Who won the NBA draft? Which picks and trades stood out? Kevin Pelton grades every team's night.
Zach Edey , Stephon Castle and Zaccharie Risacher all were drafted in the top nine picks on Wednesday. ? While we won't know exactly how every prospect will fare over the next few seasons, we can make judgements on picks based on value of the selection and how teams maneuvered the board.
Reports suggested the Hornets would trade down from No. 6, but they stayed put and took Salaun toward the high end of his possible draft range. As when theNo. 7 a year ago, this is a case of a new front office taking a young player with an eye toward long-term upside and the risk that Salaun never develops into an NBA contributor.
Under GM Calvin Booth, the Nuggets have never been shy about favoring their own projections over consensus. They're betting big on Holmes, ESPN's 38th-ranked prospect, after another team evidently coveted Holmes enough to force Denver to trade up from No. 28 to No. 22 to take him. That cost the Nuggets their only second-round pick, as well as a pair of future second-rounders.
The Rockets did it again here, landing my top overall prospect with the No. 3 pick. Better yet, Sheppard fits well alongside Houston's young talent. I especially love pairing his shooting with's athleticism while allowing both to wreak havoc as defensive playmakers. The Rockets traded out of the second round, sending the No. 44 pick to Atlanta for 2022 first-round pick
It's no secret that my projections were low on Knecht, who rated outside my top 30 because of his age , limited productivity early in his college career and low rates of assists, steals and blocks. As a result, I couldn't buy lottery hype for Knecht. By the middle of the first round, drafting him primarily on the strength of his shooting made far more sense.
That concern noted, the Grizzlies needed to come out of this draft with a center and got one. I liked the relative value better for Memphis in round two. Wells was in the top 30 of my projections thanks to his combination of 42% 3-point shooting in his lone Division I season and size at 6-8. The Grizzlies also got one of the draft's better shooters in Spencer, who shined as a transfer addition to help UConn win the national title.
At 22, Hukporti is also more ready to contribute in the NBA than the usual international prospect. Hukporti's strengths are what New York covets in centers. I can see the logic in Orlando drafting da Silva, a skilled big man whose shooting ability fits well alongside Magic building blocks. I question whether da Silva will do enough else to justify getting on the court to utilize that shooting. If Orlando envisions playing da Silva in the frontcourt with Banchero, his poor rim protection could be an impediment. Da Silva is also a poor rebounder, topping out at 5.1 RPG.
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