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We’re well aware that draft grades – passing judgment on the hiring of a 19 or even 18-year old just hours after their names were called – is rather silly. There were 30 NBA franchises working with 30 disparate motivations, strategies, needs and abilities on Thursday night during the league’s draft, and though some fared better than others the 2016 NBA draft (like all NBA drafts) was not a level playing field for myriad reasons. [ Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball ] With that in place, we can still hand out interim report cards for every franchise on the docket. Dig in: Atlanta Hawks The Haul : Taurean Prince (Baylor) at 12, DeAndre Bembry (St. Joseph’s) at 21, Isaia Cordinier (France) at 44. Kay Felder (Oakland) at 54. Outside of Felder – a sparkplug that could become our next favorite NBA Summer League hero, this was a very Hawksian draft bent on replenishing its supply of heady, all-around athletes, while potentially preparing the team for the defection of free agent swingman Kent Bazemore. Neither Prince nor Bembry will ever be stars, but they have the gifts and potential to act as key rotation parts from either the small forward or off guard position. Prince is ahead of Bembry in the shooting department at this juncture, but that doesn’t mean DeAndre’s heady game can’t fit in with the vets by midseason. Grade: B *** Boston Celtics The Haul : Jaylen Brown (California) at 3, Guerschon Yabusele (France) at 16, Ante Zizic (Croatia) at 23, lottery-protected first round pick from the Los Angeles Clippers in either 2019 or 2020, Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame) at 45, Ben Bentil (Providence) at 51, Abdel Naber (Iowa State) at 58. The tramping the dirt down on Danny Ainge’s supposed grave of assets needs to be dialed back a bit. The only people that should either act shocked or haughty that the Celtics general manager was unable to land a star in the first of his pick-heavy nights must have passed on looking up the actual specifics behind what’s actually available out there. Ainge was prepared but also incredibly lucky to have a combination of lottery picks, massive expiring deals and a 20-and-10 guy to deal in the summer of 2007; one of those rare offseasons that somehow saw two different (nearly) in-prime future Hall of Famers (Ray Allen and eventually Kevin Garnett) available on the trading block. Those legends aren’t exactly out there right now, less-celebrated stars aren’t even on the block, and as such Ainge was forced to work around the margins yet again. What you can possibly criticize are the draft choices while he bides his time: Jaylen Brown is a home run swing that could bring Boston an All-Star, but the athlete has his drawbacks at his young age. Yabusele unique talents remain rather unique, his was a surprise call, and Zizic’s charms come from the old school that demands centers stay low and near the rim. Ainge may never get his star via the trade pipeline, and in reaction he passed on Kris Dunn and took his chances on two on Thursday night. This story has barely begun – it could end in a whiff, and a lesson that it always takes two to tango. Grade: B *** Brooklyn Nets The Haul : Caris LaVert (Michigan) at 20, Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall) at 42. The Nets were always going to have to swap picks with the Boston Celtics in the 2017 draft, and the team’s new leadership (GM Sean Marks) decided to bite the bullet and work what former GM Billy King never had the temerity to do – suffer through the embarrassment have possibly having to dive from a top three pick down to the 20s in order to find some young asset to play around with. Thaddeus Young is a smart veteran and good basketball player, but his absence on the 2016-17 Nets will cost the team wins in ways that won’t reflect in an improved lottery standing. It is worrying that Caris LaVert is far from a finished product, working with frightening foot woes. Still, when the crops are salted, you have to take a gamble on something that could eventually turn out savory. Grade: A *** Charlotte Hornets The Haul : Marco Belinelli (via trade with Sacramento). Faced with the possible free agent defections of Nicolas Batum, Courtney Lee, and Jeremy Lin, the Hornets needed to find NBA-caliber talent at a perimeter position straightaway. The team might someday rue dealing a No. 22 pick for a 30-year old in Belinelli, but these are the team-sustaining transactions you often have to take. Grade: B+ ***
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