There was no suspense this year as to who would go No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft — Victor Wembanyama was the expected favorite and Victor Wembanyama was indeed the pick for the Spurs — but intrigue and drama quickly ensured Thursday in what turned out to be another wild NBA Draft night.
After wild swings in the market all week flip-flopping between Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson as the presumptive No. 2 pick to Charlotte, the Hornets made the former the selection and passed on the latter in the first big swing moment of the night. Miller lands in Charlotte where he will pair up with LaMelo Ball in part of a young core that added to its ranks throughout the draft in what turned out to be a nice night for the franchise.
Miller’s rise up to No. 2 pushed Henderson to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 3 followed by back-to-back selections of twin brothers Amen and Ausar Thompson — and in the same order in which they were born. The twins became the first brother pairing in NBA history to be selected in the top 10, as Amen went to Houston and Ausar was scooped up by Detroit at No. 4 and 5, respectively.
There was plenty of other intriguing and surprising selections throughout the 58-pick draft, and CBS Sports NBA Draft analysts Adam Finkelstein and Kyle Boone were here to grade the values that teams extracted from their picks below.
Round 1 NBA Draft Grades
by Adam Finkelstein
1. San Antonio Spurs: C Victor Wembanyama, France
The 7-foot-4 prodigy with the 8-foot wingspan has generated the type of praise we have not heard since LeBron James. On top of his insane measurables is a combination of defensive dominance, offensive skill and uncanny agility for his size. If he can stay healthy, true NBA stardom is a very likely scenario. The Spurs spent years setting themselves up to be in this position and took advantage of it. Grade: A+
2. Charlotte Hornets: SF Brandon Miller, Alabama
The Hornets brought back in Miller and Scoot Henderson this week, allowing their decision to come down to the final few days. They landed on Miller in a…
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