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Man, crazypants Thursday night!  I know what you’re all thinking…  “A live reaction to the madness would be better!”  Well, hopefully you downloaded and listened to our Draft Day Live Podcast!  If not, listen to it while reading this if you have a fluky-good, multi-tasking mind.  It’s tough for me to read while listening to a Podcast, it’s like that feeling when someone just starts shouting random numbers at you when you’re trying to count.  1-2-3-4-5 “17!” 6-7-8 “22!” 8… 8…  ugh, I lost my spot!  Assholes…

The first 9 picks went fairly unsurprisingly, although we did miss on virtually everything in our Mock Draft.  Pretty sure I beat Slim 2-1 overall (edit – ugghhhh Slim’s right he got Zizic, we tied, ahhhhh!)!  Then when the Bucks made their 10th pick…  All hell broke loose!  Dudes I joked around about as 2nd round sleepers getting picked in the lottery, Suns making baller trades, someone’s twitter getting hacked…  Oh wait, that was the NFL draft.  I guess it wasn’t quite THAT crazy!  Here’s my analysis for each rookie’s fantasy impact, along with my grade for each team’s pick in a real-life context and my guess at where each rookie will rank in my 2016-17 redraft rankings to come out this summer:

1. Philadelphia 76ers – Ben Simmons – F

On our live podcast, both Slim and I were intrigued by the 2.0 steals he averaged a game at LSU.  A lot higher than I had remembered on the D end, while having great numbers as a scorer and facilitator.  Great fix on the Sixers, who need another playmaker on the wing other than RobCov jacking 10 threes a game.  I can’t see many ways Simmons wouldn’t be 2016-17’s top fantasy-ranked rookie.

JB’s Grade: A+: Just because the Sixers didn’t screw it up.

Redraft Rank Guess: 75

2. Los Angeles Lakers – Brandon Ingram – F

SF of the future to fill Kobe’s shoes!  Ain’t no thang…

Despite being a 41% shooter from deep in his freshman season at Duke, I always thought his shot looked a little flat and I’m not sure how well it will translate to the NBA perimeter.  We shall see. He should get a handful of steals and blocks, but I don’t know if he gets to 1/1 in his rookie year.  Should be pretty solid, but with some massive ups and downs.  It does help that Luke Walton is gonna run this young team to death…

JB’s Grade: A+: Hey, at least they didn’t reach for Dunn like ESPN’s Jay Williams suggested right before the draft.  Way to have confidence in your fellow Dookies.

Redraft Rank Guess: 87

3. Boston Celtics – Jaylen Brown – F

Jaylen was #4 on a ton of lists right after the lottery was selected, so this isn’t “too” crazy of a pick.  A lot of people clamored for Dunn, but I agree with another popular sentiment that they should’ve traded this pick for something.  Now you get a project to clog up your deep-without-super-talent roster; a guy who struggled offensively with a meh supporting cast at Cal.  He doesn’t get AST/STL/BLK and turns it over.  He’s a slasher, not a shooter, so this is T.J. Warren with more turnovers… The high pick will cloud some dynasty league judgment here.

JB’s Grade: C-: Celtics must’ve not gotten offered much, because after picks 1-2, the dropoff to the rest of the field was like a 3-tier difference.

Redraft Rank Guess: 190

4. Phoenix Suns – Dragan Bender – C

I apparently need to watch Futurama!  Dude is super tall, lanky and skinny, and the Suns want nothing more than Kristaps Porzingis.  Wait, nothing more?!  They’d be ECSTATIC if that happened!

More a stretch-4 than pure C, Bender would line up next to Alex Len pretty well.  But I think he comes off the bench most of this season, and puts up half Porzingis numbers in about half the minutes.  Which would be about 7/3.5/1/0.5/1 with half a three.  Meh, maybe he’ll board a tad more than that, but that’s what I got.  Much less poisonous of a Goose.

JB’s Grade: B+: Suns had an awesome night.

Redraft Rank Guess: 140

5. Minnesota Timberwolves – Kris Dunn – G

Not a big surprise here, as Ricky Rubio is all over the trade blocks like playing Jenga while eating chips and salsa.  That makes no sense!  Dunn is a very big and defensively capable PG, but I do worry a little bit about his offensive game.  When Slim and I looked at his college numbers on the Pod, we landed on a very enigmatic PG as the comp.  See if you can guess as you read along: He’s tall at 6’3.  Shot decent, but 35% and 37% beyond the arc the last two years, so perimeter shot is a little in question.  Turned it over 4.2/game as a jun. and 3.5 as a sen.  Not great.  Rebounds well, gets a ton of steals, and can sneak in a block.  But at the cost of a high-volume 68.6 and 69.5% FT shooting clip jun. and sen. seasons.  Are you thinking of who I’m thinking of?!  Yes, this could be the next MCW!

JB’s Grade: B+: Fits Wolves plans and makes sense If they can deal Rubio.  Barely misses an A because it sounds too much like MCW…

Redraft Rank Guess: 118

6. New Orleans Pelicans – Buddy Hield – G

Wooooooo!  On a wild draft night, at least I got one of the non-first two picks right in our Mock!  The Pelicans DESPERATELY need perimeter scoring, and Hield fits them like Pelicans can fit in body casts.  Hopefully Hield can avoid these awful trainers!  While his ThrAGNOF game should translate well, that’s all we can really expect.  Steals went down soph.-sen. seasons while his minutes went well up.  TO also went up with no changes to assists.  This is a scorer and a 3-point shooter through and through, although for redraft, there is going to be some value in that and is likely my 3rd rookie off the board.

JB’s Grade: A: Makes sense on a lot of levels.

Redraft Rank Guess: 98

7. Denver Nuggets – Jamal Murray – G

Guard isn’t really a huge need for the Nuggets as they rebuild, but they stick with it anyway.  What’s disappointing is they came out and said Gary Harris is still their guy, so what gives?!  At 6’5, Murray probably isn’t big enough to play SF down the road and his stats are pure ThrAGNOF.  I’m sure they’re hoping for a Devin Booker-esque breakthrough, but I dunno if I see it.

JB’s Grade: B-: TOO MANY WINGS!  Something I’ve never said while eating them though…

Redraft Rank Guess: 135

8. Phoenix Suns (traded from Sacramento Kings) – Marquese Chriss – F

What a night for the Suns!  They move up from 13th to 8th with their second pick by throwing in the 28th pick and the rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic…  He’s 23 and still doesn’t want to come to the NBA yet!  He’s already declined coming for the 2016-17 season, so ummmm, great job Kings.

The Suns get a stretch 5 and a stretch 4, both with huge upside in their skillsets, in an absolutely killer Draft night.  Chriss was flying up draft boards to the 5-6 range, which makes the Suns’ move even more surprising.  He’s still a bit of a work in progress, but averaged 13.8 Pts with 0.6 3PTM and 1.6 BLK as a freshman.

JB’s Grade: A: Now the Suns might consider holding their guards… This could be a really interesting team in 2-3 years.

Redraft Rank Guess: 200+

9. Toronto Raptors – Jakob Poeltl – C

Portal!  At least, Adam Silver made it sound like there’s an R in there…

The Raptors get an NBA-ready 7-footer so they don’t have to think twice about Bismack Biyombo leaving in free agency.  Unfortunately with more minutes (assumedly against starters the whole time vs. some minutes off the bench), his blocks went down from fresh. to soph. seasons.  Offensive game has some better polish than I expected, but I’m unsure about the upside…

JB’s Grade: B: Makes sense and fits, but is Poeltl really any different than some “meh” vet at backup center?  I dunno…

Redraft Rank Guess: 180

10. Milwaukee Bucks – Thon Maker – C

This is where things started getting out of control.  The Bucks – who need G depth and have too many centers – draft a total project (and porn star!) who hasn’t played beyond high school competition in Canada and is… not a G.  Michael Wilbon joked about possible question marks on his age, but if Maker is in his young 20s and still this raw, that’s a problem.  I’m proud for the kid given his background, but that can’t cloud my thoughts on this pick.  Best case scenario he’s John Henson with a worse rebounding and block rate and a little more offense.  Yeesh.

JB’s Grade: F: This pick is a franchise-killing-Maker.  Way to get caught in the buzz, Bucks.

Redraft Rank Guess: 1,000+

11. Oklahoma City Thunder (traded from Orlando Magic) – Domantas Sabonis – F

I hated this pick for the Magic, but it makes more sense on the Thunder who will add an NBA-ready PF to their rotation.  The full trade of Serge Ibaka to the Magic for Ersan Ilyasova, Victor Oladipo and the rights to Sabonis means huge minutes for Steven Adams and Enes Kanter, with Ilyasova, Sabonis, and Mitch McGary off the bench.  Actually it’s a pretty solid mix, with KD playing some 4 if he stays.  It would take some injuries for Sabonis to really do much for us in fantasy though – and if he does get run, his resemblance to Kanter is unKanny.  Pts/Reb/FG%/FT% and nada everywhere else.

JB’s Grade: B+: OKC adds some depth for losing Ibaka, plus get Oladipo for the backcourt.

Redraft Rank Guess: 200+

12. Atlanta Hawks (traded to Utah Jazz) – Taurean Prince – F

The Hawks still plan to bring Kent Bazemore back, but even if they do, useful wing minutes were few and far between behind Bazemore’s breakout.  That said, this pick isn’t teeming with upside and feels a little blah for a return in the Jeff Teague deal.  I’m sure dumping Teague’s 8 mil helps for making plays at this huge upcoming free agency, but meh.  Now, if Bazemore goes somewhere else, it wouldn’t be the biggest shock to see Prince start on opening night or at least play more minutes behind vet Thabo Sefolosha.

JB’s Grade: B-: It works, but I dunno how competitive the Hawks are going to be the next few years and Prince lacks some upside.

Redraft Rank Guess: 163

13. Sacramento Kings (traded to Phoenix Suns) – Georgios Papagiannis – C

Another one of our porn stars, I was shocked to see the Big Greek drafted in the first round, much less IN THE LOTTERY!  Then on top of drafting a “only-offense-I-can-do-is-in-the-paint” center in Willie Cauley-Stein last year, they do it again with a post-only 7’2 guy.  Doesn’t really make much sense.  Lord give me strength.

JB’s Grade: F: F is for Feta.  I like PapaJohnnis’ upside, but this is the wrong team.  Maybe they drafted him to hang out with Kosta Koufos.

Redraft Rank Guess: 200+

14. Chicago Bulls – Denzel Valentine – G

The Bulls get an NBA ready wing, but are the Bulls really playing for much right now?  I like the upside of a running mate next to Jimmy Buckets, but he’s likely opening the season behind the epic blah-ness of Doug McDermott and Mike Dunleavy.  I really think an upside big would’ve made more sense.  Valetine could rack up some popcorn Pts/Reb/Ast stats, but I dunno if he does much more.

JB’s Grade: C-: I get it, Bulls need facilitating, but it seems like they should rebuild.

Redraft Rank Guess: 195

15. Denver Nuggets – Juan Hernangomez – F

The Nugs have done pretty well with imports, and sounds like he’s staying overseas for now.  I’m getting more and more on board with draft-and-stashing, especially with caps expanding for some crazy free agency splashes in the next two years.

JB’s Grade: A: Even if BOTH Jokic and Nurkic work out, Hernangomez as a stretch 4 will fit well next to either.

Redraft Rank Guess: —

16. Boston Celtics – Guerschon Yabusele – F

I hadn’t heard much on this guy, but he’s a huge body down low that can also stretch the floor and hit 3s.  Again, very intrigued with the draft-n-stash strategy here, especially since the Celtics have so many picks and can try to add him to their roster for 17-18 instead.

JB’s Grade: A+: Perfect move for the Celtics so they have money to sign their picks yet still can make a big FA move.

Redraft Rank Guess: —

17. Memphis Grizzlies – Wade Baldwin – G

Damn!  I was one pick off on this one!  Great fit for the Grizzlies to add some PG depth either behind Mike Conley or if they lose him to free agency.  Baldwin is tall and athletic as hell, but still a little bit of a project offensively.

JB’s Grade: B+: The Grizzlies probably hope he doesn’t have to play too much this year, but he can be a contingency. 

Redraft Rank Guess: 200+

18. Detroit Pistons – Henry Ellenson – F

One of Slim’s favorites in this draft, I was also pretty surprised he fell this far from the lottery.  He’s tall, polished, has a great offensive game and no slouch on D.  As a freshman at Marquette, went 17.0 Pts 9.7 Reb 75% FT with 0.9 3ptm and 1.5 Blk.  The overall FG% was a little iffy, but he’s a scorer in all facets on O.  Sadly, Stan Van made it sound like Ellenson is on the outside looking in for big minutes in his rookie year.

JB’s Grade: A+: Also in that interview, Stan Van said they had Ellenson 10th on their board and we at Razzball had him going inside the top 10.  Amazing value. 

Redraft Rank Guess: 200+

19. Denver Nuggets – Malik Beasley – G

I like Beasley, but really Nuggets?  ANOTHER wing?!  And he’s another shooter, so basically they got Jamal Murray to clog up wing minutes to be a ThrAGNOF then drafted Jamal Murray-lite for redundancy’s sake.  Beasley might be able to slash a little more, but yikes.

JB’s Grade: D: Beasley has an NBA future, but the Nuggets…  Smh…

Redraft Rank Guess: 200+

20. Brooklyn Nets (traded from Indiana Pacers) – Caris LeVert – G

So this is what the Nets got for Thaddeus Young.  I will give it to the Nets for taking a risk for upside.  I’m a little surprised they didn’t pick a 26 year old senior just to fit their team strategy…  LeVert is still recovering from foot injuries; eventually he could get big run late in 16-17 but I think he is brought along exceedingly cautiously.

JB’s Grade: B: I’ve called the Nets SG position the Bermuda Triangle of NBA starting positions, so hopefully this can turn out to be a long-term solution.

Redraft Rank Guess: 200+

21. Atlanta Hawks – DeAndre Bembry – F

Yet another true-SF for the Hawks as they try to piece together that position after DeMarre Carroll left.  I do like the 4.5 dimes he put up last year, and he had an epic AST:TO improvement which is something I always love to see.  2.7:2.5 as a freshman, 3.6:2.9 as a soph, and 4.5:2.0 last year with a dramatic improvement in FG%.  All that said, it was at St. Joe’s – not exactly in a powerhouse conference.

JB’s Grade: B-: Guessing this is a Prince contingency…

Redraft Rank Guess: 200+

22. Sacramento Kings (traded from Charlotte Hornets) – Malachi Richardson – F

This is the one good thing the Kings did last Thursday night.  Traded away Marco Belinelli for a nice upside wing who can score.  Worth the gamble.

JB’s Grade: A-: Get younger and rebuild, you silly Kings, you!

Redraft Rank Guess: 200+

23. Boston Celtics – Ante Zizic – C

Another smart pick by the Celtics, who can stash Zizic and figure out how he fits down the road rather than pick another guy to hurt their FA endeavors.  He’s tall and big and great around the hoop, but lacks any perimeter game.  Celtics might fall into a solid backup C here.

JB’s Grade: A: Obviously the Celtics had a plan to go heavy on draft-and-stashes, and might fall into a good role player here.

Redraft Rank Guess: —

24. Philadelphia 76ers – Timothe Luwawu – G

This might be my favorite pick in the draft.  Ugh, and it HAD to be by the Sixers of all teams too!  That doesn’t make me re-think my stance at all!  I love this kid.  He’s like a taller Zach Lavine in terms of crazy athleticism, yet he hit 2.1 treys with the Serbian Team he played on that is recently notorious for churning out young NBA talent (Jokic, Zubac in this draft).  Projectable athleticism and an NBA-ready perimeter game?!  I’m in.

JB’s Grade: A+++++: I’m in love.

Redraft Rank Guess: 199 – I might legit rank this guy, even though D-League to start sounds more realistic…

25. Los Angeles Clippers – Brice Johnson – F

Mannnnnnn I was hoping he would go to the Pacers to play next to Myles Turner, but knew that wasn’t happening after they nabbed Big Thad.  I loved watching Brice progress at Chapel Hill, and his defense and rebounding is NBA-ready.  Just needs to keep working on his jumper, but it got better-and-better through the years.

JB’s Grade: A-: NBA-ready backup big.

Redraft Rank Guess: 200+

26. Philadelphia 76ers – Furkan Korkmaz – G

A lot of mocks had him going to Denver at 15, so this is pretty good value for the Sixers.  Mannnn, they had a good draft, huh?!  Mayyyyybe we start seeing some results this year…  But that won’t be due to Korkmaz, who is likely staying in Europe another year or two.

JB’s Grade: A: Pretty low-risk investment for an upsidey shooter down the road.

Redraft Rank Guess: —

27. Toronto Raptors – Pascal Siakam – F

This seems like a Michael Jordan pick.  Awesome numbers in college, but most mocks/ranks had him a for-sure second rounder.  He didn’t start playing basketball until 2012, so maybe there’s still upside here even though he’s 22, and maybe the Raps hope they hit on a Gorgui Dieng-type home run.

JB’s Grade: B-: An upside big behind the boring low-risk big in the draft I guess is OK, but this felt like a reach.

Redraft Rank Guess: 200+

28. Sacramento Kings (traded from Phoenix Suns) – Skal Labissiere – C

Well, maybe we shouldn’t slam the Kings too hard, as they got Labissiere this late who was projected to go much higher.  It would’ve made a lot more sense had Labissiere gone 13 and PapaGeorgio gone here, but what do I know.  There was talk he could’ve gone as high as second overall last year if he could’ve skipped college, so the Kings get some good upside despite a bad showing in college.

JB’s Grade: A: I don’t understand the lower draft-grades I’ve seen for this pick.  Kings need upside, no matter the position, especially this late in the 1st.

Redraft Rank Guess: 200+

29. San Antonio Spurs – Dejounte Murray – G

I love that everyone respects the Spurs so much that a 29th pick in the draft many are considering a possibility for a long-term replacement for Tony Parker.  They’d hit a home run if true!  At 19, he’s definitely a project for his rookie year, but a solid landing spot.

JB’s Grade: B: Just because I think my honorable mentions in the 2nd round are better fit…

Redraft Rank Guess: 200+

30. Golden State Warriors – Damian Jones – C

Damn, the Warriors go center and don’t take Zhou Qi, who I picked for them!  Oh well…  Slim nabbed Jones 21 in our Mock and Jones was definitely projected as a first-rounder, so the Warriors did pretty well.  He’s a massive man at 7 feet 250, and a pectoral tear is the only reason he fell this low.  Al Horford showed coming back from that injury that it shouldn’t have been considered such a big deal.

JB’s Grade: A+: It’s a big need, for a big man, for a big team.

Redraft Rank Guess: 200+

Second Round Honorable Mentions

31. Memphis Grizzlies (traded from Boston Celtics) – Deyonta Davis – C

Another precipitous faller on draft night, I really like this kid.  I mocked him all the way in the lottery, and think the Grizzlies got an absolute steal here.  It cost them a 2019 first round pick that is owned by the Clippers (they also got #35 in this draft for that deal), but that is likely a 20+ first round pick anyway.  I think Davis’s offensive game is gonna come, and he already has all the tools to be a premiere shot-blocker.

36. Milwaukee Bucks – Malcolm Brogdon – G

ACC bias!  This guy has compete offensive polish, is a great shutdown wing defender, yet NBA scouts hate him and he was projected to go in the second round…  Yes, he might not be an NBA superstar, but he should be an awesome role player!  The Bucks slightly Make(r) up for their earlier gaffe.

43. Houston Rockets – Zhou Qi – C

Just because the Rockets love picking tall, fan-favorite guys from China.

51. Boston Celtics – Ben Bentil – F

I mentioned him on the Pod – when I saw Providence live, it wasn’t Kris Dunn who impressed me, it was this guy.  Surprising he is only 6’8 – he seemed to play much taller – but he was bangin’ 3s and had a post game.  Could become a nice role player for the Celtics at a low cost.

What did you guys think of the draft?  And any other 2nd rounders or undrafted guys get your interest?  I know I didn’t mention the Nova guy!  Sorry fans!  But I dunno if I see it as much as you commenters do…  Hope you’re all having a good offseason, Razzball Nation!