2020 Draft Grades (Early Season 2020/2021)

[jonathangivony]

Pick #	Selection	Selected By	Notes	Draft Day Value	Performance	Outlook	Overall Grade
1	James Wiseman	Hornets	Lots of people would've taken Wiseman here, so value was fair. He has looked solid thus far, though not dominant. People need to remember that he's still only 19.	B+	B-	A	B+
2	LaMelo Ball	Bucks	Most people I've spoken with had LaMelo #1 on the board. He can score 30 without shooting well, and the floor here is extremely valuable. Bucks didn't miss the layup at #2.	A	A-	A	A
3	Onyeka Okongwu	Mavs	Hard to say much here. There was lots of interest in moving up to #3 to take Okongwu, so value was accurate. Looks elite defensively in limited action but haven't seem the offensive efficiency that set him apart at USC yet.	A	B	A	A-
4	Killian Hayes	Rockets	This seemed like a reach on draft day and hasn't aged any better. Hayes has looked awful on the court. The only thing that looked remotely promising was the fact that he got minutes - for now. If Detroit is committed to let him learn, he could be solid in a few years.	C	D	B	C+
5	Obi Toppin	Heat	Another guy picked at the top of his range based on league perception. A few owners below here were relieved to see his name at 5. Seemed to have more potential in this format than in others or in real life, so not outrageous. Would've liked to see a stronger start given he's easily the oldest player who was selected in this range. If he does manage to get in Thibs good graces though he could be a 1A player in here one day though.	B-	C+	B+	B
6	Deni Avidja	Jazz	Heard lots of buzz draft day about him in this range, although this is probably about as high as he ever would have gone. I've been pleasantly surprised by how NBA-ready Deni has looked in his action thus far. The jumper looks better than expected and he seems to have a good feel for the game. Not sure how much upside he has and don't think we'll really know until we see if he has the confidence to demand the ball, but this pick looks really good thus far.	B+	B+	A-	A-
7	Anthony Edwards	76ers	With a few "reaches" up ahead, Edwards offered great perceived value at this slot. Unfortunately, the reasons he was passed on appear to have been valid concerns thus far. He's been an inefficient scorer on a strangely constructed team. With that said, he's shown flashes of quite a few elite traits. 76ers isn't going anywhere now or next year, so he can wait and see. Unfortunately, Edwards' large contract means he has to work out or this will go down as a massive bust and really limits the fantasy value upside of having somebody on a "rookie contract".	A-	C-	B+	B-
8	Isaac Okoro	Mavs	Okoro was probably selected near the top of his range in here and is undoubtedly a better real life player than fantasy asset. With that said, his real life skills are elite and will keep on the court long enough to accumulate. He's flashed the same skills that made him 1 and done at Auburn as well (elite slashing/finishing, excellent on-ball defense, natural BBall IQ). With that said, it has looked like pre-season shooting improvements were a mirage for now. His floor is where he's at now, and marginal development to his game should make him a reliable fantasy contributor since he'll live on the court.	B	B	B+	B+
9	Tyrese Haliburton	TWolves	This dude looked like a veteran in college and has done the same in the NBA. The only negative that can be said is it is unclear where he has upside remaining besides just increasing his minutes. With that said, he has looked phenomenal already and probably has an early argument for best player in the class along with LaMelo.	A	A+	A	A+
10	Cole Anthony	Jazz	Anthony was a sexy pick as a ballhandler on a blueblood and 5* HS recruit. He was probably picked at the top of his range, but  His flaws were obvious though. An injury to Fultz has thrust Anthony into the starting role in Orlando and essentially confirmed everything we already knew. He'll provide decent ROI on his contract as long as he has this kind of playing time, but he may want to work on his Mandarin unless he can figure out to put the ball in the hoop and pass to his teammates.	B	A-	C+	B-
11	Precious Achiuwa	Pelicans	Hadn't heard much hype for Precious in this range, but he's looked like a force in limited minutes. Been really impressed with him on the court, but not sure how long into rookie deal it will take for him to get enough minutes to impact matchups. Note - grades ignore trade.	B	B-	A	B+
12	Patrick Williams	Suns	Old Suns owner didn't do much right, but stopping the slide on Williams here was a nice parting gift. Williams looks like a potential plus defender which has allowed him to get on the floor reliably as a teen. His 3pt shot and floater have been surprisingly efficient additions to his offensive game. Williams looks like a steal at 12.	A	B+	A-	A
13	Devin Vassell	Bucks	Bucks displayed incredible foresight here, selecting the most versatile player in the draft at 13. Vassell can play and guard 1-4 (apparently). Jokes aside, he's looked like a solid pick here. I don't see many people he should've been above, but his shot and reliable D have earned him a role earlier than expected. Not sure what kind of upside we're looking at here yet. Good pick.	B	B+	B+	B+
14	Immanual Quickley	Kings	The perceived value was terrible here - feel like kings could've moved down a few slots and still got his guy. With that said, the initial returns on Quickley have been really good. If he grabs the starting role in coming weeks, he won't look back. Like a few others in this range, it is hard to tell how much upside there is here. He does play an efficient game, and that does bode well for a mid 20s performer at least. Picking a guy way before projected and being right that he is decent is cool, but Quickley doesn't necessarily look exceptionally more promising than the guys taken after him. Being right on this kind of reach saves Kings from an embarrassing bust but unfortunately doesn't make this a steal.	C+	B+	B+	B
15	Alecsej Pokusevski	Rockets	Like Hayes, Poku has looked atrocious. Unlike Hayes, he has shown glimmers of real upside and wasn't taken 4th overall (lol yikes). This year (and probably next) was always going to be wait and see with Poku. Only concern with this pick is that usually you want to capitalize on cheap rookie production to build a team around. I fear Poku won't contribute until he gets expensive. Rockets probably won't care though if he turns into a star, which could be in the cards here.	B+	C	B+	B
16	Jalen Smith	Knicks	Smith has had covid and has barely played. Value wise, he was a fine pick here. Suns reached in real life, but this feels about right given the slants in this league's scoring. Surprised that Knicks bailed on Smith so early. Big concerns about his defense though give him disproportionate bust risk in this range.	B	C	B	B-
17	Tyrese Maxey	Hornets	Maxey provided good value here and many owners were begging to move up for him on draft day (predictably including one owner who never has the stones to make a move). The covid rampage in Philly allowed Maxey to show his skills a bit, and he shined with the crazy usage. Maxey seems like a decent bet to settle into a mid 20s contributor and that is good value in this range.	A	B+	B	A-
18	Kira Lewis Jr	Mavs	Kira was in play for some people starting around 10, so this was pretty solid value. He probably fell due to playing time concerns, which appear to have been valid thus far. Kira has shined in limited opportunities and looks poised to inherit the keys to an exciting young offense in Nola.	A-	C+	A-	B+
19	Isaiah Stewart	Mavs	Stewart didn't garner much hype here, so this may have been a bit of a perceived reach. It has been impressive though to see a teen come in and manhandle some of the league's top big men just a few weeks into his career. He hasn't flashed the 3 point range he showed consistently at Washington much yet, which will make him a much bigger threat in PnR situations. His stroke still looks good and his FT% backs his shooting potential up. Right now his offensive game looks unrefined at best aside from dunks, but for a 19 year old center early returns look good and his game (Rebs, Blocks, high %s) is made for this kind of scoring.	B-	B+	A-	A-
20	Udoka Azubuike	Jazz	Azubuike wasn't talked about much in this range and his role with the Jazz as a 21 y/o rookie validates leaguewide disinterest. If he is able to carve out a role behind Gobert in the next couple of years, Udoka could be a solid contributor. Unfortunately for Jazz, a really solid run of picks appears to have depleted the talent available at this slot.	C	F	B	C-
21	Aaron Nesmith	Warriors	The exciting picks ended a few slots ago, so draft day values appear pretty steady from here out in general. Nesmith appeared buried on the Celtics depth chart. Typically, that is not a good sign for a 21 y/o rookie. This was the appropriate perceived range for him, but never loved this player to begin with.	B	D	B-	C
22	Saddiq Bey	Magic	Bey has carved out a reliable role with the Pistons already, which is what you'd like to see for another 21 y/o rookie. The Pistons have been running him in closing lineups and he has no hesitation shooting. Like Bey a lot as a near steal at this range.	B	A-	B+	A-
23	Malachi Flynn	Pistons	Flynn has looked somewhat reliable for the Raptors in limited run as a ballhandler, but his shooting has been dreadful. Again, as a 22 y/o rookie we'd like to see him dominate backup minutes and look somewhat ready to contribute and that hasn't been here thus far.	B-	D+	C+	C
24	RJ Hampton	Cavs	Hampton gets an incomplete here. He was solid value at this point and hasn't really seen the floor. Excited to see him get minutes as season goes on. Was a bit strange to see win now Cavs team pick a developmental guy like Hampton though.	B	D	B+	B
25	Josh Green	Wizards	Green is a solid 3-D option in Dallas, and has looked decent enough in limited minutes, especially considering his age. Surprised that the Wizards elected to move on from him so quickly.	B	C+	B	B
26	Nico Mannion	Grizzlies	Mannion didn't appear to have many NBA level skills coming into the draft and certainly hasn't flashed any new ones. This looked like a bit of a reach unfortunately. Luckily, he is still young and has a few years to grow into a backup role that could yield solid contributions with the pieces GS has around him.	C	D	B-	C+
27	Payton Pritchard	Kings	Another Kings "reach" that looks promising thus far. At this range, the options were pretty barren so this pick hitting looks really good. Again, Pritchard is 3 years older than somebody like Mannion and should be judged with that in mind. But getting strong contributions out of the gate is a great sign.	B	B+	B+	B+
28	Tyrell Terry	Clippers	Terry was touted as an elite shooter but hasn't shown it yet. This pick is in wait and see mode. Not sure how much upside he really has with that frame though. Ceiling of a Joe Harris type player?	B	C-	B-	C+
29	Desmond Bane	Timberwolves	Bane is shooting nearly 50% from 3 early and has earned himself PT. Great value at the backend of the first and a logical pick trading some upside for solid production during Wolves' competitive window.	B	B	B-	B+
30	Zeke Nnaji	Pelicans	Nnaji hasn't really seen the court yet. This was going to be a developmental pick from the start, which is a little curious from another team in win now mode. Nnaji is only 20 and it is rare to see centers get minutes at this age given the physical demands of the position. Will be interesting to see if he can take over Hartenstein's minutes as the season progresses, but long term I am a fan.	B	D	B+	B-