11. Oklahoma City Thunder- C Cole Aldrich
This pick was acquired in a trade with New Orleans and I’ll grade the trade for both teams after I grade all the picks, but for now I’m just going to grade this pick straight up, as if the Thunder used the 11th pick on Aldrich. Aldrich is a player that I don’t think will be anything special at the next level. He can do some things well, block shots, grab rebounds, hit the jumper, but he’s not a true power big man and there isn’t really one thing he specializes in. He’s exactly what the Thunder need however, a defensive big man that doesn’t need the ball and he’s probably better than any center they have on the team, but he wasn’t worth the 11th pick.
Grade: B
12. Memphis Grizzlies- SG Xavier Henry
Not a bad pick. Henry provides a talented scorer off the bench that the Grizzlies lacked last year and he can play the wing for the Grizzlies should Rudy Gay leave as a free agent, but was he the 12th best player in this draft? I don’t know about that. He’s a good scorer in flashes, but he’s inconsistent and pretty one dimensional. He’s also not going to be a starter for them any time soon unless Gay leaves so you’re using the 12th pick on a bench player, which may or may not be a smart idea, but ideally you want starters in the top 12-14 picks.
Grade: B
13. Toronto Raptors- PF Ed Davis
Great pick. For the 2nd year in a row the Raptors have drafted a very high upside player in hopes of being able to have a face of the franchise type player after Bosh leaves, which it looks like he will. Davis is raw, but still young, so that’s fine and I had him as one of the ten best players in this draft class so the value is good. He actually fills a need even if Bosh leaves because they were looking for more muscle inside.
Grade: A
14. Houston Rockets- PF Patrick Patterson
The Houston Rockets team is full of players like Patterson and that’s why they were competitive last year without Yao Ming. This was a weak draft class so while Patterson won’t be a star in this league, I think he would have been well worth a top ten pick. In this new era of power forwards where it’s less about size and strength and more about rebounding and hustle, Patterson will fit in just fine. He can also hit an outside shot. He gives them more options inside with Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes, and possibly Yao Ming and I think Patterson will be a starter for this team somewhere sometime next year, whether it be as a 4, a power 3, or an undersized 5, or a mix of all 3.
Grade: A
15. Milwaukee Bucks- C Larry Sanders
This happens every year. A team takes a big man, who is very raw, on potential alone and nothing happens. Sanders has a 7-7 wingspan, but he is challenged offensively and has only been playing basketball for 6 years. That’s raw. He also has a very skinny frame and will need to bulk up. I don’t think he’ll be worth this pick in a few years, but he does fill a bit of a need as a shot blocker if he, offensively, can work his way into the rotation.
Grade: C
16. Portland Trailblazers- SF Luke Babbitt
Trailblazers got him in a trade, but still, I’m going to judge this pick for what it is. Small forward was the Blazers biggest need area and Babbitt was one of the best available. What more do you want from a team?
Grade: A
17. Washington Wizards- PF Kevin Sheraphin
I’ll tell you the truth, I don’t know very much about this kid at all. I know he was projected to be a late first round pick and that he can come over to play now if he wants, but based on how few Europeans have panned out in recent years and how weak of a European class this was, as said by experts, I’ll be skeptical.
Grade: B
18. Los Angeles Clippers- PG Eric Bledsoe
I don’t see why the Clippers had to trade what could possibly be a lottery pick in 2011 to get their backup point guard, but I’m not grading the trade, I’m grading the pick. Bledsoe is part of a weak point guard class and since they did need a backup point guard, they could have done a lot worse things than reaching for a guy who probably should have gone mid 20s. They don’t really have anything behind injury prone Baron Davis.
Grade: B
19. Boston Celtics- PG Avery Bradley
I wanted to see the Celtics take someone who can help right away, not an undersized shooting guard who is solid on defense and can put the ball in the hoop, but will have to convert to being a point guard at 6-2, something he is far from being right now. He won’t be able to play extensive minutes early and even if he matures into an extensive minutes type player, it’ll be at point guard, where they already have Rajon Rondo, and they should have him for a while.
Grade: C
20. San Antonio Spurs- SG James Anderson
Anderson struggles defensively, but he can be a solid sparkplug off the bench who can shoot the ball well from the outside. He struggles to create his own shot, but he’s exactly the type of players the Spurs needed off the bench, someone who can hit a shot, play a role, and play a role immediately.
Grade: A
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