NSL Draft Grades

The time has come. The draft has passed and trades have been made. And now, with nearly every rookie on their correct team, it’s time to see who killed the draft with their selections, and potentially killed their future with their selections. This is sure to be a fun one with the amount of trades that were made, and talent that was in this class. So lets dive right in and go team by team, and give all 30 teams their official, NSL draft grade. 

• Atlanta Hawks: Kasparas Jakucionis, Danny Wolf, Brooks Barnhizer, Alijah Martin, Caleb Love. Grade: B+
• A 5 player draft class, Atlanta decided to go after offensive and playmaking despite already having a flurry of guards on the roster already. Danny wolf should be a solid pick with his shooting and the teams lack of size outside the obvious two, Wolf could potentially see playing time out the gate, while for Jaku, that could be a lot harder. With a team loaded in the frontcourt, it could be some time before he gets to see some real action, unless some moves are made, which rumor has it, one or two guards could be on the move soon enough. 

• Boston Celtics: Walter Clayton Jr. Grade: B
• Boston has declared this upcoming season to be somewhat of a Re-Tool season, and so far has done well in such. Tatum is out for the season so getting other guys PT will be a priority to help develop the young fellas and hopefully make a run next year. Moving garland was an interesting move, but it landed them Walter Clayton, Scoot Henderson, Kyshawn George, Bogdon Bogdanovic, and a pick swap with Sac. Clayton is going to have a hard time finding PT with bostons depth alone, but an injury or two could trust him into a starting role. Solid pick for a team in need of reassessing. 

• 3. Brooklyn Nets: Carter Bryant, Chaz Lanier, Amari Williams. Grade: B+
• A 3 player class, none of these players are actually the headline of what the Nets did. Instead, the big talk was the deal that sent 3rd overall pick Ace Bailey to the Pistons that saw Trae Young come back. However, Carter Bryant was a great pick at 12. A solid two way player known for his defense, could see some decent PT off the bench this season with the teams lack of depth, going all in. Also snagging two solid players in the second round, BKN could end up relying on their rooks early in the season for much needed depth. 

• Charlotte Hornets: Grade: NA
• The Hornets didn't make a pick this year, so it will be interesting to see if the trades they made will pay off, which will be addressed in a later article. 
• Chicago Bulls: Mohamed Diawara, Grade: C
• Chicago had a single pick in the second round, but with how they've talked about them, you would've thought he took him first overall. Taken by the irl knicks, Diawara has been compared to Pascal Siakam, among others, with the way he moves at his size. His biggest strength however, is his defense, which seems to be the look of this new and improved bulls squad. More likely than not ending up on a two way deal, Diawara could eventually become a solid nba player, but as of right now, hes a work in progress to start his career. 

• Cleveland Cavaliers: Micah Peavy: Grade: C
• A 6-7 wing taken in the middle of the second round, Peavy follows Cleveland's creed of size and length wins championships. While unlikely to see actually playing time, if the injury bug hits this team however, they could get some real time, unless cleveland starts making some trades, which to all of us, is surprising they haven't made any yet. 

• Dallas Mavericks: Egor Demin: Grade: B+
• A solid, yet surprising pick at number 6 for Dallas, we knew a PG was coming, just not the one we expected. Egor Demin is projected to be what a lot of people hoped Ben Simmons would be on offense. An oversized PG that can shoot, pass, and defend. Egor still has some work to do after a shaky season at BYU, but him getting thrusted immediately into the rotation, and potentially starting in Dallas, wouldn't be surprising. If he does start, Dallas’s starting lineup average height would be somewhere around 6’6 to 6’8, making it one of the tallest starting lineups in the league. 

• Denver Nuggets: Grade: NA
• Another team that didn't make any picks, Dig has once again been non existent this offseason, but will hopefully come around soon. With a roster that is D E E P into the second apron, they will more likely than not have to make some moves to avoid having to take out a mortgage to pay that end of season fine. 

• Detroit Pistons: Ace Bailey: Grade: A-
• Our first A on the list! Granted an A-, an A none the less. Moving to get younger, GM Sheed made a deal to move off of star PG Trae young to land the promising wing. Why does this get a minus however? The moving of Brandon Miller for a package around Jaden Ivey. Ivey is good, no doubt, but a 6’9 wing pairing of Miller and Bailey for the future of your franchise would have been very, very fun and promising. None the less, Bailey and Ivey are the future of this pistons teams, and with a bevy of vets still up for grabs, Detroit seems to be on the start of a rebuild, and so far that start is solid. 

•  Golden State Warriors: Joan Beringer, Asa Nowell, Maxime Raynaud: Grade: B+.
• A solid draft class, getting 3 players that all landed in great spots irl, GS did great in this draft class. However they land just shy of an A because their rookies may not get a lot of playing time when GS is still in the rebuilding area. Not being able to develop your rookies is always a negative, but when it comes to Daz, there is little to worry. He wanted these guys for a long time and if all goes right, Newell and Beringer could end up being the frontcourt of the future for this GS squad, a solid draft by Daz.  

•  Houston Rockets: Nique Clifford: Grade: B
• A solid pick right outside the lottery, Clifford looks to be a solid player in todays league. Having a very strong summer league showing, Clifford looks to crack the rotation right away in Sac town, and possibly in the NSL as well, however it’s too early to see if his career will pan out how we hope. Cliques downsize is his size. A 6’5 wing that plays bigger than he is, yet is only 175lbs, Clique will struggle early on against larger wings. 

•  Indiana Pacers: Grade: NA
• Indiana had a deal line up that would've landed them Walter Clayton Jr, however that pick was evidently moved to help them land Darius Garland to form a brand new, formidable Backcourt in the east with Garland and Cunningham. However those deals will be covered in a later article. 

•  LA Clippers: VJ Edgecombe, Jase Richardson: Grade: A
• Our second A on this list, the Clips crushed their draft. For a team that desperately need guard play, they took two of the best in the draft. Edgecombe looks like a stud and could start right away for the clips while richardson was a near sure fire lotto pick before his fall to the late first, but landed a great spot in irl orlando. For a team that needed offense in their guard rotation, they hit the nail on the head, and had an spectacular draft. 

•  LA Lakers: Grade: NA
• The Lakers ended up trading their single pick in this draft to Boston in a multi team deal that landed them Victor Wembanyama, however that deal will be covered in a later article. 

•  Memphis Grizzles: Kon Knueppel, Cedric Coward, Derik Queen. Grade: A+
• One of only 4 A+ grades on this list, the only way memphis could've had a better draft is if they drafted higher. First of in Kon, arguably the best shooter in this draft class, Kon looks to contribute right away to a team that relies heavily of two guys for the bulk of their offense. Next is coward, but don't be fooled, hes not afraid of anything. A defense stalwart that jumped up the draft at the last moment, he looks to arguably be the steal of the draft. And finally, Queen, finding a good fit in IRL NO, Queen looks to be a solid backup big for this Mem squad. This mem bench may be full of rooks, but make no mistake, they are dangerous ones. 

•  Miami Heat: Noa Essengue, Collin Murray-Boyles, Ryan Kalkbrenner: Grade: B+
• A 3 player draft class, Miami did well, going for size and athleticism in their picks. Noa looks to be a little bit bigger than your typical wing but looks like he could contribute out the gate and could end up getting playing time early if things go right. CMB is another solid pick, but may develop slower, as he got drafted to the irl raptors that are already filled with wings. Taking Kalkbrenner at 30 could end up being a smart move as he looks poised to play above his draft slot irl, overall a strong draft class for the heat. 

•  Milwaukee Bucks: Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Sion James, Kam Jones: Grade: B+
• Despite not making a pick in the first rd, I give the Bucks a slighter higher grade than average based on value. Bucks got both Sion and Kam in our draft in lower slots then where they went irl, and both look to be contributors out the gate for their respective teams irl. Yanic looks to be a great two way player as well, but Sion and Kam are the prizes here, both have the talent to have been first rd picks for it not have been such a loaded draft class. 

•  Minnesota Timberwolves: Jeremiah Fears, Will Riley, Koby Brea, Vladislav Golden: Grade: A+
• Minnesota waited, and waited, and then swung for the fences, and hit a home run. Getting Fears at 19 as compared to his irl slot at 6th is crazy value, saving millions of dollars in the process. Fears also looks to start out the gate for Minny at PG. Will Riley also played very well in Summer league, and looks to be a solid contributor also. Koby Brea and Golden look to be great two way players, but not immediate contributors. Minny nailed this draft for their future. 

•  New Orleans Pelicans: Liam McNeeley: Grade: A-
• Despite only having a single second rd pick in this draft, They get an A- grade purely on value. Snagging an IRL first rd pick in the second rd is the reason why second rd picks are so sought out in the NSL. McNeeley looks to be a rotation player right away for the IRL Hornets so he should hopefully develop well. Solid pick for the Pels. 

•  New York Knicks: Tre Johnson: Grade: A-
• Couldn't have picked better here, NY went with BPA and landed arguably the purest scorer in the draft in Tre Johnson. After agreeing to trade away the second overall pick in a multi team deal that landed them KD and 5th overall, Johnson looks to be an immediate contributor off the bench for NY whos bench currently looks somewhat thin at guard. Johnsons pairing with Giddy could become New Yorks backcourt of the future. Johnson will look to be a plug and play scorer for NY and I wouldn't be surprised if they end up being in the running for 6MOTY as a rookie. 

•  Oklahoma City Thunder: Grade: NA
• OKC didn't have a pick this draft, they also didn't have a GM this draft, so it was nearly impossible to trade into the draft without a GM. All eyes right now are on the new GM and what their potential moves will be. 

•  Orlando Magic: Thomas Sorber Grade: B+
• Orlando had a solid draft. Despite only having a single pick, snagging the athletic Sorber at 15 was a good choice for a team that lacks a lot of athleticism at the big man spot. Sorber doesn’t look to start right away, but could eventually slide into the starting spot. However Sorber does answer the need of a C in general. 

•  Philadelphia 76ers: Drake Powell, Rocco Zikarsky, Bogoljub Markovic, Javon Small, Saliou Niang, Jahmai Mashack. Grade: B
• The largest draft class of all 30 teams, Philly drafted 7 players, 5 second rounders and 2 first rounders Hugo Gonzalez and Drake Powell. Hugo looks to get immediate PT in irl boston with them stripping down their roster to nothing but spare parts. While Powell is unlikely to get a lot of PT in general. As for his second round picks? Well, lets just say Philly is currently welcoming the highest bidder for each of them. 

•  Phoenix Suns: Khaman Malauch, Hansen Yang, Nolan Traore, Rasheer Flemming: Grade: A+
• Another rare A+, Phoenix had arguably the second best draft class only behind portland. 4 first round picks, with 2-3 of them expected to be day 1 rotation players. Getting a backup PG, PF, and starting C and backup C. emptying the clip to get 4 firsts rounds picks in a stacked draft could end up paying off, but only time will tell. As for now? Phoenix killed this draft and looks poised for a great future, with their last issue being a beal sized problem.  

•  Portland Trailblazers: Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper. Grade: A++
• Yes, I get it, no one wants to admit it, but Jmac did indeed have the best draft by far. He somehow landed picks 1 and 2, via lotto and trade, and then drafted the top two players in the draft. Both look to start day 1 and theres no more real explanation needed as to why they are starting. Jmac landed the best two players, revamped his roster, and still has a treasure trove of picks, we all are at his mercy. 

•  Sacramento Kings: Johni Broome: Grade: C+
• A single second round pick was Sacramento’s draft, but they took a solid player. One of the oldest players in the draft, Broome looks to hopefully become a solid backup option for SacTown down the road. For a team limited in picks for the future, making smart, safe picks over talent plays is the way to go right now, and Sac did a solid job doing such. 

•  San Antonio Spurs: Lachlan Olbrich: Grade: C-
• The only reason this doesn't get a high grade is because it’s a player that will be on a two way and wont be on the actual roster, and potentially for some time as well. Olbrich has the tools to be a good nba player, but it will be some time before he gets a real shot. As for the rest of the team, look for SA to run it mostly back in hopes for another title.

•  Toronto Raptors: Adou Thiero, Noah Penda. Grade: B
• Two of the top 5 picks in the second round, Toronto went for wing help in drafting two larger wings. Adou and Noah both look to potentially contribute as potential depth pieces with a thin Raptor roster, with Adou especially looking at some PT, with his size and strength. A solid 2 pick class for Toronto, who is in the middle of another roster revamp. 

•  Utah Jazz: Tyrese Proctor, Ryan Nembhard, Jamir Watkins, Kobe Sanders, Will Richard: Grade: A-.
• For a team that didn’t have a single first rd pick, they did incredible. 5 second round picks, with all 5 taken lower than their projected spots, Utah got steals in the values of these picks. And, for a team that will be pressed to sign players with so many free agents, that just adds values to these picks. Utah once again makes the most with the little they have, and will look to contend again next year. 

•  Washington Wizards: Ben Saraf: Grade: B
• And last but not least, the defending champs. After coming off winning their first championship, the Wizards ended up with a single second round pick in Saraf. For a team that will also be in a roster crunch, Saraf is a solid pick that could potentially fill a role right away. A solid pick for the champs.