2009 NBA Draft Grades

Atlanta Hawks
Choices: Jeff Teague, Sergiy Gladyr 
Teague took over as the starter in his third season and has played well. Last season, he averaged 14.6 points and 7.9 assists per game. He is one of the more stable parts on the team and I doubt he is replaced anytime soon. He has turned out better than any point guard drafted after him, which is good news for the Hawks. Gladyr has not played in a single NBA game outside of summer league, but you cannot expect much out of a second round pick.

Draft Grade: B

Boston Celtics 
Choice: Lester Hudson 
Hudson was waived by the Celtics before the end of his first season. He only played in a couple of games and did not stand out in any of them. He was a late second round pick so it is hard to dock the Celtics points for drafting him.

Grade: Incomplete

Charlotte Bobcats
Choices: Gerald Henderson, Derrick Brown
Henderson has been a decent player for the Bobcats. He is a decent scorer, 15.5 points per game last season, but he does not do much else, in terms of rebounds and assists. He might be replaced in this upcoming draft by either Mclemore or Oladipo. Derrick Brown took a while to get going, but came into his own last season. He had 8 points on 51% shooting and did a decent job on the boards. Both of these players would be better suited in a bench role, which is good for Brown, but not so good for Henderson who was a lottery pick.

Grade: C

Chicago Bulls
Choices: James Johnson, Taj Gibson
James Johnson has been a bust for the Bulls. He only played one and a half seasons for the Bulls before he was traded to Toronto, where he had more success. Gibson has had much more success with the Bulls. He comes off of the bench for Boozer, but plays an integral role on defense. He and Noah make a very good duo, in terms of defense. His offensive game could use some work, but as of now the Bulls don't need him to score in double digits every game.

Grade: B-

Cleveland Cavaliers
Choices: Christian Eyenga, Danny Green, Emir Preldzic 
Eyenga had a very shot career that only lasted two seasons. He did not show any promise at all and was traded to the Lakers in his second season. Danny Green has had success, but not in a Cavs uniform. They waived him after his first season, but he burst onto the scene in San Antonio where he has enjoyed a lot of success. They should not have parted ways with Green as early as they did, considering the talent was light on this team. Preldzic never played a game for the Cavs.

Grade: D-

Dallas Mavericks
Choices: Rodrigue Beaubois, Nick Calathes Ahmad Nivins
Beaubois never turned into the explosive player that the Mavericks thought he had a chance to be. It is also likely that he leaves via free agency this summer. Calathes never saw an NBA court and took his talents to Greece before his first NBA season. Nivins also never played a game in the NBA, but he was a late second round pick.

Grade: D

Denver Nuggets
Choice: Ty Lawson
The Nuggets traded for Lawson on draft night and it looks like he turned out to be a very good pick. He is their starting point guard and he keeps improving. He is likely a top 10 point guard at this point in his career. He is also better than some point guards drafted before him, like Ricky Rubio, Johnny Flynn and Brandon Jennings.

Grade: A

Detroit Pistons
Choices: Austin Daye, Jonas Jerkebo Austin Daye was a big bust. He was supposed to be a good player because of his length and shooting ability. He never had a good season and was traded to the Grizzlies at the trade deadline this past season. Jerkebo has had more success as a second rounder. However, he is now the fourth big man on the team after Andre Drummond's arrival. Jerkebo would have been more of a threat if he could have rebounded better.

Grade: D+

Golden State Warriors 
Choice: Stephen Curry 
Curry really stepped into his own this season. He is one of the best three point shooters in the league, if not the best. He is not just a shooter, he averaged 6.9 assists per game last season. He has ended up better than the two point guards that were drafted in front of him, Rubio and Flynn. He is a top 10 point guard in the league right now. Golden State made a very good choice by picking him instead of some of the other point guards available.

Grade: A

Houston Rockets
Choices: Jermaine Taylor, Chase Budinger 
Jermaine Taylor was a bit of a disappointment after his stellar college career at the University of Central Florida. He was a second round pick, but he had a lot of promise that he failed to deliver on. He was traded only a couple of games into his second season and he has not played the past two seasons. Budinger had three very solid seasons for the Rockets, but left last season for the Timberwolves. He surprised a lot of people, especially in his first season.

Grade: D

Indiana Pacers
Choices: Tyler Hansbrough, AJ Price
Hansbrough had his best season in his second year, but has been relegated to the bench in the past two season because if David West's arrival. He plays a very important "tough guy" role off of the bench, but he has been a disappointment, considering how good he was in college. Price had some very bad seasons in Indiana before moving onto Washington. He has not played well so far in the NBA and his days could be numbered.

Grade: C-

LA Clippers
Choice: Blake Griffin 
Many teams choose a bust with the first pick, but Griffin has turned out to be a very good player. He is mostly known for his alley-oops, but he has slowing improved his low post game in recent seasons. Griffin is also a very good rebounder and a double double machine. There are many things he can improve on, but as of now, he is the best player out of this draft.

Grade: A

LA Lakers
Choices: None
Grade: N/A

Memphis Grizzlies
Choices: Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll
Thabeet has been one of the biggest bust in the modern era. He was traded halfway into his second season with the Grizzlies and has not improved anywhere. Carroll has not been much better either. He was also traded halfway through his second season. Imagine how good they could have been if they drafted James Harden instead of Thabeet. The Grizzlies would take back both of these draft picks in a heat beat if they had a chance.

Grade: F-

Miami Heat
Choices: Patrick Beverly, Robert Dozier 
Beverly and Dozier never played a game for the Heat. Beverley played well for the Rockets in the playoffs, but off the court issues hurt him early in his career.

Grade: Incomplete

Milwaukee Bucks
Choices: Brandon Jennings, Jodie Meeks
Jennings has been overrated his entire career. He does not shoot well from the field, 39.4% for his career, and he does not pass well, last season was the first season that he had more than 6 assists per game. Jrue Holiday and Ty Lawson, both drafted after him, have turned out better than him. Meeks only played half of his first season in Milwaukee before he was traded. He had some good success in Philadelphia, but was a disappointment in Milwaukee.

Grade: B

Minnesota Timberwolves
Choices: Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn
Rubio has only been in the league for two seasons because he stayed in Europe for two years after getting drafted. Rubio is primarily a passer, 7.7 assists in two seasons, but he really needs to improve his scoring, 36% for his career. They would have been better off with Curry, Holiday or Lawson instead of Rubio. Flynn was a complete bust and I have no idea why he was drafted right after Rubio. He had a decent rookie season, but fell off after that.

Grade: D

New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets 
Choice: Terrence Williams
Williams was a very good all around player in college, but that did not translate onto the NBA hardwood. He only lasted one and half seasons in New Jersey before he was shipped out.

Grade: F

New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans
Choices: Darren Collison, Marcus Thorton
Collison played very well in his one and only season in New Orleans when he filled in for an injured Chris Paul. He has had a decent career, but could have been much better. Thornton only lasted a season and a half in New Orleans when he was traded, but he showed a lot of promise as a scorer. I believe they should have kept him instead of trading for Eric Gordon.

Grade: C

New York Knicks
Choice: Jordan Hill
Hill did not even make it through a full season with New York before he was traded. They could have had a much better player than him because they needed help at every position. DeRozen, Hansbrough, Holiday and Lawson would have all been better choices.

Grade: F

Oklahoma City Thunder
Choices: James Harden, Byron Mullens, Robert Vaden
James Harden has a really good chance to be considered a superstar, but not with Oklahoma City. He was traded to Houston last season and played great, averaging 25.9 points, 5.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds.  He did win sixth man of the year while in OKC and when they traded him, he commanded a rather large haul. Mullens was a bust with OKC, but has had success in Charlotte. He never earned any real playing time in OKC, but when it was given to him he performed well. Vaden never played a single game in the NBA.

Grade: B+

Orlando Magic
Choices: None
Grade" N/A

Philadelphia 76ers
Choice: Jrue Holiday
Holiday finally found his groove this season, after becoming the primary ball handler because of the Andre Iguodala trade. He averaged 17.7 points and 8 assists this past season, after not averaging more than 14 points or 6.5 assists. They could have drafted Lawson, but I believe the results would have been similar either way.

Grade: A-

Phoenix Suns
Choices: Earl Clark, Taylor Griffin 
Clark was a total bust as the last lottery pick in 2009. He only played one full season in Phoenix before he was traded. Most of his claim to fame in the NBA came with the Lakers when he was able to start. He finally showed some of his potential with the Lakers, but was again relegated to the bench after Pau Gasol came back. Griffin, brother of Blake Griffin, only played in eight games and was not successful in any of them.

Grade: F

Portland Trail Blazers
Choices: Victor Claver, Jeff Pendergraph Dante Cunningham, Patty Mills
Claver only played one season in Portland before returning back to Spain. He did not play much better than any of the picks after him. Pendergraph was also a disappointment. He only played 10 minutes per game in his rookie season because he could not find a spot on the team. Cunningham has had more success elsewhere and he only lasted one and a half seasons in Portland before he was traded. Mills had a lot of potential, but did not discover it while he was in Portland. He has had more success in San Antonio. I would not call him a bust because he was a late second round pick.

Grade: D-

Sacramento Kings
Choices: Tyreke Evans, Jon Brockman
Evans has declined every season since winning rookie of the year. He is still a good player, but he has not reached the level many thought he would after his amazing rookie season. Evans never put the team on his back and elevated them even when he had decent talent around him. Brockman only played one one season in Sacramento, but he never got a lot of minutes. He was a good rebounder, but he had trouble putting the ball in the basket.

Grade: B-

San Antonio Spurs
Choices: DeJuan Blair, Nando de Colo
Blair had a good first three seasons in San Antonio, but was relegated spot duty after Tiago Splitter's emergence. He is going to be a free agent this season and could find success elsewhere. Colo finally joined the Spurs this past season, but he did not get a lot of minutes because Tony Parker gets a lot of minutes as a starter and Cory Joseph had the backup duty on lockdown. He was a good second round value pick who could play a much bigger role next season.

Grade: C+

Toronto Raptors
Choice: DeMar DeRozen
DeRozen has played much better than most thought he would. He averaged 18 points per game last season, but he does not do much else on the court. He was the Raptors best scorer until the brought in Rudy Gay via trade.

Grade: B

Utah Jazz
Choices: Eric Maynor, Goran Suton 
Maynor was traded halfway into his rookie season with Utah where he did not play well. He has not played well anywhere, but he was so bad with Utah that they had to trade him. Suton has not played a single minute in the NBA.

Grade: F

Washington Wizards
Choices: None
Grade: N/A