2018 NBA Draft Grades: Judging Each Team’s Performance
2018 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams
The 2018 NBA Draft gave many hoops heads their first live look at everyone’s new favorite Slovenian star, and her son happens to be pretty good at basketball. That son is teenage European superstar Luka Doncic. He somehow managed to dodge playing for the lowly likes of the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, or Atlanta Hawks. That was thanks to an aggressive trade by the Dallas Mavericks, one of draft night’s two major deals. Click through our 2018 NBA Draft grades to see how we think your favorite team fared in this year’s draft.Atlanta Hawks: C+
Trae Young and Luka Doncic possess a lot of the same skills. The difference is about a half a foot and about 40 pounds, which is no small matter. Still, the Hawks traded Doncic to the Mavericks for the No.
5 pick (Young) and the Heat’s 2021 first-rounder. After taking the player often compared to Stephen Curry, they took another, Kevin Huerter, who’s regularly compared to Klay Thompson at No. 19.
Boston Celtics: A-
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Usually one of the most-mentioned teams in draft-time trade rumors, the Celtics sat tight and still ended up with lottery talent at No. 27.
Robert Williams took a surprising tumble down the draft board, likely due to questions about his effort level, but there’s no denying the center has the tools to be a valuable contributor, especially to a team who might be losing Aron Baynes this summer.
Brooklyn Nets: B
The Nets didn’t have a ton to work with, owning the No. 29 pick from the DeMarre Carrol trade of a year ago. After reported trade discussions, they settled on Dzanan Musa, a young, narrow 6’9″ forward with a gunner’s mentality from Bosnia.
They added to their European small forward depth with Rodions Kurucs at No. 40, who has the tools to be a good two-way wing but has disappointed in his development.
Charlotte Hornets: A-
The Hornets moved down from No. 11 to No. 12, and got two extra second-round picks for their trouble.
With their first-rounder, they selected Miles Bridges, who has the tools to be a valuable two-way player at both forward spots, with the athletic ability and ball skills to add a slice of valuable upside.