2012 NBA Draft Grades
When the biggest draft surprise is a lack of trades, the picks themselves in the NBA Draft better be interesting. Thankfully, the basketball gods did not disappoint, giving us one of the deeper draft classes and creating quite a few storylines along the way. Let’s check out all the grades from Draft Night 2012.
Hit the jump for Bryant’s draft grades…
ATLANTA HAWKS
Round 1: John Jenkins (23)
Round 2: Mike Scott (43)
Grade: C
I’m confused as to what the Hawks are doing here. They need talent everywhere here, but they take two shooting guards, and one (Jenkins) who wasn’t really a first round talent. Not so sure they shouldn’t have taken Perry Jones, who, while risky, is a safer first round bet than Jenkins.
BOSTON CELTICS
Round 1: Jared Sullinger (21), Fab Melo (22)
Round 2: Kris Joseph (51)
Grade: B+
I’m not a huge Sullinger fan (I think he’ll be a rich man’s Glen Davis at best) but at this point in the draft, he’s a steal. The Celtics need to make gambles on talent, and they did twice here. If Sullinger is going to work out, he’ll work out in Boston under the watchful eyes of Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnet..
Not such a huge fan of Melo, who didn’t exactly light it up in college. I think the Celtics should have gambled on Perry Jones here as well—they need a stretch forward and as much potential as possible—but I can’t dock them too much, seeing as they do need help at center.
BROOKLYN NETS
Round 1: None
Round 2: Tyshawn Taylor (41, from Mavs), Tornike Shengelia (54, from Sixers), Ilkan Karaman (57)
Grade: B-
This B- is mainly for Taylor, who I feel is a early 2nd round talent and was an excellent pick at 41. If the Nets lose out on Williams, Taylor could be a surprising replacement. He’s a significant handles increase away from being a 1st round talent.
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
Round 1: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2)
Round 2: Jeffery Taylor (31)
Grade: A
All the week leading up to the draft we heard about Charlotte wanting to add a scorer. They went in the opposite direction, and I applaud them for it.
Kidd-Gilchrist is the second best talent in this draft, a Shane Battier type battler with far higher potential. His leadership and defensive tenacity will help change the culture in Charlotte. Taylor was a solid pick as well, a high flyer with above average defensive skills.
CHICAGO BULLS
Round 1: Marquis Teague (29)
Round 2: None
Grade: B+
Love this pick for Chicago. They needed a backup PG before Rose went down and now they get his temporary replacement until he gets back. Teague proved he could run a championship caliber squad at Kentucky and is a jump shot away from being Mario Chamlbers 2.0.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Round 1: Dion Waiters (4), Tyler Zeller (17, from Mavs)
Round 2: None
Grade: C-
Dion Waiter’s agent is a genius.
“Hey Dion, I know you are projected to be in the late lottery right now. So, let’s not schedule you for any workouts. Let’s not even meet with any more teams. And that will raise your draft stock!”
It’d be funny to think about, only it worked. The Cavaliers, who had never spoken with Dion nor worked him out, took him at No. 4, over both Harrsion Barnes AND Thomas Robinson.
“I think he has something special,” Cavs coach Byron Scott said. “I think we got a steal.”
Coach, you know your steal there never started a game in college, right?
Tyler Zeller for the No. 24 pick and a handful of second rounders was a smart choice, though.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Round 1: Jared Cunningham (24, from Cavs)
Round 2: Bernard James (33, from Cavs), Jae Crowder (34, from Cavs)
Grade: C+
Cunningham is a second round talent in my book, and I think the Mavs should have taken Perry Jones to play the wing or Arnett Moultrie to provide an athletic big off the bench. Instead, they snag a talented scorer who they could have gotten in the second round. Nice.
James and Crowder were both good picks, though. Tough players who will hopefully both transition into the NBA well.
DENVER NUGGETS
Round 1: Evan Fournier (20)
Round 2: Quincy Miller (38), Izzet Turkyilmaz (50)
Grade: B+
The Nuggets do already have a good deep talent base, so taking a foreign prospect a year or two away wasn’t a bad move, especially one who is as talented as Fournier is. Miller was a steal at 38.
DETROIT PISTONS
Round 1: Andre Drummond (9)
Round 2: Khris Middleton (39), Kim English (44)
Grade: B
As a Drummond doubter, I still think at No. 9 he’s a good pick, and he’s a great fit next to Greg Monroe… if he doesn’t bust horribly, of course. The Pistons two second round guys are both talented scorer and Detroit snagged themselves three very solid prospects.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Round 1: Harrison Barnes (7), Festus Ezeli (30)
Round 2: Draymond Green (35), Ognjen Kuzmic (52)
Grade: A-
Love the addition of both Barnes and Green for the Warriors. With Stephan Curry/Klay Thomposn/Harrison Barnes, the Warriors have a dynamic shooting front court (one that will, albeit, significantly struggle defensively). I’m shocked Draymond Green fell as far as he did. He’ll be the best role player out of this draft bar none.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Round 1: Jeremy Lamb (12), Royce White (16), Terrence Jones (18)
Round 2: None
Grade: B
We’ll never know if the Rockets really wanted these picks or if they got left standing at the alter by someone (probably Sacramento?) Nevertheless, that is a good trio of talents, especially snagging Terrence Jones at No. 18.
INDIANA PACERS
Round 1: Miles Plumlee (26),
Round 2: Orlando Johnson (36, from Kings)
Grade: D
Miles Plumlee can rebound! Miles Plumlee can jump!… And aside from that, he’s a second round talent. Orlando Johnson at 36 was a steal, so it wasn’t a complete mess for the Pacers.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Round 1: None
Round 2: Furkan Aldemir (53)
Grade: C
The Clippers apparently got the foreign version of Reggie Evans… who they just traded away.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Round 1: None
Round 2: Darius Johnson-Odom (55, from Mavs), Robert Sacre (60)
Grade: C-
I really like the Johnson-Odom pick for the Lakers. He is a great glue guy. Not so into Sacre. Nothing about him says NBA player except for his height, and I expect he’ll be cut before training camp.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Round 1: Tony Wroten (25)
Round 2: None
Grade: D
Note to anyone making a Rajon Rondo comparison—not every quick, horrible shooting, bad attitude PG becomes Rajon Rondo. Wroten was mediocre in college, has a broken jumpshot, and unlike Rondo (who had a ton of proven winners and a proven coach around him in Boston) I doubt he ever puts it together. Should have taken the much more proven Marquis Teague.
MIAMI HEAT
Round 1: None
Round 2: Justin Hamilton (45, from 76ers)
Grade: F
So rather than take Arnett Moultrie, a absolutely perfect backup big man, at a tiny salary for four years, the Heat would rather punt the ball and get a late 1st next year from Philly in a far worse draft?
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
Round 1: John Henson (14)
Round 2: Doron Lamb (42)
Grade: B+
I like Henson a ton, but I wonder how he and Epke Udoh (basically a stronger, less potential version of Henson) will work out when neither is really tall enough to play center. Talent wise, though a good pick. So was Lamb, who should have been a late first.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
Round 1: None
Round 2: Robbie Hummel (58)
Grade: D
Let’s not kid ourselves. Hummel is a very poor man’s version of Kevin Love, and he’ll likely never make the team or see playing time.
NEW ORLEANS HORNETS
Round 1: Anthony Davis (1), Austin Rivers (10)
Round 2: Darius Miller (46)
Grade: A
The Hornets would get an A reguardless of what they did with the 10th pick, but I really don’t like Rivers as a fit in New Orleans. Can anyone explain to me how he and Eric Gordon (basically a far more efficient, better defender version of Rivers) will work? Rivers can’t play the point, he had more turnovers than assists last year. How is this a great fit according to everyone?
NEW YORK KNICKS
Round 1: None
Round 2: Kostas Papanikolaou (48)
Grade: C
Hard to grade a guy who won’t be here for two, three seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Round 1: Perry Jones (28)
Round 2: None
Grade: A
You’ve heard this all before. I didn’t like Jones as a lottery pick, but here at No. 28 he is an absolute steal. Coming off the bench at the 3 & 4 for OKC just made the Thunder even scarier. If they can just bulk up some in the paint, they’ll easily be the favorites.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Round 1: Andrew Nicholson (19)
Round 2: Kyle O’Quinn (49)
Grade: B+
Two very similar, well rounded big men who proved themselves at smaller schools. Both are very solid, well rounded bigs who will benefit in playing time when both Dwight Howard and Ryan Anderson leave this summer.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Round 1: Maurice Harkless (15), Arnett Moultrie (27, from Heat)
Round 2: None
Grade: B+
Liked seeing Harkless rise up the draft boards, although I’m not so sure he really fits a need in Philly (they need shooters more than anything). Moultrie was a great pickup, and a solid replacement when the Elton Brand era comes to a close.
PHOENIX SUNS
Round 1: Kendall Marshall (13)
Round 2: None
Grade: B
A bit surprising to see Marshall this high but it’s a smart pick in my book. If you’re going to replace Steve Nash, replace him with Steve Nash lite, only without the jumpshot. Marshall’s IQ and passing skills are second only to Nash (and Chris Paul, of course).
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
Round 1: Damian Lillard (6), Meyers Leonard (11)
Round 2: Will Barton (40)
Grade: A-
Lillard was the correct fit and will work wonders in Portland as their top scorer/above average point guard. Leonard may become redundant if the Blazers actually score Roy Hibbert, but if Indiana does keep Hibbert away from the Trailblazers he is a great fit with LaMarcus Aldridge. Barton was a very nice steal at 40, with a wide all around talent base that is about 30 pounds from being a 1st rounder.
SACRAMENTO KINGS
Round 1: Thomas Robinson (5)
Round 2: None
Grade: A
Aside from Anthony Davis of course, you couldn’t find a better fit for the Kings. Robinson’s athleticism and defensive tenacity are perfect next to DeMarcus Cousins, and the two will make one of the more lethal big men duos in the league when they put it all together.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Round 1: None
Round 2: Marcus Denmon (59)
Grade: B
I really like this pick for the Spurs. Denmon was the star of the Missouri crazy-efficient offense of 2012, and the Spurs love efficiency like that. I highly expect he’ll make the team and slowly faze out Cory Joseph and maybe even Gary Neil.
TORONTO RAPTORS
Round 1: Terrence Ross (8)
Round 2: Quincy Acy (37), Tomislav Zubcic (56)
Grade: B
While Ross was a surprising pick, I don’t think he was a bad one. Not like Waiters was, at least. Ross is a well-rounded offensive treat who will fit well with the can’t-shot DeMar DeRozan. Acy shouldn’t have gone as high as he did, but he’s a nice energy player with good defensive skills.
UTAH JAZZ
Round 1: None
Round 2: Kevin Murphy (47)
Grade: B+
Really like Murphy as one of this years second round surprises. He’s got a sweet jumper and a very nice all-around game and could ceiling out as a Trevor Ariza type player.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Round 1: Bradley Beal (3)
Round 2: Tomas Satoransky (32)
Grade: A-
The John Wall/Bradley Beal combo is going to be one of the more entertaining backcourts to watch in the league. Beal is the perfect compliment to Wall, and I see Wall making a huge leap this season and the Wizards snagging a 7th-8th seed in the East.
About the Author
Bryant West, Columnist Graduate from Saint Mary's College of California, former Editor-in-Chief of the Saint Mary's Collegian Newspaper and beat writer for the Saint Mary's men's basketball team. Self-diagnosed spelling failure. Long time basketball follower, huge Sacramento Kings fanatic. Fan of the San Francisco Giants, the San Francisco 49ers and the Saint Mary's Gaels. This world is made - of LOVE and PEACE! Check out my NBA Draft Big Board, where I break down the top of the 2012 draft class! - And follow me on twitter at @BSWest5.
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