The NBA draft can make or break a team, and either set it up for future success or come back to haunt it with failure. The best teams every year look to reload for the next season, while the worst teams try to find that diamond in the rough that will turn their franchise around. This year’s draft came and went, and some teams seem to have fared better than others already. Let's see how the Central division fared, and who had the best draft.
Detroit Pistons
Many high-level people in the NBA believed that the Pistons’ pick, Stanley Johnson, was a can’t miss prospect in this year’s draft. The Pistons jumped at the chance to take an athletic wing who can defend and score. Johnson slides into a void on the outside that Detroit desperately needed to fill. In the second round, Detroit went with Villanova forward Darrun Hilliard. Hilliard can shoot from distance and also has potential as a bench player for the Pistons. Overall, it was a solid, if not spectacular draft for Detroit, but one they needed badly.
Grade: B+
Indiana Pacers
Indiana went into this offseason with a bevy of concerns, but most of all they needed another quality big man. There are questions about Myles Turner, but he has much room to grow. Now he should have the opportunity to play with Roy Hibbert and David West gone and he could eventually become that dominant interior presence, but for now he isn’t there yet. In the second round, Indiana took a flier on an elite scorer in Joseph Young, who lit up the Pac-12 last season and could develop into a scoring guard at the next level. Both picks need time, but they could pan out for the Pacers.
Grade: B
Milwaukee Bucks
At the very least, Milwaukee addressed a need for shot making and scoring ability with its only pick in this year’s draft. The Bucks went with Rashad Vaughn, an 18 year old from UNLV who can light it up. He might need time to develop, and is more of a long-term project than anything else. However, Milwaukee desperately needs offense and players who can create offense for themselves and the rest of the team. Vaughn can provide that within a couple seasons. The Bucks are already young and improving, and adding more youth with eyes on the future seems to be reasonable. They may have passed on prospects who can help them win now, though, and they might be kicking themselves if this project doesn’t work out. Overall, this pick is not a tremendous risk, but the team seemed to be shifting into win-now mode, and Vaughn will have to work to join the fray.
Grade: B
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls may have gotten the steal of the first round by selecting Bobby Portis, the reigning SEC player of the year, at pick 22. Portis was projected throughout the season to be a fringe-lottery pick, yet he fell all the way to Chicago due to concerns about his athleticism. However, he plays solid defense and has a variety of offensive moves both around the basket and from mid-range. Chicago may have foregone a need at small forward in order to take the best player available, and that will probably the biggest concern about the pick. He was, however, a great value this late in the first round, and should only grow his game and his body to be even more of a force in the post. Portis may not get much playing time behind the bevy of power forwards in Chicago, but he could develop into a very solid pro.
Grade: B+
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers had several goals this offseason, and they all required having as much money available as possible. That is why the Cavs traded out of the first round with Minnesota, sending Tyus Jones to the Timberwolves. In return, they received two second-round picks which became Cedi Osman and Rakeem Christmas. Osman is a young player who has turned heads in Europe, and could be on his way over in a couple seasons. Christmas will fight for a back-end roster spot but could find himself in the D-league with Cleveland so cash-strapped. The Cavaliers also drafted Sir’Dominic Pointer, who is a defensive specialist but isn’t great offensively. It might be tough for him to make an NBA team right now, but at pick 53, it’s worth taking a risk on someone with a noticeable strength. The Cavaliers did what they set out to do, but that means their draft was unfulfilling overall.
Grade: B