NBA Draft 2016: Grades for every team

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NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 23: Caris Levert shakes hands with Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted 20th overall by the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 23, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Brooklyn Nets

Picks: No. 20 Caris LeVert, No. 42 Isaiah Whitehead

Had any other of the 29 teams in the NBA been the ones to take the No. 20 overall pick and use it to select Caris LeVert out of Michigan, it would have been a monumentally stupid reach for a team. No matter how much they liked him, that wasn’t maximizing the value of the pick and that’s really the whole point of the draft—especially in that portion of it.

However, the Brooklyn Nets are a special case in that the fact that they had a draft pick at all in the first round is a win for them. Sure, they had to give up Thaddeus Young to get that No. 20 overall pick, but that was the whole point of having Young at this point as he wasn’t going to be anything of consequence for Brooklyn moving forward as they were mired in losing seasons. So that they were able to trade into the first and take a solid guard that does a lot of things well (them addressing their biggest need) is a win.

Moreover, I love what they did with their second round pick as they again looked at their big needs in the backcourt by taking Isaiah Whitehead out of Seton Hall. So for a team that started out with no first-rounder and with no real future assets moving forward, the Nets were able to get two solid prospects that could potentially help them and contribute for them. That’s a job well done without a question.

Final Grade: B-

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