Sam Vecenie’s NBA Draft Grades

[Full article](https://theathletic.com/4642804/2023/06/29/nba-draft-team-grades-2023-vecenie/) with excellent evaluations of *every* team’s draft is behind a paywall on *The Athletic*, but here are a couple key excerpts about Portland’s draft, which Vecenie had as an A+, along with San Antonio’s and Houston’s:

>The Blazers also had a superb draft night, in part because they were the beneficiaries of Henderson falling to them after the Hornets took Brandon Miller. But let’s not act like this is a decision every single team in the league would make. Many teams would have traded the pick to build around Damian Lillard. Many teams would have potentially looked a different direction in terms of talent, thinking that they didn’t want to take Henderson when they already have Lillard at the point. But the Blazers front office was brave. They might the right decision for their organization, relationships or fit be damned. They took the guy in Henderson who I think is going to be the centerpiece of their franchise for the next decade. The 2010s were the Lillard decade in Portland. The 2020s will be the Scoot decade.
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>\[Henderson is\] one of the best guards I’ve evaluated, and I completely buy him as a long-term All-Star.
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>Henderson is the key, but don’t sleep on the others. Murray can fill a rotational role immediately, knocking down shots from distance along with providing size and athleticism defensively and out in transition. He helps the team both in the short- and long-term regardless of whether Lillard is there. Rupert is another interesting flier for the team, a 6-foot-6 wing with a 7-foot-2 wingspan who was a defensive menace in the NBL this past season. His offensive game has a lot of work to do both as a shooter and ballhandler, but he’s well-regarded for having incredible character and work ethic. He’ll get the most out of whatever he has offensively, and the tools are pretty vast. He’s a project worth investing in as a second-round pick, and I had him at No. 34 on my board.
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>The Blazers front office didn’t give into pressure and took three players who were strong values across the board, including a lead guard I strongly believe can be a franchise-changing player. A perfect draft all around.

by icecream_for_brunch