Without further adieu, we present our first Mock Draft post-lottery drawings. Our very own Brian Emory and Steven Weddington have contributed to this Mock Draft:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers – Nerlens Noel (7’0” C, Kentucky)
The Basketball Gods continue to show mercy on the Cavs. After losing LeBron, they have been a “lost” coin flip to the Hornets away from getting three consecutive #1 overall picks. With this one, they go with the project big with upside in Noel. They’ll be able to let him completely heal as Varejao starts in his stead.
2. Orlando Magic – Ben McLemore (6’5” SG, Kansas)
With the second pick, Orlando will probably look at Trey Burke and Ben McLemore. Burke fills more of a need, but McLemore has higher upside and is the overall better prospect. While Aaron Afflalo was good last year, he’s not a franchise SG. So because of that, McLemore gets the slightest of edges here.
3. Washington Wizards – Otto Porter (6’8” SF, Georgetown)
Washington gets lucky by jumping into the top three and getting their hands on a guy who fits perfectly into the team they’re building. The high-upside backcourt tandem of John Wall and Bradley Beal get a guy who can do all the little things while they put up the points. If Porter pans out, they’ll be a team to watch for the future.
4. Charlotte Bobcats – Alex Len (7’1” C, Maryland)
The poor Bobcats come up unlucky once again in the lottery. Anyways, GM Rich Cho has said that the team needs shooting and rebounding. Oladipo is a nice prospect, but shooting is far from his strength. Alex Len has a lot of ability, and his game at least pairs nicely with Bismack Biyombo’s.
5. Phoenix Suns – Victor Oladipo (6’4” SG, Indiana)
This is a typical pick for a Suns team floundering in the absence of Steve Nash. They have to start somewhere, and Oladipo is going to be a very good contributor for any team they build in the future. His athleticism, defense, and intensity will lend itself well to a team looking for leadership.
6. New Orleans Pelicans – Trey Burke (6’0” PG, Michigan)
The Pelicans really hit a home run here. Grevis Vasquez had a really solid year, but he probably won’t get much better than he is now. On the other hand, Burke is loaded with potential and can come close to completing the Pelicans roster moving forwards. With Alex Len off the board, this is a no-brainer.
7. Sacramento Kings – Anthony Bennett (6’7” PF, UNLV)
The Kings have a few different options with this pick, but we believe they’d go with the athletic PF out of UNLV in this scenario. Cousins is a banger who needs room to operate down low, so a guy who likes to float a little bit like Bennett will be a good fit. They still need some help in other places, but they should have their frontcourt set for a long time.
8. Detroit Pistons – C.J. McCollum (6’3” PG/SG, Lehigh)
The Pistons really need a guard who is a lethal scorer, and McCollum definitely fits the bill. He shot over 50% from behind the arc in 12 games last year and would be a nice addition to Detroit’s backcourt. He fits better as a SG, but I’m not sure he has the size to spend all of his time there in the NBA. He could be best-suited as a great sixth man.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves – Shabazz Muhammad (6’6” SG/SF, UCLA)
Muhammad didn’t quite live up to expectations for UCLA, but he begins his NBA career in a great situation. He steps in immediately as a starter on a team desperate for wing scoring and has a PG (Ricky Rubio) and PF (Kevin Love) who are great matches for his abilities. If they can retain Nikola Pekovic, they finally become a very talented squad.
10. Portland Trail Blazers – Dario Saric (6’10” SF/PF, Croatia)
Portland is in a bit of a conundrum with this pick. They could look at a big like Gorgui Dieng or an off-ball guard here, but Saric has a ton of potential. Some team will be intrigued by his skill-set, and since Portland already is grooming Meyers Leonard, and there isn’t a guard here that really fits their needs, they could take him off of potential and upside.
11. Philadelphia 76ers – Cody Zeller (7’0” PF/C, Indiana)
Zeller’s terrific combine really halted his slide down most draft boards. He still has questions about his ability to score over defenders his size, but he should prove a good value pick at this spot. The 76ers really need to infuse their roster with some talent after the disastrous Andrew Bynum trade, and Zeller would be a good big man playing off the talented, young Jrue Holiday.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder – Michael Carter-Williams (6’6” PG, Syracuse)
OKC will most likely look at a PG or C here. Kendrick Perkins really could have had the worst postseason ever, so they have to upgrade center, and there are some good options here. On the other hand, they really need depth at guard, and Carter-Williams is such an intriguing prospect. He’s a good ball distributor which will only make the OKC offense scarier. His length also makes him a very good defender.
13. Dallas Mavericks – Steven Adams (7’0” C, Pittsburgh)
Another guy who really helped his stock at the combine, Adams displayed a surprisingly soft touch on his mid-range jumpers and measured out very well. Don’t be surprised to see him go even higher than where we have him because teams are always willing to take a chance on a big man with upside, especially in what is considered a weak overall draft.
14. Utah Jazz – Dennis Schroeder (6’2” PG, Germany)
Utah’s biggest weakness is PG, and it’s not even close. Schroeder is climbing up draft boards with his electric speed, and he could have what it takes to be the PG going forward in Utah. Schroeder is also a really good shooter and is a great fit in Utah.
15. Milwaukee Bucks – Kelly Olynyk (7’0” C, Gonzaga)
The skilled big man really stepped into the limelight this past season as he displayed a variety of offensive moves for a historic Gonzaga team. His measurables leave a little bit to be desired, but at this point in the draft, he becomes a good value pick and a great fit next to Larry Sanders.
16. Boston Celtics – Gorgui Dieng (6’11” C, Louisville)
This could be a really good pick for Boston. Dieng is a very good defensive center, and his offensive game continues to expand. He’s shown the ability to stretch out and hit jump shots as well as establish some go-to moves in the paint. Boston is expected to start rebuilding soon, so a young big man is always a good piece to start out with.
17. Atlanta Hawks – Rudy Gobert (7’2” C, France)
Gobert had a strange combine. On Day One, he posted historic length measurements and vaulted up many draft boards. On Day Two, he displayed subpar athleticism and promptly slid back down. The Hawks are likely to lose Josh Smith, so they need to add some more size – and moving Al Horford to PF would really help curtail some of the injuries he’s picked up guarding bigger players.
18. Atlanta Hawks – Giannis Adetokunbo (6’9” SF, Greece)
Josh Smith is set to hit free agency, and assuming he does, Atlanta needs to add some players on the wing. Some scouts believe Adetokunbo could go in the lottery, so on paper he’s a solid get at 18. Like Saric, Adetokunbo has a very versatile skill set but is really raw. He also needs to add some strength to his frame in order to maximize his full potential.
19. Cleveland Cavaliers – Sergey Karasev (6’7” SF, Russia)
Cleveland really only has one more hole to fill, and Karasev is a very convenient fit. The smooth-shooting Russian would thrive as a floor spacer for a suddenly very scary, young Cavaliers team (assuming Kyrie Irving and #1 pick Noel can stay healthy).
20. Chicago Bulls – Mason Plumlee (6’11” PF/C, Duke)
This is our second mock in a row in which Mason Plumlee falls to Chicago. It seems too unrealistic; he has lottery talent but if he falls to Chicago, there is no way they pass up on him. They need depth in the paint and Plumlee provides that, as he can play either position in the post. He would be really solid for them coming off the bench right off the bat.
21. Utah Jazz – Tim Hardaway, Jr. (6’6” SG, Michigan)
Having already picked up the talented German PG Schroeder with the #14 overall pick, the Jazz add what they hope will be the final piece to their starting unit. Hardaway, Jr. projects as a good fit for a team that will need some outside shooting and gives Utah one of the more athletic teams in the league.
22. Brooklyn Nets – Tony Snell (6’7” SG/SF, New Mexico)
Snell is a wing prospect that continues to rise up draft boards. He’s very explosive and has a clean shooting stroke. He’s capable of playing either SG or SF, but he needs to add some strength and get up to at least the 210 area (197 right now). He has a lot of talent and could provide some “pop” off the bench for Brooklyn instantly.
23. Indiana Pacers – Jamaal Franklin (6’5” SG, San Diego State)
The Pacers don’t really have very many holes on their roster. They may look to add a PG with some upside to eventually replace George Hill or may look to add some insurance in case they lose David West to Free Agency, but there really aren’t any guys left who have the talent to go this high. Franklin could be a great 6th man or future starter if they decide to run Stephenson as a big PG.
24. New York Knicks – Tony Mitchell (6’9” SF/PF, North Texas)
Mitchell is another really intriguing prospect slated to go late in the first round. He’s an extremely athletic combo-forward that is great at running the floor. He has a long wingspan that allows him to block a lot of shots and be effective at snatching offensive and defensive rebounds. New York could definitely view him as BPA here, while Jeff Withey could be another strong possibility.
25. Los Angeles Clippers – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (6’6” SG, Georgia)
Starting this draft, I didn’t expect KCP to fall so far. But as we worked our way through the picks, we couldn’t find a real argument for him over some other players. He could easily go much higher as his hype seems to be building in recent weeks, but the Clippers will be content to take what would be considered a steal as an eventual replacement for the aging Caron Butler and Matt Barnes.
26. Minnesota Timberwolves – Jeff Withey (7’0” C, Kansas)
Withey had a really bad combine and is beginning to fall behind the pack of other mid-round prospects at center such as Dieng, Gobert, and Adams. Minnesota has two great big men in Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic, but they aren’t in great shape cap-wise. If they happen to lose one of the two, Withey is a nice young insurance prospect to have and is BPA at 26.
27. Denver Nuggets – Reggie Bullock (6’7” SG/SF, North Carolina)
Denver has a ton of North Carolina connections, and Bullock happens to fit coach George Karl’s philosophy to a T. He may not be a big need for the Nuggets, but that speaks more to their incredible depth than anything else. Bullock adds some tough defensive ability and floor spacing that any team could use.
28. San Antonio Spurs – Erick Green (6’3” PG, Virginia Tech)
Erick Green is way too good to fall out of the first round. San Antonio has no needs that jump out on paper, so Green, who is a lethal scorer, could be a nice addition for them late in the first round. He has a lot of potential, and Popovich could coach him up better than anyone else.
29. Oklahoma City Thunder – Lucas Noguiera (6’11” C, Brazil)
The Thunder need to find an eventual replacement for Kendrick Perkins, but since they used the pick received from Toronto on Russell Westbrook’s backup, they have to pick from a number of project big men with this selection. Noguiera presents an intriguing project due to his impressive length and athleticism.
30. Phoenix Suns – Brandon Davies (6’10” PF, BYU)
This looks like a huge reach right now, but Davies is slowly rising up boards. He has great size to be a PF, featuring a tremendous wingspan. He is a strong finisher in the paint, and his jump shot is improving. He could really be a steal here; he has a lot of tools to work with.
By Brian Emory and Steven Weddington
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