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The grades are in for the 2019 NBA Draft

by: Mrs. Tyler Thompson06/21/19@MrsTylerKSR

@KentuckyMBB

The grades are in for the 2019 NBA Draft, and according to the national media, Kentucky’s guys landed in pretty favorable spots.

Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo gave a B+ to each team that drafted a Kentucky Wildcat, praising Charlotte for making the safe choice with PJ Washington and Miami for adding “one of the most promising perimeter scorers in the draft” in Tyler Herro. Even though Keldon Johnson didn’t get picked until the end of the first round, Woo thinks he could be a great fit with the Spurs.

“This is a fall for Johnson, but in this range, he’s a really nice value for the Spurs—he profiles best as a role player, and at No. 26, his position is commensurate with that. Johnson has a solid all-around skill set and competes, but has work to do playing off the dribble. He could be a nice piece for them long-term, and makes sense with their pieces. He was projected to go a bit higher than this, but I think this fit ends up being mutually beneficial. Grade: B+”

CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone loved Miami’s selections of Tyler Herro (No. 13) and KZ Okpala (No. 32), in part because of Herro’s swagger.

“Miami wound up with a pretty nice haul getting Tyler Herro in the back end of the lottery and KZ Okpala, a player teams were rumored to be considering in the first round, in the first half of the second round. Need proof on the bargain? Here’s Herro, from Thursday, on his suit: “It speaks for itself. I mean, look at it. Best drip here.” What a treasure. Herro is going to be a star in Miami, and Okpala has star potential and a perfect fit to discover it with the Heat. Grade: A”

Boone also said the Hornets taking PJ Washington at No. 12 will “look like a steal in three years.”

The Ringer’s Jonathan Tjarks gave Cs to Miami and San Antonio for drafting Herro and Keldon, but liked PJ to Charlotte, giving it a B.

“The Hornets stuck to their preferred mold from the past few seasons: an experienced player from a big-time NCAA program. Washington, a skilled 6-foot-8 forward who can score from all over the floor, can do a lot of different things on offense. He can shoot from the perimeter, score out of the post, put the ball on the floor, and create shots for his teammates. The question is whether he can stretch his range out to the 3-point line: He shot 42.3 percent from 3 at Kentucky but took only 2.2 attempts per game last season. He will need to add that to this game to be a successful power forward in the modern NBA. Washington, like the rest of the younger players in Charlotte, will be a lot better playing next to Kemba Walker, but he could also be a key part of their rebuilding process if Kemba leaves in free agency.”

Here are a few more pictures and videos of the guys from last night:

https://www.instagram.com/p/By9Tl6egjAR/

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2026-01-06