NORTHWEST DIVISION:
Utah Jazz: A
Additions: No. 13 Donovan Mitchell, No. 28 Tony Bradley, No. 55 Nigel Williams-Goss
The possibility of losing Gordon Hayward, and the glaring holes at point guard and backup center made this draft potentially difficult for Utah’s front office. You wouldn’t know that, thought, by their maneuvering.
Utah grabbed draft riser Donovan Mitchell and Nigel Williams-Goss to shore up the backcourt, and big man Tony Bradley to back up Rudy Gobert.
Oklahoma City Thunder: B+
Additions: No. 21 Terrance Ferguson
Brodie is dancing somewhere knowing that he has a scorer in Terrance Ferguson coming to town to put in buckets and cash in on some sweet assists. The 3-and-D athlete can be a productive player in a system that will allow him to get his shots when needed, without overexposing him.
Portland Trailblazers: A-
Additions: No. 10 Zach Collins, No. 26 Caleb Swanigan
The Blazers acquired Jusuf Nurkic last season and were so thrilled with his production that they spent this draft getting him help. Zach Collins may project to play alongside Nurkic should they not be content with Ed Davis, Noah Vonleh, or Al-Farouq Aminu.
Caleb Swanigan is a tank in shoes who will do the dirty work in relief.
Denver Nuggets: D-
Additions: No. 24 Tyler Lydon, No. 49 Vlatko Cancar, No. 51 Monte Morris, Trey Lyles
The Nuggets had a confusing draft given their glut of young talent already on roster. They didn’t package anything to move up and get a stud, nor did they move the picks for a superstar.
Instead, they moved their pick for Tyler Lydon and Trey Lyles, two similar players to play behind Kenneth Faried, and Monte Morris, who joins the logjam in the back-court. Nothing appealing about their draft.
Minnesota Timberwolves: A+
Additions: No. 16 Justin Patton, Jimmy Butler
Enough can’t be said about the Minnesota Timberwolves finally packaging some of that young talent for a superstar. They reunite Jimmy Butler with Tom Thibodeau, and pair him with Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Ricky Rubio.
Minnesota is likely to be a legitimate playoff contender next year. If they gel well together, this team could contend in the Western Conference for years to come.