It’s over!
All 58 — not 60! — selections have been made at the 2023 NBA Draft. There were some trades, too, but not a ton.
And now, after we graded every pick in the first round, it’s time to hand out some grades and rank all 30 teams by their draft classes.
Some teams — mainly those at the top of the draft, which went somewhat as expected — did well. Others, did not, and it’ll be a little tricky to grade those teams who didn’t have a pick at all.
So we’ll rank each of the teams by how they did, and we’ll count trades in these, too.
Away we go, from worst to first:
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MORE NBA DRAFT:
- The winners and losers from the night
- Tracking where the top undrafted free agents are going
- 2023 NBA Draft: Tracking and grading every major trade from the NBA Draft
- Gradey Dick wowed fans with the shiniest, Wizard of Oz-themed suit for the NBA Draft
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30
New York Knicks (D)
No picks
Silly to grade the no-pick teams, but we’ll see if trading this year’s first-rounder for Josh Hart is a good long-term move.
29
Philadelphia 76ers (D)
No picks
They don’t need draft picks. Moving on!
28
Chicago Bulls (D+)
Julian Phillips (35)
They really could have used the No. 11 pick on Thursday … but they dealt it back when they traded for Nikola Vucevic. Not good. That said, Phillips could be a good flier in the second round.
27
Phoenix Suns (C-)
Toumani Camara (52)
They didn’t have a first-round pick, and although Camara could be intriguing as a rookie off the bench, there are better draft classes.
26
Boston Celtics (C)
Jordan Walsh (38)
A lot of trades and they ended up with one second rounder. Like some of the other teams on this end of the list, the draft isn’t as big of a concern since they’re a contender.
25
Sacramento Kings (C)
Colby Jones (34), Jalen Slawson (54)
Nothing spectacular here, but their salary cap concerns are what to focus on here, which is likely why they traded out of the first round.
24
Cleveland Cavaliers (C+)
Emoni Bates (49)
Gambling on the pure talent in Bates is the right idea in the second round, but the issues that led to his drop might be a lot to overcome. Credit to the Cavaliers giving him a shot.
23
Memphis Grizzlies (C+)
Gregory “GG” Jackson (45), Tarik Biberovic (56)
I am ready to be very wrong with this ranking given that Jackson could develop down the road into a really good player.
22
Golden State Warriors (C+)
Brandin Podziemski (19), Trayce Jackson-Davis (57)
A bit of a reach in the first round but maybe the fit is the thing I’m missing here. That said, the Dubs have other concerns here, like what to do about getting Draymond Green paid.
21
Los Angeles Lakers (C+)
Jalen Hood-Schifino (17), Maxwell Lewis (40)
Actually not bad picks, but: If the Lakers are going to contend, shouldn’t they make a trade involving these picks? Just saying.
20
Los Angeles Clippers (B-)
Kobe Brown (30), Jordan Miller (48)
Insert your “Kobe Brown is old!” jokes, but I like the pick!
19
Brooklyn Nets (B-)
Noah Clowney (21), Dariq Whitehead (22), Jalen Wilson (51)
Feels like they hit some singles with possible double upside (sorry for the baseball metaphor, I’m still waking up). That’s not a bad thing given where they picked, but not the best.
18
Milwaukee Bucks (B)
Andre Jackson Jr. (36), Chris Livingston (58)
A lot of buzz about Jackson being one of the biggest steals in the draft.
17
Denver Nuggets (B)
Julian Strawther (29), Jalen Pickett (32), Hunter Tyson (37)
This is me being biased about the Nuggets, who have proven their front office is awesome at drafting. I’m betting one or more of these guys exceed expectations.
16
Minnesota Timberwolves (B)
Leonard Miller (33), Jaylen Clark (53)
Love both these picks. Big value here!
15
Washington Wizards (B)
Bilal Coulibaly (7), Tristan Vukcevic (42)
Is this bias given all the trades? Maybe. But also, Coulibaly comes with a lot of risk and may have been a reach. We’ll see. This might deserve an INCOMPLETE until we see Coulibaly develop.
14
Orlando Magic (B)
Anthony Black (6), Jett Howard (11)
Feels like a couple of reaches, but they’re both very talented. A perfect placement near the middle of our list.
13
Oklahoma City Thunder (B+)
Cason Wallace (10), Keyonte Johnson (50)
I think the Wallace pick is super smart.
12
Miami Heat (B+)
Jamie Jaquez Jr. (18)
More bias: I’ve read more about Jaquez fitting into #HeatCulture on Friday than anything else. So, good pick!
11
New Orleans Pelicans (B+)
Jordan Hawkins (14)
The Pelicans needed shooting. They got it. Simple.
10
Toronto Raptors (A-)
One thing I can say for sure: I like the pick more than I like what Dick wore on draft night.
9
Atlanta Hawks (A-)
Kobe Bufkin (15), Mouhamed Gueye (39), Seth Lundy (46)
Love that Bufkin pick at that position.
8
Utah Jazz (A-)
Taylor Hendricks (9), Keyonte George (16), Brice Sensabaugh (28)
The all-upside draft. Exactly what you do when you have all these picks and you’re rebuilding.
7
Detroit Pistons (A-)
Ausar Thompson (5), Marcus Sasser (25)
I know there are concerns here with Thompson. But I think this was a good pick.
6
Indiana Pacers (A-)
Jarace Walker (8), Ben Sheppard (26), Mojave King (47), Isaiah Wong (55)
A top-to-bottom solid draft right here.
5
Dallas Mavericks (A)
Dereck Lively II (12), Olivier Maxence-Prosper (24)
This grade also includes the fact they were able to trade Davis Bertans’ contract. Two great picks and you’ve got our first A grade.
4
Charlotte Hornets (A)
Brandon Miller (2), Nick Smith Jr. (27), James Nnaji (31), Amari Bailey (41)
Could the franchise regret taking fit over upside with Miller over Scoot Henderson? Maybe. But on paper, taking Miller — maybe the most complete player in this draft outside a certain top pick — is a great call, and Smith and Nnaji are both solid value picks.
3
Houston Rockets (A+)
Amen Thompson (4), Cam Whitmore (20)
Not only do they get the more talented Thompson twin, but they took Whitmore, a top-10 talent who dropped due to various pre-draft concerns. That’s what you do when you’re a rebuilding team — you take swings at home runs (more baseball, sorry not sorry).
2
Portland Trail Blazers (A+)
Scoot Henderson (3), Kris Murray (23), Rayan Rupert (43)
It was REALLY hard not to put them at No. 1. Scoot fell in their laps, Murray oozes so much upside, as does Rupert.
1
San Antonio Spurs (A+)
Victor Wembanyama (1), Sidy Cissoko (44)
What do you want me to say? How can I give anything but the top grade to the team that gets a player who has the most hype of any prospect in years? But that Cissoko pick was great, too.
