Here we are again, NBA Draft Day! This is one of my favorite days of the year. This year tends to be a little more anti-climactic because of the lack of draft picks here in Rip City. Portland is a team that builds around the draft picks and they have done a fairly good job at that recently but this year is a little different. Without a pick the team will look on as other teams add young pieces to their roster. Or … there may be some excitement in the second round. Paul Allen loves the draft and would love to get into the draft.
There is so many questions surrounding this draft. Injuries of Joel Embiid and Julius Randle have shaken things up at the top of the draft. Rumors surrounding teams such as Utah and Miami wanting to trade up, and teams like Philadelphia and Phoenix open to trading first round picks. But as of yet, there has been no movement. All of this could make Draft night a little more interesting.
For my purposes in this Mock Draft, I will be using the original draft order. I do believe that there will be trades that shake up the top half of the draft, which teams will move around is still to be seen. Here we go with my 2014 NBA Lottery Mock Draft …
1. Cleveland Cavaliers – Jabari Parker, SF, University of Duke
Parker is the safe pick here. After last year’s catastrophe of drafting Anthony Bennett with the 1st pick, the Cavs actually go with the most NBA ready player in the draft in Parker. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if this pick was traded. I know that Utah has coveted Parker since he was in high school. With 3 picks in the Top 35, Derrick Favors, and Alec Burks, there may be some legs to a trade on draft night so the Jazz could move up and draft Parker. But if the pick stays in Cleveland’s hands, Parker should be there man.
2. Milwaukie Bucks – Andrew Wiggins, SF, University of Kansas
Milwaukie might be in the best position of the entire draft. Cleveland is bound to get criticized no matter what they do. If Philadelphia takes a chance on an injured Embiid, they will also criticized. At pick number 2, Milwaukie, can sit back and see which of the two wing superstars falls to them. Wiggins has incredible upside and will be a fantastic superstar in the NBA. The difference between Parker and Wiggins is that Parker will step in day one and score 18 points a game, Wiggins may take a couple years to round into form in the NBA game.
3. Philadelphia 76ers – Joel Embiid, C, University of Kansas
Before his injury and subsequent surgery, Embiid was seen as the number one pick. Because of his injury he falls, but to pick 3 and the 76ers. Because of the track-record of banged up big men, a lot of teams may be worried to take a player such as Embiid so early in the draft. The Sixers are in a completely different position than a lot of other teams, they are looking at a 3 to 5 year plan and not worried about makng a playoff run right away. That is why Embiid makes such perfect sense for the 76ers.
4. Orlando Magic – Dante Exum, PG, Australia
The Magic’s biggest position of need is the point guard position. Jameer Nelson is past his prime and Victor Oladipo is much better playing off the ball and focusing on his defense. Adding a young, long, athletic point guard like Exum is just what the team needs. Exum is the mystery man in this draft and a lot of people are unsure what all he brings to the table. I was at the Nike Hoop Summit a year ago and Exum is the real deal. He was on the same court as Parker, Wiggins, Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon, etc. and Exum was the best player on the court that day.
5. Utah Jazz – Noah Vonleh, PF, University of Indiana
This is the player in the lottery that I am most unsure about. I think the hype surrounding Vonleh is a little overblown. The only reason that I put him here at, #5 is because there are so many people that have Vonleh landing at 5 to the Jazz. It is an overwhelming consensus pick among the top Mock Drafts. I’m not quite sure where Vonleh fits in with the Jazz unless they move Favors to Center full time and designate Enes Kanter as their bench big.
6. Boston Celtics – Aaron Gordon, PF, University of Arizona
The Boston Celtics are starting over at ground zero with building their roster. General Manager Danny Ainge took a leap of faith when he traded away future hall of famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. The Celtics have Rajon Rondo as their main building block at this point and have ambitions of acquiring another superstar. Until then, Gordon would be a perfect fit. Defensively, Gordon is one of the best in the draft. Offensively, he has a lot of work to do. Gordon has been called the next Blake Griffin because he is stupid athletic and plays a very vertical game. Gordon can bring some star power back to the C’s.
7. Los Angeles Lakers – Julius Randle, PF, University of Kentucky
The Lakers find themselves in the same position as the Celtics, without a ton of identity and not many building blocks. Kobe Bryant is obviously one of the best players to ever play the game, but he is aging and coming back from major injuries. The Lakers need some star power that has some staying power in L.A. Randle comes in as probably the most solid power forwards in the draft. He has some injury concerns but if he can stay healthy, he can be a mainstay in Los Angeles for years.
8. Sacramento Kings – Marcus Smart, PG, Oklahoma State University
There are questions is Sacramento about the point guard position. Isaiah Thomas has shown to be a very good starting point guard in this league but enters free agency this summer. Even if he comes back, Smart would be well suited to come in as one of the first guys off the bench for the Kings. He could play on or off the ball and has a very NBA-ready body. Along with an NBA-ready body, he has a chip on his shoulder and is ready to compete. He would fit the Sacramento run and gun culture.
9. Charlotte Hornets – Elfrid Payton, PG, University of Louisiana Lafayette
Payton is the name that has been sky-rocketing up draft boards. He and Zach LaVine have really been the two to climb the most throughout the combine and draft workout process. Payton is an athletic defender that can be a very good backup point guard right away for the Hornets and has potential to improve. The Hornets have to draft either a shooter or a backup point guard and I think they go Payton if he is available.
10. Philadelphia 76ers – Nick Stauskas, SG, University of Michigan
Out of all the players coming into this draft, Stauskas may be the best shooter. He is a player that has played on some of the biggest stages at Michigan and really shined. At this point in his development he is pretty limited in a lot of aspects of his game but he can really shoot the ball. After gambling with Embiid with the 3rd pick, the Sixers draft Stauskas to come in and contribute right away.
11. Denver Nuggets – Gary Harris, SG, Michigan State University
This is one of my players in the entire draft. Harris is capable of coming in and starting in the NBA right away. There are only a handful of legitimate NBA starters that come out of the draft every year, Harris is going to be one of them this year. He is versatile, big, and can shoot the ball. He is one of the best defensive wings in the draft. I really think he is a shooting guard but is capable of handling some of the ball handling responsibilities. I value him higher than the 11th pick but think Denver is the perfect fit for him.
12. Orlando Magic – Dario Saric, SF/PF, Croatia
Orlando was able to snag their point guard for the future in Exum with the 4th pick and now they take a little bit of a chance with Croatian forward Saric. The major downside of picking Saric is that he just resigned with his foreign team for another year and will be unavailable for NBA play until at least 2015-2016. This will deter some teams from a player who was once thought of as an automatic top 10 pick. Orlando seems like a good landing spot for him.
13. Minnesota Timberwolves – Doug McDermott, SF, Creighton University
Minnesota needs a shooter and Minnesota needs a small forward. It just so happens the McDermott fits both roles. Now the big question is, can McDermott adjust to the NBA game and be affective? The main questions about McDermott revolve around his defensive game. Is he fast enough to guard small forwards? Is he big enough to guard power forwards? If he can’t figure it out defensively, he will get pigeonholed as a bench shooter such as a Kyle Korver.
14. Phoenix Suns – Zach LaVine, SG, University of California Los Angeles
LaVine was practically unknown until the after the draft process began. During a pre-draft workout he jumped a ridiculous 46-inch vertical. That, along with some very good workouts demonstrating his athleticism is what has shot him up draft boards. If he can play basketball even half as good as he can run and jump, he will fit in very well with the Suns. The Suns are a young, fast and athletic team that has real potential in the next 3-5 years to make some big strides towards being a contender.
There you have it, the 2014 NBA Draft Lottery. When the bell rings and the draft begins, there is no saying what happens and who lands where. Trades, acquisitions and surprises are almost a certainty. That is what makes the draft so entertaining year in and year out.
And now onto my prediction for the home team, the Portland Trail Blazers.
I think that the Blazers find a way to jump into the second round to bring in a player to compete with the existing roster. For players such as Meyers Leonard, Will Barton and Allen Crabbe to take the next step in their progression there needs to be some motivation within the organization. Bringing in a young player can really do that. Some names to keep an eye on in the second round are Cleanthony Early, Patric Young, Nick Johnson, and Jordan Bachynski.
Links to Garrett Thornton’s NBA Draft preview columns:
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
