2014 NBA Draft Report Card
Cavaliers tab Andrew Wiggins with No. 1 pick.
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1. Cleveland Cavaliers – Andrew WigginsGrade: B+ - And with the first pick in the 2014 NBA Draft...the Cleveland Cavaliers select Andrew Wiggins. Listen, the Cavs didn’t get the player they touted all along — Joel Embiid — because he fractured his foot last week. However, they reacted well, picking the player with perhaps the best long-term trajectory in the draft with Kansas’ 6-foot-8 shooting guard Wiggins. While many critics will argue that Duke’s Jabari Parker is the most NBA-ready, the move to select Wiggins is a solid one with plenty of upside. We bet fellow Toronto native Drake, who shouted A. Wiggins out in his “Draft Day” track, agrees. We give the Cavs a B+ given the circumstances.(Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
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2. Milwaukee Bucks – Jabari ParkerGrade: A - Let’s keep it funky —Duke’s Jabari Parker is ready to drop 20 points per game for a Milwaukee Bucks squad that ranked 28th in points scored during this past 2013-14 NBA season. They needed a scoring punch and they’re going to get it with Parker. At 6-foot-8, 240 pounds, Parker has a polished game with the ability to drive past defenders or face up and splash Js in their face. The kid’s nice. No fault with the Bucks' pick. (Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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3. Philadelphia 76ers – Joel EmbiidGrade: B - At one point, prognosticators were comparing the 7-foot Joel Embiid to Hakeem Olajuwon. That in itself makes the Kansas center worth the gamble despite the prognosis that he could miss anywhere up to a full season recovering from surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot. Like anything else, if Embiid stays healthy and pans out, the Sixers will be viewed as gutsy for drafting him while injured. If he can’t stay healthy, analysts and fans will bash the franchise’s front office for drafting damaged goods. Still, we like the pick. We also like how Philly added second-round value via Clemson small forward K.J. McDaniels and Louisville's high-scoring guard Russ Smith. (Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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4. Orlando Magic – Aaron GordonGrade: B- - A 6-foot-9, 220-pound power forward who plays hard every possession is always a good look. But in the case of Arizona’s Aaron Gordon and the Orlando Magic, we’re not quite sold on the fit. Ideally, we would have loved to see Gordon fall in line with a team that sports a pass-first point guard. Let’s see if this pick pans out to be magic or not. (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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5. Utah Jazz – Dante ExumGrade: B - The Utah Jazz were the second lowest-scoring team in the NBA this past season. Drafting Dante Exum from Australia should help change that for 2014-15. The report on the 6-foot-6 Exum is that he is an explosive scorer at the point guard position. While the Jazz already count a young point guard with promise in Trey Burke, 21, adding another in Exum is a good problem to have, isn’t it?(Photo: Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
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6. Boston Celtics – Marcus SmartGrade: B - We know what you’re thinking. What’s a team that already counts Rajon Rondo as its point guard doing drafting Marcus Smart? Well, we like the move and we’ll tell you why. If the Boston Celtics pair the two together, they’ll have arguably the most tenaciously defensive backcourt in the NBA. The other scenario is the Celtics finally making good on rumors of trading Rondo, in which case they’ll need an adequate point guard. Smart decision. (Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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7. Los Angeles Lakers – Julius RandleGrade: A - We absolutely love the Los Angeles Lakers using the seventh overall pick in the Draft to tab Kentucky big man Julius Randle. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound power forward is a grown man with a grown-man game — exactly what the Lakers needed. If he can put up 15 points per game on 50 percent shooting and 10 boards per contest like he did in his freshman season at Kentucky, Kobe Bryant will have plenty to smile about in LA next season. (Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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8. Sacramento Kings – Nik StauskasGrade: C - Don’t get it twisted — Nik Stauskas can ball. The Michigan guard’s 17.5 points per game this past season is proof. But defense isn’t exactly a strong point of his game and that’s the exact area that the Kings need to improve in, especially in their backcourt. Their lack of addressing defense with their guard play is why we hit the Kings with a C. (Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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9. Charlotte Hornets – Noah VonlehGrade: A - Indiana’s Noah Vonleh is nothing short of an awesome pick up by the Charlotte Hornets. Here’s why: The 6-foot-10 finesse big man can stretch out the floor with three-point range, allowing Al Jefferson to feast even more inside the paint. (Photo: Eric Francis/Getty Images)
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10. Philadelphia 76ers – Elfrid PaytonGrade: B - The Sixers tabbed Elfrid Payton with the No. 10 overall pick and then dealt him to the Orlando Magic for forward Dario Saric, a 2015 second-round pick and a 2017 first-round selection. We like the deal for both teams. The Sixers add a capable big man to their frontcourt while setting themselves up further for the future, and the Magic acquired a guard that's justifiably seen his stock rise in recent weeks. Payton possesses a lightning quick crossover and equally quick hands defensively. He averaged nearly 20 points per game this past season for Louisiana Lafayette. (Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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11. Denver Nuggets – Doug McDermottGrade: B - The Denver Nuggets selected Creighton small forward Doug McDermott before trading him and Anthony Randolph to the Chicago Bulls for center Jusuf Nurkic, Gary Harris and a 2015 second-round pick. Just goes to show you how bad the Bulls wanted him, and for good reason. McDermott, at 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds, stayed all four years of school and scored 3,150 career points in college, hitting 55 percent of his shots. The Bulls are confident he can come in and contribute now. As for Denver, it got a bundle of talent. Win-win.(Photo: Eric Francis/Getty Images)
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12. Orlando Magic – Dario SaricGrade: B - It’s always seems to be a toss up when drafting talent from overseas. Sure, NBA teams watch plenty of tape and even send scouts out to watch talent, but one never quite knows if the player will be ready for the rigors of the NBA. Well, the Philadelphia 76ers think center Dario Saric is one of those foreign talents that is ready…okay, more than ready. The report on the 6-foot-10 Croatian power forward is that he has a mean post-up game and three-point range. Finesse with some size…just what the Sixers need. Good move in acquiring him via a Draft-day trade. (Photo: Robert Valai/EB via Getty Images)
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13. Minnesota Timberwolves – Zach LaVineGrade: A - What do you get when you combine Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio with 6-foot-6 UCLA guard Zach LaVine — one of the most promising backcourts in the NBA. That’s what Minnesota coach Flip Saunders hopes for, describing LaVine as a “highlight reel” and that "Ricky loves to throw lob passes and he'll have no one better to throw it to than him" to the Associated Press. (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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14. Phoenix Suns – T.J. WarrenGrade: B- - Interesting that the Phoenix Suns chose small forward T.J. Warren over Kentucky small forward James Young. Warren, at 6-foot-8 and 215 pounds, did score a monstrous 25 points per game for NC State this past season, but we believe Young’s upside is better and that Phoenix might have reached with T.J. too soon. (Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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15. Atlanta Hawks – Adreain PayneGrade: B+ - We love this pick by the Atlanta Hawks. They'll need to bolster their frontcourt to bang with the likes of the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls in the East and Adreian Payne is just the player to help them do that. His 16 points per game for Michigan State shows he has the offense too. (Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Photo By Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images/ Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
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