I know this is a Buffalo Bills/Sabres hot take haven site but as long as I’m writing for this site I’m going to make it an NBA one as well. I’m a die hard Lakers fan and NBA nut. So after last nights Lakers “victory” I was inspired to attempt my first ever NBA Mock. First off, before I begin, a major shout out and thank you to former Lakers Head Coach Byron Scott and Kobe Bryant who were very much quintessential in helping the Lakers land back to back #2 draft picks. What other coach/player can say that?
The Lakers do everything first class, including tanking. Secondly, I started looking into who are the potential first round players in this years NBA Draft and as you would imagine there are a lot of foreign players that. 1. I’ve never heard of and 2. Never seen play.So what I did was put together a mock draft with only one foreign player being mocked. I’m not going to pretend I know anything about European players because, well, I don’t, and neither do you. After Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram, this draft is pretty wide open. As always expect a lot of trades and stylish clothes.
1. Philadelphia 76ers – Ben Simmons, F, LSU – Sam Hinkie will now pen a four page letter on how the “process” worked. Here is my concern with Ben Simmons, other than his lack of a jump shot: Simmons was a highly recruited prospect from Australia and somehow ended up at LSU, (Or L$U if you’re into that thinking) with a pretty talented team ( Freshman Antonio Blakeney, and Jr G Tim Quarterman, who are both top notch players in a weak conference) that finished with a 19-14 record. and missed the NCAA Tournament.Those 3 players should’ve been good enough to get LSU to 21-23 wins. Simmons looked bored at times and seemed to go through the motions during points in the season. LSU lost their last game in the SEC tournament to Texas A&M 71-38and turned down an NIT invite. Simmons has the skill set that you’re looking for in a #1 prospect, big, athletic, can pass, rebound, etc. The ceiling is Magic Johnson/Lebron James type, and the floor is Michael Beasley. Joel Embiid *should* be back in 2016, so add Embiid and Simmons to a roster with Okafor, and Nerlens Noel, and the 76ers may have something cooking.
2. L.A. Lakers – Brandon Ingram, SF, Duke – As a Tar Heels fan it pained me to see Ingram turn down UNC to attend Duke, but it only took me a handful of games to fall in love with him as a prospect. As a Lakers fan, I wouldn’t be mad if they got Simmons, but I lean heavy towards Ingram. He can play the perimeter, he play in the post, he has a smooth jumper and he plays tight defense. His length is what stands out. A 7’3 wingspan makes him dangerous on both ends. The Kevin Durant comparisons are legit, because Ingram is only going to get better and once he packs on the muscle, he will be a force. The Lakers have a great young core. Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, and last year’s #2 overall pick D’Angelo Russell, they hired the hottest young coaching candidate in the NBA, they have over $60M in cap space, it’s Los Angeles, Kobe is gone, and they have the #2 pick. THINGS ARE LOOKING UP, IMO. Lastly, the one thing the Lakers can not do is trade this pick away. Keep it, draft Ingram and let Walton build this up.
3. Boston Celtics, Dragan Bender, PF, Bosnia – The Celtics have a plethora of picks in this draft and in 2017. Danny Ainge, Celtics GM, will try and do everything he can to trade this pick plus to acquire a marquee player. Paul George? DeMarcus Cousins?. The Celtics have picks, and roster assets to make a big move. Bender seems to be the consensus pick here at #3, but if I were the Celtics I would really consider going Kris Dunn here. A Kris Dunn/Isaiah Thomas back court would be pretty nice.
4. Phoenix Suns, Kris Dunn, PG, Providence – With Brandon Knight, Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker already on the roster adding another guard could be considered overkill, but Dunn’s skillset would be too much to pass up. He can shoot, get to the hole and is a tough defender. Drafting Dunn could and should open up the idea of moving Bledsoe and Knight to acquire a veteran wing player. A backcourt of Booker and Dunn could be deadly in years to come.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves, Jamal Murray, G, Kentucky – Adding a shooter like Murray to an already loaded roster of young players may just be enough to help the T”Wolves get over the edge and compete for that 8th spot in the West.
6. New Orleans Pelicans, Henry Ellenson, PF, Marquette – Ryan Anderson is a free agent, Anthony Davis is coming off an season ending injury, my thinking is that the Pelicans would want to sure up their front line with some more height and much needed depth.
7. Denver Nuggets, Buddy Hield, SG, Oklahoma – Hield is a tremendous shooter who has “in the gym range” wouldn’t shock me at all if he landed top 5 but here I have him falling to Denver who would be more than happy to land him.
8. Sacramento Kings, Jaylen Brown, SF, California – In the beginning of the season I saw mock drafts where Brown was high as #3 overall. Brown had a solid Freshman year at California and would be a nice addition to the Kings front court. Pairing up his strength next to Cauley-Stein and Cousins (if he isn’t traded) would be a nice get for the Kings.
9. Toronto Raptors, Denzel Valentine, SG, Michigan State – DeMar DeRozen is a free agent so drafting his potential replacement would be ideal here for the Raptors.
10. Milwaukee Bucks, Jakob Poeltl, C, Utah – Greg Monore struggled in his first with the Bucks and adding a prospect who is a bit more skilled and more agile is something Jason Kidd should be interested in.
11. Orlando Magic, Skal Labissiere, C, Kentucky – The highly touted recruit for Kentucky didn’t make anyone forget DeMarcus Cousins or Anthony Davis, but he is a nice prospect who can develop behind Nikola Vucevic.
12. Utah Jazz, Domantas Sabonis, PF, Gonzaga – One of my favorite players to watch in college this past season and he has the skill set to be an elite player in the NBA. He would be a steal here for the Jazz, and it wouldn’t surprise me that when we get closer to draft day, his stock goes up.
13. Phoenix Suns, Deyonta Davis, PF, Michigan State – Suns have some weaknesses upfront. They have 3 first round picks this draft and assets as mentioned above. Wouldn’t be surprised if this pick gets moved.
14. Chicago Bulls, Malachi Richardson, SG Syracuse – This draft isn’t that deep on wing players, so Richardson took advantage of helping Syracuse reaching the Final Four and declared for the draft. Richardson could sneak in as a lottery pick due to his shooting range and length.
15. Denver Nuggets, Marquese Chriss, SF, Washington – The 6’10 Freshman is very raw but has great strength that any NBA teams want.
16. Boston Celtics, Malik Beasley, SG, Florida State – If the Celtics still have this pick by the end of draft night, I’ll be floored.
17. Memphis Grizzlies, Tyler Ullis, PG, Kentucky – Mike Conley is a free agent and could very well be gone. Ullis is very skilled and will be a very good player in the NBA
18. Detroit Pistons, Brice Johnson, PF/C, North Carolina – Johnson had a huge senior season and was the key force to guiding the Tar Heels to the National Title Game. Johnson can be a superior rim protector in the NBA.
19. Denver Nuggets, Demetrius Jackson, PG, Notre Dame – Jackson has great handle and has great leadership skills. Very tough player who isn’t afraid to take to the glass.
20. Indiana Pacers, DeAndre’ Bembry, SF, St Joseph’s – I saw multiple mock drafts that had Bembry landing here, so I figure someone knows something. He played “Point Forward” in college and he can carry that skill to the next level. Loved watching him play last season. Best head of hair in the NCAA Tournament.
21. Atlanta Hawks, Taurean Prince, PF, Baylor – If this was a mock draft on who is the best prospect at giving post game interviews, Prince would be #1. YouTube it.
22. Charlotte Hornets, Damian Jones, F, Vanderbilt – The sleeved jersey is the worst thing in sports. The Hornets have sleeved jersey’s with the words “BUZZ CITY” across the chest. Has anyone ever referred to the city of Charlotte as “Buzz City”?
23. Boston Celtics, Diamond Stone, C/F, Maryland – Another pick here which I’m sure the Celtics would be likely to move, unless of course they find a “Diamond” in the rough. (Thank You)
24. Philadelphia 76ers, DeJounte Murray, G, Washington – Murray averaged 16 points per game in his only season at Washington. Murray is a player who the 76ers can stash in the D-League for awhile and help him develop further.
25. Los Angeles Clippers, Cheick Diallo, F, Kansas – Diallo was a projected top 10 pick in this draft last fall. An NCAA suspension kept him out until December and he never really got going after. Clippers would get a good value pick here while getting younger up front.
26. Philadelphia 76ers, Patrick McCaw, G, UNLV – An excellent defender, averaged 2.5 steals. Another player who could be rising up on the boards as we get closer.
27. Toronto Raptors, AJ Hammons, C, Purdue – Averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds in 33 games his senior season. I’m willing to wager that the actual pick will be either A.Traded or B. a European player.
28. Phoenix Suns, Ben Bentil, PF, Providence – Bentil averaged 21 points and 7 rebounds this past season. Has an NBA body and his NBA ready. Whomever picks Bentil will be getting a solid pro for years. If he stayed just one more year, he would’ve been a potential lottery pick in 2017. If Bentil were to fall to the Lakers at 32? I would be pretty stoked.
29. San Antonio Spurs, European Player, to be stashed away in Europe for 2 years and then come to the Spurs and wreak havoc on our souls – You know this will happen.
30. Golden State Warriors, Stephen Zimmerman, C, UNLV – With Marreese Speights becoming a FA this offseason, and Bogut who will be one after next (Bogut is also getting older and is prone to injuries) Zimmerman would be a nice role player off the bench.
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