Kevin PeltonESPN Senior WriterRead in 2 minutes
Which teams won and lost in the 2023 NBA Draft? I won’t know until I know if I will surpass it.
That said, not every team can draft with a crystal ball, so scoring the player-selection process is in many ways a fairer yardstick than the hindsight-influenced after-the-fact history.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at how all 30 teams performed in Thursday’s draft. The draft was characterized by a large number of second-round trades, followed by no major first-round trades. Generally speaking, my evaluation of a team is based not just on how much talent they’ve amassed, but how well they’ve made the most of the picks they’ve drafted. Draft, given that it’s more a product of last season’s performance (or past trades) than a team decision.
Also, the scoring is based on a curve with a mean distribution of ‘B’, with an ‘A’ being the grade the team really has to get. Let’s move on to grades.
Jump to Team:
ATL | Boss | BKN | Cha | Chi | CLE
Dal | Den | DET | GS | Hou | India
Luck | Lal | Mem | Mia | Mil | Min
NO | NEW YORK | OKC | ORL |
Pol | SAC | SA | Thor | Utah |
Round 1: Kobe Buchkin (No.15)
Round 2: Muhammad Gye (39th), Seth Randy (46th)
The Hawks’ abundant rotation gave them the luxury of getting the best available player for the first pick out of the draw. Buffkin was expected to pick up a few picks and fit the bill. It’s unclear how he will fit into the backcourt alongside Dejounte Murray and Trae Young, but by the time Buffkin is ready to step into a bigger role, Atlanta’s guard rotation could look very different. unknown.
Randy is a sizeable shooter and archetype a team can never get enough of, while the Hawks added another second-round pick in a trade to acquire Gueye.
Round 1: none
Round 2: Jordan Walsh (No. 38)
From getting Kristaps Porzingis from the Grizzlies from the No. 25 pick he acquired to Boston in Wednesday’s three-team trade, to finally acquiring Walsh at No. 38 and adding a future second-round pick from three teams. A flowchart is needed to track the Celtics’ series of four trades. Different teams (Atlanta, Detroit, Sacramento).
