had 3 Selections come at the end of the first round, taking two bigs with completely different profiles, in Zeke Nnanji, and Isaiah Stewart. They also took Leandro Bolmaro who will be stashed until he's bought out from Barcelona. Ultimately there is a lot of risk in these picks! Nnaji is an athletic big, with a solid midrange game, but lacks the defensive presence you'd want out of your 5. Isaiah Stewart is a traditional big, but the NBA seems to be moving away from guys with his skillset, and though Bolmaro does everything pretty well, he doesn't stand out in any facet, and his shooting might be a red flag for most. They finished up their draft by taking Jay Scrubbs, and Karim Mane in the second round. Overall an interesting draft to say the least, and though I'm personally not enamored with any of these guys, I'm sure there is rhyme, and reason behind the Hornets selections.
Draft Grade: C
Chicago Bulls: N/A
Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavaliers did a bold thing by trading into the First Round to Select Tyrell Terry with the 12th overall pick with guys like Nesmith, and Kira Lewis still otb, but I love the pick. Terry is an excellent three point shooter, with extensive range that is able to create for his teammates because defenders respect his shooting ability. He also has a nice layup package, thus making him a good finisher, and though he's never going to be a lockdown defender, he has great anticipation, and will rack up steals. Ultimately, there seems to be a wide variance on his career outcome, ranging from solid bench player, to starter, and even some people have him as a lottery talent in this draft. I'm probably more on the extreme side of evaluators that believe at the very minimum, he's going to be an elite offensive talent. Since the start of the college season he's killed questions about his size having grown to 6'3 since the start of the season, and he's put on 15 pounds of weight, being noticeably larger, and more athletic in his most recent workout videos. The Cavs also selected Isaiah Joe, who many scouts believe to be the best shooter in the draft, whose also capable of creating his own shots. Finally, The Cavs finished up by taking Ty'shon Alexander whose a good shooter, and a really good guard defender out of Creighton. I love this draft for the Cavs as they took players that have high upside, and compliment Ben Simmons skillset. At the very least, these should be a group of guys that can come in and light it up off the bench.
Draft Grade: A
Dallas Mavericks: With their lone pick in the 2020 D720 Draft, The Mavs took Vernon Carey Jr. Vernon is another one of those guys with a lot of critics. What you hear when you hear Carey's name is not very athletic, and not much of a floor spacer either. This is an odd fit for a team with Zion Williamson, and Luka Doncic. What Carey does have going for him is analytics. His advanced stats are off the charts, and he could be very valuable anyways with the Mavs choosing to Zig, while the rest of the league tries to Zag.
Draft Grade: C
Denver Nuggets: With their only pick in the second round in the 2020 D720 Draft, the Denver Nuggets selected PG, Saben Lee out of Vanderbilt whose a fierce competitor, and a product of Jerry Stackhouse. Saben should be able to at least carve out a bench role in the league.
Draft Grade: C
Detroit Pistons: The Pistons had two selections within the first 5 picks of the D720 Draft selecting Killian Hayes, whose my number 1 prospect in this class, and James Wiseman, who I had 5th coming into the draft. The Pistons are another team that look as though they are ready to take the next step as a team with two high potential studs. I believe Hayes elite playmaking ability, will combine well with Wiseman whose really good at setting screens, and pick and roll scenario's. His athleticism will make him an elite rim runner, and his rim protection should also be amongst the best if everything breaks right. Neither one of these guys, are flawless, but the Pistons hit the jackpot twice imo. They finished up their draft by taking Elijah Hughes in the second round. The Eastern Conference is going to be interesting for the foreseeable future at the very least.
Draft Grade: A+
Golden State Warriors: N/A
Houston Rockets: N/A
Indiana Pacers: N/A
Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers were extremely active this draft, making multiple trades in the first round, and adding assets for the future, and still ended up with Desmond Bane, another player who some argue is the best shooter in the draft, and a solid PG in Payton Pritchard. Yam Madar is an intriguing Euro stash that has drawn comps to Patrick Beverly, which are pretty lazy. I think he has the potential to be a steal. He plays defense extremely hard, can facilitate, and his shooting is improving. All in all, I do have to wonder what exactly their plan is for these guys, and their roster as a whole with 24 guys signed, which is not a typo.
Draft Grade: B-
Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers who originally had 3 picks in this draft, traded their picks to acquire Russell Westbrook, and Brook Lopez to pair with Kawhi Leonard, and Jerami Grant. Ultimately, they were able to acquire a second round pick where they took PF, Paul Reed out of Depaul. Reed can be a bit eccentric on the offensive end, and definitely needs to refine his shooting, but defensively he's a monster, and can really fill up a stat sheet. He was taken in the second round, but grades out as a top 30 guy for me with his athleticism, length, and defensive ability/potential. The Lakers have traditionally been a very good defensive team in D720, and they're about to continue that tradition with the addition of Paul Reed, who I love as a prospect.
Draft Grade: B+
Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies used their first round draft pick to take Aaron Nesmith, who they have agreed to trade to the Phoenix Suns at a later date, and Immanuel Quickley who has interesting measurables. He projects to be a good shooter, and a good defender with his long arms.
Draft Grade: B, but would be an A if they kept Nesmith.
Part Two: 12/7/2020
LA Clippers
Philadelphia 76ers
Dallas Mavericks
Miami Heat
Boston Celtics