Each year, superstars are born, and blunders are regretted. The NBA Draft never fails to disappoint in both of these categories. Teams from around the league have drafted their fair share of busts over the years, and every full moon, they land a superstar that’ll change the course of the franchise’s history forever.
This year, there is huge talent and upside all across the board. Many players are NBA ready, and a few others still need a few years to develop. But who sticks around to watch the second round of the draft? Everyone wants to see who the top teams pick and who gets drafted first.
I’ll be rating the top ten draftees as rated by CBS Sports, regardless of where they got picked. And just for a little extra fun, I’ll throw in my analysis of everyone’s favorite Cavalier, Justin Anderson (Go Simba!).
1. Karl Anthony-Towns (No. one overall, Minnesota Timberwolves)
Grade: A
Entering collegiate play, it was already evident Anthony-Towns possessed an NBA-ready body. At six-foot-eleven and 250 pounds, he was able to take a beating down low, and hold his own against the other big men across the country. And he has only improved since last November. He is a big, durable player able to sustain hits and not get injured quickly. Any team would drool over this prospect because of his immense upside potential as a rebounder and defender. However, I have some unanswered questions regarding his as a scorer. Maybe it was the platoon system he was in under Calipari at Kentucky, but I did not see as much scoring as I would have liked for a number one pick. Many points came off rebounds or passes, and less came from the creation of his own shot.
2. Jahlil Okafor (No. three overall, Philadelphia 76ers)
Grade:A
Jahill possesses everything an NBA team wants from an offensive standpoint. He is a polished low-post scorer, and extremely efficient. He is also skilled with double teams and multiple defenders. He can even take a defender out to the perimeter and dribble drive to the lane for his shot. His weakness comes on the other side of the ball. There have been a lot of questions regarding his physical presence and his ability to guard the rim. If he wants to be a successful NBA center, he will have to improve his defensive skills, seeing that his offensive game is ready.
3. Emmanuel Mudiay (No. seven overall, Denver Nuggets)
Grade: B+
Mudiay decided to forgo collegiate ball and play overseas in China for a year before returning to join the NBA. He has great athletic ability, and the size to create mismatches at the point guard position. He is an explosive scorer and has experience playing professional ball, giving him a leg up on others. He can be injury prone, having been sidelined several times overseas due to lingering injuries, but he is young and his body is still developing into its NBA form. Mudiay is a versatile talent at the guard position, and can fill a much needed spot for a lot of teams.
4. D’angelo Russell (No. two overall, Los Angeles Lakers)
Grade: A+
Russell has it all. He can defend, he can pass, he can dribble, and he can score. There is little he cannot do on the floor. He reminds me of Stephen Curry with his ball handling and floor management. Russell is ready to step on a floor and make an immediate impact for a team coming this fall. He has charisma and confidence that is rarely found in players. Teams should be drooling over him because of his immense potential to become a superstar.
5. Kristaps Porzingis (No. four overall, New York Knicks)
Grade: B
I have not seen much of this player, nor have I heard very much about him prior to this week. However, Porzingis has drawn comparisons to Kevin Durant with his size, athleticism and ability to make shots all over the floor. If the trend of foreign-born players selected in the lottery continues, Porzingis will struggle initially. There is a huge gap between the professional game in America and that of the leagues overseas. Teams will have to develop this player for a few years before getting serious results.
6. Mario Hezonja (No. five overall, Orlando Magic)
Grade: B
Henzonja is another foreign-born player entering the draft. He has the size to comfortably play the small forward position in the NBA. Hezonja can nail the outside shot and has a pretty stroke that will open up his opportunities to drive to the basket. Mario will have to start bulking up in order to keep up with his counterparts and be willing to take hits. But he is still young, and a lot of development will occur. I like this pick because of his upside potential as a knockdown shooter.
7. Justice Winslow (No. ten overall, Miami Heat)
Grade: A
Winslow should be on everyone’s radar by now. He’s got the size, strength quickness and athleticism to wow scouts and be the poster boy for a struggling franchise. I love the way he plays, and his scoring ability reminds me of James Harden. Winslow can finish at the basket through contact, and is deadly from three-point range. The only red flag is his maturity. Several times throughout the season, he made some bonehead fouls and plays that showed that he is still an 18-year-old kid. He will have to mature fast and be ready for heavy competition, but his skill on both sides of the ball creates a lot of buzz for this lottery pick.
8. Willie Cauley-Stein (No. six overall, Sacramento Kings)
Grade: C+
Cauley-Stein is an intimidator. He is long, tall, and has a massive wingspan to guard the rim. Stein can play the pick and roll to perfection, and has the quickness to switch onto guards. He can rebound very well, on both the offensive and defensive end, and blocks shots to the courtside celebrities. But his offensive game is a struggle, and I don’t see it developing enough for him to become a dominant big man in the league. He will be on NBA All-Defense teams, but he will never reach his predecessor at the center position at Kentucky, Anthony Davis.
9. Stanley Johnson (No. eight overall, Detroit Pistons)
Grade: B-
Johnson’s game is smooth, and extremely efficient. He didn’t light up the scoreboard for the Wildcats this past season, but then again, he didn’t need to. He was part of a balanced attack committed to defense. As a wing player, Johnson is a strong, talented player with a good basketball IQ. I have questions about his shooting range and his one-on-one ability to score, but he can defend very well on the wing, and won’t have any trouble developing into a sustainable rotation player.
10. Myles Turner (No. 11 overall, Indiana Pacers)
Grade: C
Like Porzingis and Hezonja, I did not see a whole lot of Turner this season. He is a force down low with his height and size. He can block a lot of shots and change even more from guards coming down the lane. There are still questions about his offensive game, and he definitely underwhelmed this season at Texas. He has NBA potential, but with all the other big men before him, he will have to make huge strides to gain recognition and be compared the players like Towns and Okafor.
Justin Anderson (No. 21 overall, Dallas Mavericks)
Grade: B
Maybe I am a little biased for my favorite Cavalier, but I have seen enough of Anderson to see his potential. He oozes athleticism and can defend extremely well. Anderson has a lot of smarts coming from three years of college ball, and has an NBA ready body. He can run the floor, and defend multiple positions very well because of his adrenaline and heart. He developed his shot and improved to become a knockdown shooter this past year. His question comes from his ability to handle the ball and dribble with his opposite hand. Can he create his own shot off the dribble? That will separate his game from other shooters in the league.