The NBA Draft Is Over... And Everyone's Already Grading It

The NBA Draft always sneaks up on me.

One minute we're debating the Finals.

The next minute, 60 young men have their names called and their lives change forever.

Actually...

More than 60.

Because every year, a handful of undrafted players end up making rosters and carving out NBA careers.

The draft is only the beginning.

Here's the funny part, though.

The draft ended about five minutes ago, and somehow everyone already knows who won.

Really?

Nobody knows anything yet.

Draft grades are one of my favorite offseason traditions because they're almost always wrong.

College success doesn't guarantee NBA success.

International success doesn't guarantee NBA success.

Potential doesn't guarantee anything.

The only thing that matters now is what happens once these guys step onto an NBA floor.

AJ Dybantsa Was the Easy Choice

AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 to Washington felt inevitable.

As deep as this draft class was, he separated himself from the pack over the past year.

To me, there wasn't much debate.

The Wizards made the obvious choice.

Now things get interesting.

Washington already re-signed Trae Young.

Anthony Davis is still on the roster.

Alex Sarr continues to develop after being selected second overall a few years ago.

If Dybantsa becomes the player everyone believes he can be...

The Wizards could go from rebuilding to competing a lot sooner than people expect.

The Rest of the Top Five

Utah selected Darryn Peterson at No. 2.

The talent has never been the question.

Health has.

If he can stay on the floor, Utah may have landed one of the biggest steals in the draft despite taking him second overall.

Memphis grabbed Cameron Boozer at No. 3.

Chicago followed with Caleb Wilson at No. 4.

The Clippers rounded out the top five by selecting Keaton Wagler.

Honestly?

Nothing through the first several picks shocked me.

Sometimes the biggest surprise is when there aren't any surprises.

My Favorite Pick? Golden State.

If I had to pick one selection I loved...

It was Golden State taking Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11.

The guy is just a basketball player.

At 6-foot-9, he can rebound, defend, handle the ball, pass, and impact the game in just about every way imaginable.

He reminds me of the type of player winning organizations always seem to find.

Could he eventually become Draymond Green's successor?

Maybe.

That's a lot to ask.

But stylistically, I can absolutely see the vision.

I thought that was one of the smartest picks of the night.

Quietly... Milwaukee Had a Great Draft

The Bucks deserve some credit.

After adding several young pieces in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, they kept building.

Nate Ament brings a rare combination of size and perimeter skill at 6-foot-10.

Braden Burries gives them another talented young guard with plenty of upside.

When you combine those additions with the assets they already received from Miami, Milwaukee suddenly has a much brighter future than many people expected.

Losing a superstar hurts.

How you respond determines your future.

Don't Sleep on Atlanta

One pick I don't think enough people are talking about?

Kingston Flemmings to Atlanta at No. 8.

I love that fit.

He's an explosive young guard with the ability to score, create, and eventually shoulder more offensive responsibility.

Given the absence of Trae Young, Flemmings gives the Hawks another building block in the backcourt.

That's the kind of move that may not generate headlines today...

But could look brilliant three years from now.

Now the Real Evaluation Begins

The draft is over.

The scouting reports are finished.

The comparisons have been made.

Now comes the hard part.

Summer League.

We'll all overreact to one crossover.

One dunk.

One 30-point game.

One bad shooting night.

And that's okay.

That's part of the fun.

But let's remember...

Summer League doesn't crown stars.

Neither does draft night.

The NBA does.

This rookie class has all the talent in the world.

Now we'll find out who can actually turn that talent into production.

And honestly...

That's the part I'm looking forward to most.

The iLL Take

The best player from this draft probably wasn't the first player selected.

He might not have even been picked in the lottery.

Because every draft has stars...

They're just not always wearing the hats we expect.

Around here...

Relevance is Relative.