Chad Ford
ESPN INSIDER Senior Writer
Atlanta Hawks: B
Round 1: Taurean Prince (12), DeAndre Bembry (21)
Round 2: Isaia Cordinier (44)
The Hawks netted an additional first-round pick by sending Jeff Teague to the Pacers in a three-way deal (No. 12, via the Jazz). The return wasn't overwhelming.
We had Prince rated as a bubble first-rounder. He's a 3-and-D wing who theoretically could find a role similar to that of DeMarre Carroll. But he's been more promise than production the past two years at Baylor. He was solid but never quite lived up to the talent teams saw.
I'm much more bullish on Bembry. His old-school YMCA-type game is just fun to watch. Next to Ben Simmons, he might be the best passer in the draft.
Cordinier was good value in the second round. He's not ready for the NBA, but he is athletic and has a jump shot. As he gets stronger, he could be a real asset for the Hawks.
Boston Celtics: C
Round 1: Jaylen Brown (3), Guerschon Yabusele (16), Ante Zizic (23)
Round 2: Demetrius Jackson (45), Ben Bentil (51), Abdel Nader (58)
There are two ways to evaluate Boston's draft night.
Based on pure talent, I really like five of the six players the Celtics netted Thursday. Boston probably gets an A- to B+ in that category.
I had Jaylen Brown ranked No. 7 on my Big Board, but there's no question that he has a very high ceiling if he can consistently hit jump shots in the NBA. He wowed the Celtics in workouts. If that's the player that shows up for them, he's got a real shot to be an All-Star someday.
As my colleague Fran Fraschilla said, Yabusele is the French Larry Johnson. He is a beast in the paint, has a great motor and can step out and hit 3s. Zizic is one of the best rebounders in the draft and also has a terrific motor. Yabusele and Zizic can both be stashed overseas, which adds to their value.
In the second round I really liked the value they got from Jackson and Bentil. Jackson is a great athlete, plays hard on both sides of the ball and is an ideal backup point guard. Bentil is a scoring machine who can put up points from anywhere on the floor. I have no idea whether they can crack the roster for Boston, but I like the potential of both players.
Nader wasn't in our top 100, but with their sixth pick at No. 58 it doesn't affect their grade one way or the other.
The other way to grade the draft is on what we expected from the Celtics.
Here, they earn an F. The plan for all of these picks, as the Celtics have talked about on multiple occasions, was to package them (and players) to land a young All-Star.
The Celtics tried hard and got close on a few things, but in the end they didn't deliver. The assets Danny Ainge had just weren't as valuable as he hoped. For Boston and its fans, that's a big disappointment. Nothing that happened Thursday night will move the needle significantly for the Celtics for a couple of years, unless there is a trade that materializes later.
I averaged the two grades together to get a grade of C.
Brooklyn Nets: A-
Round 1: Caris LeVert (20)
Round 2: Isaiah Whitehead (42)
The Nets were aggressive and got into the first round by shipping Thaddeus Young to the Pacers for the draft rights to LeVert. I liked the move.
I'm a big LeVert fan. Had he not been stalled by injuries the past two seasons, he would've likely been a late lottery pick. Wings that can defend three positions, play the point and shoot the 3 are about as valuable as you can get. If he gets healthy, he will be able to show he was a very good value here.
WHITEHEAD gives them one of the best scorers in the draft and has the ability to play both the 1 and the 2. Given that the team isn't going anywhere next year, making this move was an important step toward the future.
Add in their two first-rounders last year, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Chris McCullough, and suddenly the Nets have a nice crop of young players who could be part of their foundation going forward.
Charlotte Hornets : D
Round 1: N/A
Round 2: N/A
The Hornets traded away Malachi Richardson's draft rights to the Kings in return for Marco Belinelli. The team is a playoff contender and clearly wanted to add a veteran shooter to its backcourt. However, it's a highly questionable trade.
Belinelli is coming off a horrific season that saw him shoot 31 percent from 3 while posting a paltry 9.39 PER. Richardson is a lot more valuable, in my opinion.
