NBA Draft 2020: Grades, reactions, analysis for the first round

Back in August, I wrote about a handful of teams that figured to be suitable landing spots for Cole Anthony, one of the draft’s more polarizing prospects. Among those teams were the Orlando Magic, a team in need of perimeter shooting and backcourt creation.

It was questionable whether the forward-obsessed front office would stray from the norm and select a guard, specifically one with a meager wingspan, but they ultimately made the right call and picked Anthony, one of the best pull-up shooters in the class and a talented pick-and-roll creator.

His freshman season at UNC didn’t go as planned (18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, .501 TS%), but don’t let the inconsistent shooting fool you — Anthony was an elite shooting prospect heading into college, having gone 37.2 percent from 3 and 88.2 percent from the foul line in his last two years of high school.

Orlando offers him plenty of insulation on the defensive end and a nice frontcourt complement in Nikola Vucević, whose playmaking talents as a dribble-handoff and high-post passer should create plenty of advantages for Anthony. Markelle Fultz had his own revival down in Florida, but between his slashing and Anthony’s shooting, the pair should be able to play together, too.

Grade: B

Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics were looking to either package their three first-rounders for a larger trade or to use them to fill in holes on the bench. With the fourteenth pick, the earliest of their selections, they went with Aaron Nesmith, the best movement shooter in the draft who shot a blistering 52.2 percent from 3 in his abbreviated sophomore season. It’s worth noting that we listed the Celtics as his worst fit in the lottery, for various reasons.

Brad Stevens’ offense isn’t one that maximizes off-movement and off-screen shooters, given the team’s emphasis on pick-and-roll creation, which doesn’t exactly maximize a shooter of Nesmith’s ilk. He’s also not a player who offers much else in terms of off-the-dribble shooting or slashing, despite Stevens regularly asking his guards and wings to be able to do so.

It’s possible that Nesmith improves in this regard, but between the unideal fit in Boston’s offense and the existing defensive concerns, there were better landing spots for Nesmith in this range and better targets for Boston.

Grade: C

After trading away long-time starting point guard Jrue Holiday to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, and draft capital, it was evident that David Griffin and the New Orleans Pelicans were shifting gears and focusing on the future.

Without a long-term option at point guard on the roster — Lonzo Ball is more of a two-guard due to his halfcourt creation woes, and both Bledsoe and Hill could be traded again for more assets this offseason — the 2020 NBA Draft stood as an opportunity to add more talent to a young core featuring Ball, Brandon Ingram, and last year’s No. 1 pick, Zion Williamson.

Griffin capitalized on that opportunity in a big way, selecting Alabama speedster Kira Lewis Jr. with the thirteenth pick, an exciting marriage between a speedy pick-and-roll creator and a run-and-gun offensive system consisting of great transition weapons. Lewis is an underrated shooter (career 36.2 percent from 3) and put up impressive numbers (18.5 points, 5.2 assists) in an NBA offense under coach Nate Oats in college, making him a great pickup for the Pelicans.

Grade: A