BROOKLYN, NY – JUNE 20: Zion Williamson is interviewed after being drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2019 NBA Draft on June 20, 2019 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Ryan McGilloway/NBAE via Getty Images)
The crazy and trade-filled 2019 NBA Draft is in the rearview now and instead of projecting and predicting who would go where we can now assess how each team did.
Outside of the top three choices, there was not a true consensus on which players were better than who from pick four to 60. That seems wild to say but with all the movement we saw from the fourth pick to the end of the draft it is easy to decipher that that is how the majority of NBA teams viewed this crop of prospects. With that much uncertainty and variance among prospects, it was naturally going to make for a wild ride and a that is exactly what we got. Projected late first rounders went in the lottery. Projected lottery picks went in the second round. Up and down the final draft board you can find multiple picks that leave you confused as to why and how they happened.
With that in mind, it is hard to base these grades off future production. The player taken 50th overall could be better than the player taken fifth. It all will come down to fit, opportunities, and health in the long-term.
Yet, this article 100 percent focuses on the short-term.
Given what we know as of today about these teams and these prospects, I will base my grade choices solely off of that. I can only judge teams choices based on the information that is available to me now, norm what could or couldn’t happen down the line. So follow along as we go through all 30 teams in alphabetical order (from Atlanta to Washington) and provide instant feedback on what they did to make their team better (or worse) during the 2019 NBA Draft last night.