PJ Washington to the Hornets, Tyler Herro to the Heat and Keldon Johnson went to the Spurs at the end of last night's first round.
What are NBA writers, analysts and blogs saying about the newly drafted trio of former Wildcats?
We're rounding it all up here.
PJ Washington (Charlotte Hornets)
On CBS Sports, Gary Parrish and Kyle Boone gave Charlotte a "B" for its selection of Washington with the 12th pick in the first round of Thursday's draft. Their summary: "He could have entered the 2018 NBA Draft and been a borderline first-rounder. But he came back and improved his stock. Most players don't do it like he did: He figured out his shot and made himself into a space-creating forward."
Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo graded the pick a "B+: "I like this pick for the Hornets overall—they need help in the frontcourt and get one of the more NBA-ready forwards on the board here," Woo said. "Washington made major strides as a sophomore, and if his jump shot is for real, he could be an ideal small-ball forward. Charlotte didn’t take a home-run swing here—Sekou Doumbouya was on the board—but Washington is a solid option."
From The Ringer (Grade: 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."
Tyler Herro (Miami Heat)
CBS Sports writers gave the Heat a "B" for their selection, writing, "He's someone who can dribble, pass and shoot and has good size. His free-throw shooting shows that he could really translate to the NBA as a 3-point shooter even though he wasn't great from beyond the arc. But he's not just a shooter. He deserved to be a lottery pick."
Jeremy Woo of SI: "Miami opts for Herro here, who many teams considered one of the most promising perimeter scorers in this draft. He can really knock down tough shots, has potential playing off the dribble and at least puts in real effort defensively. The Heat don’t really have anyone like him on their roster long-term, and this makes sense in terms of fit and upside."
SB Nation's Ricky O'Donnell made a JJ Redick comparison in giving the Heat a "B".
The Ringer was less optimistic about the Herro pick, giving the Heat a "C": "John Calipari gets consecutive lottery picks with the selection of Herro. It’s easy to see why the Heat made the pick. They struggled to space the floor last season, and Herro is one of the best shooters in the draft. The question is whether he will be well-rounded enough to earn playing time for a defensive-minded coach like Erik Spoelstra. The reason Herro ended up going two picks behind Johnson is because he’s much smaller (6-foot-6, 192 pounds) and may not stay on the floor. The good news for Herro is that few franchises in the NBA emphasize strength and conditioning more than the Heat, who will be able to find whatever athletic potential he still has. Herro could end up carving out a role for himself in Miami, but there were more talented players on the board."
Keldon Johnson (San Antonio Spurs)
Parrish and Boone seemed to believe Johnson to the Spurs is a great fit for both parties, giving the pick an "A" and reasoning, "This is a great spot for a talented player. He might be the best prospect available, and the Spurs are perhaps the best place for a guy with potential to develop."
Woo, in giving the Spurs a "B+": "This is a fall for Johnson, but in this range, he’s a really nice value for them—he profiles best as a role player, and at No. 29, 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."
Spurs blog Air Alamo gave the pick a "B": "It’s hard to justify taking Keldon Johnson over Bol Bol from a talent standpoint, but the concerns regarding Bol’s foot injury and his dedication to the game scared off every single team in the first round so it’s hard to blame the Spurs for passing up on him here.
"Johnson has a solid skill set already and has plenty of room to grow at just 19 years old. The Spurs hit a solid drive down the fairway with this pick."
Nicklaus Gray of the USA TODAY network wrote, "Johnson has an NBA-ready body but did not get fully engaged on the offensive end of the floor in some games at Kentucky. That's OK; Popovich will wring out the inconsistent play."
From The Ringer (Grade: C): "Johnson is the rare Kentucky player who managed to slip under the radar in his one season of college. Unlike PJ Washington and Tyler Herro, his two more highly touted teammates, Johnson doesn’t have many defined strengths or weaknesses in his game. The Spurs have their work cut out for them to turn him into an NBA-caliber player, though. He has the outline of a 3-and-D player, but he’s an average shooter who doesn’t have great athleticism or much ability to create off the dribble. He’ll probably spend a lot of time in the G League, like many of San Antonio’s recent selections."