2018 DASL Post-Draft 1st Round Grades

[Marzeial]

I decided to take a look at the 2018 DASL Draft and give some immediate draft grades. Let me know what you don't agree with because that's way more fun than what you agree with. I'll be interested to see what everyone thinks.

1. New York Knicks | Jayson Tatum SF 6'8'' 205 20 B- A- C- B+ C A
25. New York Knicks (from Rockets) | Ike Anigbogu C 6'10'' 250 19 C F+ D B- C+ A

(A) - The Knicks hit a home run in the draft. Getting a franchise cornerstone and the best player in the draft by winning the lottery. Tatum should be their #1 option for years to come and will form a scary pair with Jaylen Brown to form 7/11 and they should terrorize the DASL for years to come. Anigbogu provides great upside and value at the end of the draft providing them a defensive presence and potential if he can put it all together. Zyme appears to be back on track.

2. Atlanta Hawks | Markelle Fultz PG 6'4'' 190 20 B- B C+ C+ C- A
22. Atlanta Hawks (from Jazz) | Jonathan Jeanne C 7'2'' 210 20 B+ C C- C- C+ C

(A-) - The Hawks are the winners in the lottery selection process, jumping from the 6th projected pick to the 2nd pick. They land their franchise player in Fultz who is someone that they can finally build around. If he can develop as a PG, they could be back on the right track. Taking Jeanne in the back end of the draft is a pure gamble at this point. Jeanne may have Marfar syndrome which if true, will torpedo his long term potential. Ultimately they are taking a risk at the back end of the draft, but there were players with cleaner upside available at that point.

3. Pacers (from Orlando Magic) | Jonathan Isaac PF 6'10'' 210 20 B C C- C+ C+ A

(B+) - Issac is a pure upside pick who could be the next big thing. The question is, what happens with Lebron in his twilight years? Can Issac prove that he is ready quick enough to play with Lebron and be the one to replace him? The Pacers made a huge move in trading Giannis for Issac, Anthony Bennet, Archie Goodwin, Bobby Portis, and the Cavs 19 1st. Is that haul enough for the Greek Freek? Time will tell if this was the right move but as Craig, the GM of the Kings has shown us, we cannot rush to judgement right away.

4. Milwaukee Bucks (from Warriors) | Zach Collins C 7'0'' 230 20 B- D+ C B B- A
20. Milwaukee Bucks (from Bullets) | Malik Pope SF 6'10'' 205 21 C B- C+ B- C B

(A-) - The Bucks add two more pieces to an already young team. Can Collins provide a spark off the bench and help them get over the hump? Or do the Bucks go very large and start Collins alongside Staps and Young. With enough young pieces, I wouldn't be surprised to see them consolidate some of the talent in a trade to acquire a more proven player. Getting Pope who was 13th on Briezy's Big Board at 20 is great value. A good all-around player who could eventually replace Harris in the starting lineup.

5. Denver Nuggets | Terrance Ferguson SG 6'7'' 182 20 C+ B- C C C- A
12. Denver Nuggets (from Clippers) | Hamidou Diallo SG 6'5'' 195 19 C+ B- C B+ D+ B
28. Denver Nuggets (from Bulls) | Kelan Martin SF 6'6'' 235 22 C B- C- C C- B

(B+) - This young team was in need of immediate help at the 2/3. They went out and got the two highest rated SG's and another 3 in this draft. I do wonder if they would have been better served going after the Latvian sensation Rodions Kurucs as a more ready made SF but they have recently moved Jamal Murray to SF which will allow the two SG's to vie for time at the 2 and the backup 3. You can't really fault them for going all out on those two positions.

6. San Antonio Spurs | De'Aaron Fox PG 6'3'' 187 20 C+ C+ C+ C+ D+ A
17. Indiana Pacers (from Sonics via Magic)(Traded to San Antonio) | OG Anunoby SF 6'7'' 235 20 C C- C B C- A
27. San Antonio Spurs (from Trailblazers) | Caleb Swanigan C 6'10'' 250 21 C C- C B- C+ B
29. San Antonio Spurs (from Kings) | Jaylen Johnson SF 6'9'' 225 21 C C+ C- C+ C- A

(A) - The Spurs had my favorite draft this year. They added a huge influx of talent with great value, and if they can move Livingston and Deng, while following up with a good draft next year, they will have positioned themselves nicely for the future. All of their players follow the same principal that if they can live up to their immense potential, they will be some great players. Fox is lighting in a bottle who needs some time to develop. Anunoby is a great value at 17 and gave up a piece that wouldn't have fit in their rebuild. One of the better value draft pick rating in at 10th on Briezy's Big Board, who fell due to the questions about his offense. Swanigan provides glue and adds depth and Johnson provides worlds of upside and the best value of the draft coming in at 14th on the Big Board.

7. Philadelphia 76ers | Harry Giles PF 6'10'' 230 20 C+ C+ C C+ C+ C
19. Philadelphia 76ers (from Pacers) | DJ Wilson PF 6'10'' 235 22 C+ C- C- C+ C A

(C+) - Can Harry Giles be the player that was ranked 1st as a High Schooler? Or have the injuries sapped that long term potential and athleticism. I definitely lean somewhere in the middle but more on the high end. I think that Giles is a great upside pick but he could be a complete bust. He was a clear reach if we are using the Big Board as he was 26th, but he is one of those picks that either makes a GM look like a genius and makes this rating look idiotic, or the GM is looking for another job. Luckily he won't be asked to do much initially with Thon Maker and Lonzo Ball leading the way. DJ Wilson provides some depth and is a long term prospect and provides good insurance should Giles not pan out.

8. Boston Celtics | Frank Ntilikina PG 6'5'' 190 19 C B- C+ C+ C- A
21. Boston Celtics (from Cavs via 76ers) | Kyle Kuzma PF 6'9'' 224 22 B- C C B- C+ B

(B) - The Celtics went all in on this draft. Ntilikina is the best pure point guard in the draft and good value at the 8th pick drafting BPA, despite having rather large holes at the 2/3/5. He'll be able to be brought along slowly or paired with Bledsoe to create a large backcourt and allowing Bledsoe to slide off ball. Kuzma is the surprise trade of the draft giving up quite a bit to make the move for him. He should be ready to help out now, but to what extent. To give up a 1st next year is a huge price to pay. Again, we will see if that pays off.

9. Miami Heat (from Bucks) | Rodions Kurucs SF 6'8'' 200 20 C- A- C- C C- C
15. Miami Heat | Tony Bradley C 6'10'' 250 20 C D- C C+ C A

(B) - Miami adds a great talent and value pick in Kurucs at 9. The fact that he played in Europe and wasn't as big of a name as Frank Ntilikina may have added to his lower draft position but he should provide some nice help for Marcus Smart in Miami. They added some size with upside in Tony Bradley who needs some time but has some great upside.

10. Charlotte Hornets | Lauri Markkanen PF 7'0'' 230 21 B- C+ C C+ B- B

(B-) - Markkanen went right about where he was projected. The Hornets passed on Diallo who would have helped fill that need at the 2. It'll be interesting to see how Markkanen fairs in the long run with the Hornets since there is no clear path to starting on that team. Lauri is easily one of the most intriguing players, much like Issac, who we will be watching for a while especially with the Stretch-Four becoming more and more viable.

11. Minnesota Timberwolves | Bam Adebayo C 6'10'' 245 20 C+ C+ C- C+ B- B
26. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Nets) | Nigel Williams-Goss PG 6'3'' 190 23 C- C B+ C+ C- B

(B+) - The upstart Timberwolves add an explosive athlete at the 5. He should allow Oakfor to slide back to the 4 giving the Wolves a very interesting starting lineup. They look like a team that could make some interesting noise if they can start to put it all together. Adding Nigel Williams-Goss at the end of the draft, they added a steady floor presence that can help off the bench.

13. Dallas Mavericks | Tyler Lydon PF 6'9'' 215 22 B- C D B- B- C

(C) - Dallas clearly sees something that we don't. Lydon is ranked 35 on Briezy's big board but he should be able to step in and help out right away. There are high upside players and more DASL ready players in the draft but when you see someone you like, you go for it. I think the bigs still on the board would have been a better fit, but I could easily be proven wrong, especially since they have quite a bit of cap room.

14. Portland Trailblazers (from Raptors) | Jarrett Allen C 6'11'' 235 20 C D+ D B+ B- B

(B) - Portland added a great interior presence to help out the scoring backcourt of Jennings and Williams. Allen should be able to start from day 1 and provide some help in the paint. He can play alongside Valanciunas or provide a spark off the bench at both the 4/5 should they bring back their impending FA's in Horford and Thompson.

16. Vancouver Grizzlies | Tyler Dorsey SG 6'4'' 185 22 C B- C C+ C B

(B-) - Dorsey will provide a good spark at both the 1/2 off the bench for the Grizzlies. This team will be interesting to follow since they have a ton of money committed to 4 players already and have Fornier coming up for an extension after this year. I think a Big would have been a better fit and there was a plethora on the board at this point but the Grizzlies clearly have a plan that may involve a small-ball lineup with Kawhi at the 4.

18. Phoenix Suns | Rawle Alkins SG 6'4'' 226 20 C B- C- C+ C- B

(C+) - The Suns currently have a need at the 3 with Durant as an impending FA. If they can bring him back, Alkins provides a nice athlete with some scoring abilities off the bench at the 2 and. There were a lot of Bigs available at this point and Drummond hasn't proven the ability to provide any spark on the offensive end but they committed two late 1st's last year to the post. I also wonder his fit if they bring back Lowry as there aren't a ton of minutes available in that loaded backcourt.

23. Utah Jazz (from Pistons) | Jawun Evans PG 6'0'' 185 21 C- C+ B C+ D- B

(B) - The Jazz have their starting lineup already set so they are looking for upside and potential impact bench players in the draft. They got a potential steal in the back end of the draft. Evans still has work to do to get to that point but he will be able to mature behind Exum and should be able to provide some help in the minutes when Exum is resting.

24. Golden State Warriors (from Lakers) | James Blackmon SG 6'3'' 184 23 C+ C+ C- C+ C B

(C) - The Warriors are a team in flux. They have a ton of FA's this off season and came into the draft with a current need at the 1 and 4. Some big upside with Blackmon but again, there were some good posts available at this point. Blackmon is still a few years away from being a meaningful contributor but at this point in the draft they needed to go for upside after losing the 4th pick to the Bucks in a trade from a few years back.

[BucksGM]

Very well done! I love theses articles surrounding the draft.

[Oregon Ownage]

Great article!!!

I will post my thoughts tomorrow

[UOducksTK1]

Nice, Heat is maybe the only grade I'd disagree with. Not too stoked over those picks personally.

[verysilentone]

I had to take Frankie at 8. Too much upside not to.

To be honest Kuzma was like my 5th option. Taking him at 21 was a good pick, but it did come at a high cost. I sent out a few PMs trying to get back into the draft earlier than 21, but most people I PM'd were only interested in Chriss, so I was unable to get it to work until Skyhooker responded. I would have preferred #19 to draft Pope, but we were not able to agree to it until after she picked.

[Briezy]

Great work

[pistolpetejr]

Nice!

[nh333]

Nice work! Hope you are right about my draft!

[Oregon Ownage]

Great work on the article and the time it took to do it all.

I agree with you on the Spurs. Easily the best draft haul in terms of prospects for the rebuild and taking chances with picks late on like Johnson.

I also liked what the Nuggets did taking the top SG's in the draft to fill a hole.

This draft could define the Celtics with what he gave up to take Kuzma and the depth at PG already.

I feel my grade is fair but I tend to draft for need rather than value/best available.

[Marzeial]

Added a poll. Didn't know I was supposed to do that

[Zyme]

Added a poll. Didn't know I was supposed to do that

You dont have to... unless youwant points for your work.

[Oregon Ownage]

Marzeial, you get +5

Pleas post your preferences in this thread

[Marzeial]

Markelle Fultz

Inside Shot
Jump Shot
3 Point
Quickness

[Oregon Ownage]

Markelle Fultz

Inside Shot
Jump Shot
3 Point
Quickness

Done

Went from C+ to B-