As June 28th moves closer, who is improving their draft stock?
Previous Mock Draft: NBA Mock Draft v 4.0
1 | Milwaukee Bucks | Jabari Parker (–), SF, Duke (6’8”, 235)
Right now for me this pick is completely between Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, and I was really torn on whom to award the edge to. Wiggins is the better defender and is more athletic, but Parker just appears to be a smoother player to me especially on the offensive end, he can score however he wishes. Ultimately you really can’t go wrong with either though.
2 | Philadelphia 76ers | Andrew Wiggins (-), SF, Kansas (6’8”, 200)
After a very solid freshman season in Lawrence, Wiggins took little time putting his name into the NBA Draft. I think he’ll immediately jump in and be one of the best defensive wings in the NBA, and he’s only going to get better on offense. You could make a very strong argument that Wiggins has the highest ceiling in the entire draft.
3 | Orlando Magic | Joel Embiid (-), C, Kansas (7’0”, 240)
The Cameroonian 7-footer had some dazzling performances for the Jayhawks this season; he boasts great athleticism and already has an advanced offensive game for such a young post player. There’s no doubt he’s still raw, but there are currently no limits to how good he can be.
4 | Utah Jazz| Dante Exum (+1), PG, Australia (6’6”, 190)
Even though Dante Exum is one of the youngest players in the draft (18-years-old), he certainly does not play like it. The lightning quick combo-guard has one of the smoothest games of any guard in this draft, and he’s almost impossible to stay in front of. The Australian is a great teammate and willing passer, he also can score in a variety of ways at the rim. Thanks to having great length Exum could also become a stout defender in the NBA. Undoubtedly the biggest concern regarding Exum is improving his shooting percentage.
5 | Boston Celtics | Julius Randle (-1), PF, Kentucky (6’9”, 250)
Trying to defend Randle is so tough, because normally he’ll be able to put it in the hoop for two or draw a foul and he’s a very good free throw shooter. Additionally Randle is also a monster on the boards, I believe he’ll be a career 20-10 guy.
6 | Los Angeles Lakers | Marcus Smart (-), PG, Oklahoma State (6’4”, 220)
As a scorer Smart has some work to do, but he’s already a monster on the defensive end as he’s a tremendous competitor. A concern is what position he’ll play at the next level; he doesn’t have ideal size for a two and he’s not a true one.
7 | Sacramento Kings | Tyler Ennis (+2), PG, Syracuse (6’2”, 180)
There could be a really good case to be made that Tyler Ennis is the most complete point guard in this draft. He lacks elite athleticism, but is a fierce competitor and smart player. He’s decent three point shooter who can make shots off the dribble as well as in catch-and-shoot situations. Ennis also turns the ball over at an low rate. His defense could use some work but he’s such an ideal point guard prospect I would be shocked if he fell out of the top-10.
8 | Detroit Pistons | Aaron Gordon (-), PF, Arizona (6’8”, 220)
Aaron Gordon is your typical young post prospect that, despite being very raw, has freakish athleticism and explosiveness that provides him with a ton of upside. Despite excelling as an athlete, Gordon’s quickness is far from elite and he’s still somewhat of a tweener who may not ever be able to bang in the post. However Gordon’s most glaring weakness is his inability to stretch and shoot the floor. So there are some reasons for concern, but Gordon is still packed with potential and will be a lottery pick.
9 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Noah Vonleh (-2), PF/C, Indiana (6’10”, 240)
Vonleh features good athleticism and an insane 7-4 wingspan that makes him a solid defender and arguably the best rebounder in this draft. While Vonleh has shown some post moves and ability to possibly make an outside jumper here and there, his offensive game still needs some work before he’ll consistently be a threat at that end in the NBA.
10 | Philadelphia 76ers | Gary Harris (-), SG, Michigan State (6’5”, 210)
While there’s not one thing he excels at, he also doesn’t have one glaring weakness either. It is concerning his shooting percentages took such a significant drop this season when asked to carry more of the load, but in the NBA he’ll probably max out as a second option on a good team or the third option on a true contending team.
11 | Denver Nuggets | Kyle Anderson (+8), PG/SG/SF, UCLA (6’9”, 230)
No player in this draft brings more versatility to the table than Kyle Anderson; he can guard four positions effectively. In addition to being able to defend and create for others, Anderson also has a variety of ways to score for himself.
12 | Orlando Magic | Doug McDermott (-), SF/PF, Creighton (6’8”, 225)
Don’t think for a second McDermott is just a one-dimensional shooter; he can post up, drive to the basket, run the floor, etc. The biggest concern revolves around his athleticism. Some scouts fear he will get burnt on defense and won’t have the same success getting to the rim against faster and more physically sound defenders.
13 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Dario Saric (+18), SF/PF, Croatia (6’10”, 225)
The Croatian excels with and without the ball and can push the floor as well as post-up. Somewhat similar to Kyle Anderson in a way, Dario Saric is considered a “point forward” which simply means he’s capable of handling and distributing the ball despite mainly playing as a forward. Like Doug McDermott, most of Saric’s red flags are centered around his athleticism and quickness, or lack thereof.
14 | Phoenix Suns | Rodney Hood (-3), SF, Duke (6’8”, 205)
Hood is a smart player and lets things come to him. Most scouts would agree that he needs to add some upper body strength, and his defensive efforts have also been questionable at times but he’s also looked very disruptive on defense on multiple occasions. If Hood can get more consistent on defense he has a strong future in the league.
15 | Atlanta Hawks | Josuf Nurkic (+1), C, Bosnia & Herzegovina (6’11”, 280)
While he’s far from a finished product Nurkic is already extremely advanced and talented to be so new to basketball. Offensively he can already score in variety of ways; he has a soft touch around the rim and is a good free throw shooter. Additionally he’s a really solid rebounder and shows a lot of energy when competing for boards. The Bosnian is not very explosive and he can be foul prone at times, he also has a bad habit of spending a lot of time arguing at refs. Add these two factors together and he’s had a REALLY hard time of staying on the floor early in his career.
16 | Chicago Bulls | Nik Stauskas (+2), SG, Michigan (6’6”, 205)
The improvement Stauskas made from his freshman to sophomore season is extremely promising as it shows he is nowhere close to reaching his full potential as a player. One of the most prominent concerns on Stauskas is that he will be too slow to create for himself in the NBA which could turn him into a one dimensional player.
17 | Boston Celtics | James Young (+6), SG/SF, Kentucky (6’7”, 200)
While shooting will be Young’s most dangerous weapon, he features outstanding length and athleticism which offer a lot of upside as an NBA defender. Additionally Young plays with loads of energy and can finish after contact. Right now Young still remains very raw, he needs to get much more consistent as a shooter and his shot-selection can be very questionable at times.
18 | Phoenix Suns | T.J Warren (-4), SF, NC State (6’7”, 220)
At the college level Warren was so big, strong and athletic he was able to get to the rim and score with ease. If Warren was a good shooter he probably would have had a decent shot at being a top-5 selection, even in a draft as loaded as this one. Unfortunately Warren has only shown signs of being mediocre as a shooter so far, but he can do so many other things exceptionally well so he has a good deal of upside.
19 | Chicago Bulls | K.J. McDaniels (-4), SF, Clemson (6’6”, 200)
McDaniels is more than ready to jump into the NBA and make an immediate impact, especially on the defensive end thanks to his terrific physical attributes. Offensively McDaniels can make you pay in a variety of ways; he can get to the rim, finish in transition, make open jumpers and get to the free throw line. He does need to be more consistent. He can get to the rim, but struggles to finish and his shot is still really hit or miss. It is promising his offense improved each season at Clemson.
20 | Toronto Raptors | Adreian Payne (-), PF, Michigan State (6’9”, 240)
Possessing really good size for a PF, Payne also brings to the table the valued trait of being able to stretch out and knockdown jumpers from the outside on a consistent basis. In addition to being a very good shooter for a big man, Payne isn’t afraid to bang down on the block and has a nice variety of post moves. One concerning stat is his rebounding numbers dropped with extended playing time. Additionally he’s not going to be able to create for his teammates efficiently and has shown poor timing as a shot blocker on defense.
21 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Jerami Grant (+1), SF, Syracuse (6’8”, 220)
Thanks to Grant’s implausible combination of size (7’2.5 wingspan!), athleticism, quickness and explosiveness he has great potential as an NBA defender. Offensively Grant still gets most of his baskets around the rim, in college he never even as much attempted to shoot a three pointer. He will have to improve his jumpshot to stick around.
22 | Memphis Grizzlies | Clint Capela (-1), PF, Switzerland (6’10”, 210)
The product out of Switzerland features a great frame and exceptional physical attributes. With long arms and huge hands, Capela shows a ton of potential defensively; he is also a pretty solid rebounder. A lot of Capela’s weaknesses seem to be coachable. He often times relies on his inconsistent jump shot too much, but he does seem to have a nice touch around the rim.
23 | Utah Jazz | P.J. Hairston (+1), SG, UNC/Texas Legends (6’5”, 225)
After being dismissed from UNC P.J. Hairston proceeded to have a good season for the Texas Legends, although his three point percentage did see a rather significant decrease from his sophomore year. However I’m not going to put too much into this, next year he won’t attract near as much attention which will lead to much better looks. At 21-years-old I could see Hairston making an early impact next year off the bench.
24 | Charlotte Bobcats | Jordan Adams (+7), SG, UCLA (6’5”, 220)
As a sophomore Adams was one of the more underrated scorers in the nation, posting 17.4 PPG while shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from behind the arch on about four attempts per game. Additionally Adams isn’t afraid take it hard to the rim; he has a very impressive overall scoring arsenal. While he is primarily a scorer Adams is also a more than willing passer and a great competitor. Some of his red flags include his average-at-best athleticism and quickness.
25 | Houston Rockets | Zach LaVine (+4), PG/SG, UCLA (6’5”, 180)
Early in his career LaVine has already displayed his elite quickness and explosiveness which give him great potential as a creator and he’s also shown some signs that he’s not a bad shooter. Like so many other young players however, LaVine needs to get more consistent, and must improve his basketball IQ. Also he’s going to have to add some upper body strength, he’s terrible in contact situations and that’s an understatement.
26 | Miami Heat |Bogdan Bogdanovic (+5), SG, Serbia (6’6”, 205)
The run on shooting guards continues here, Bogdan Bogdanovic is yet another prospect in this loaded draft that I’m really starting to like. For starters he has great size with the ability to guard either guard position or small forward. One great luxury Bogdanovic offers comes in the form of ball-handling. This year for his team Bogdanovic took on the role of being the secondary ball-handler and showed that he is an outstanding facilitator. While Bogdanovic isn’t a bad shooter (34 percent in Adriatic League, 37 percent in Euro league) he’s still probably most dangerous when it comes to slashing to the rim where he excels at drawing contact. The primary concern with Bogdanovic is his lack of elite athleticism and explosiveness, because of this he really struggles to create his own shot.
27 | Phoenix Suns | Elfrid Payton (-1), PG, Louisiana-Lafayette (6’3”, 190)
The 21-year-old possesses great size and quickness which made him a lethal scorer at the collegiate level. Thanks to a deadly first step, Payton was sometimes impossible to defend for opposing Sun-Belt defenders. On the defensive end Payton knows how to use his size and length to his advantage; he’s a really good defender. While Payton did score a ton in college, his shot needs to get more consistent and he needs to continue to work on cutting down the turnovers.
28 | Los Angeles Clippers | Cleanthony Early (-3), SF/PF, Wichita State (6’8”, 220)
Out of Wichita State Cleanthony Early is a combo-forward that can score in a variety of ways. He can stretch the floor, and on about five attempts per game Early shot a respectable 37.5 percent from three. Additionally Early has great athleticism, explosiveness and quickness which he uses to be a great finisher around the rim. As a slasher Early is deadly and he shoots an extremely efficient 85 percent from the free throw stripe. Since he was mainly used as a power forward in college, Early’s ball-handling and attack are going to have to improve in the NBA if he wants to play a good bit of small forward. Don’t be surprised if he has a lot of problems defending opposing NBA power forwards, so he still kind of comes off as a tweener at this point.
29 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Shabazz Napier (+2), PG, UConn (6’1”, 180)
After one of the most improbable championship runs in NCAA Tournament history Shabazz Napier played his way from the middle of the second round to the end of the first. Napier simply makes plays when it counts, and he could be deadly leading an NBA bench in the future. Napier is a fearless competitor who’s a ball-dominant point guard that, despite being streaky, is a quick scorer who can put the ball in the hoop in a variety of ways. There are some concerns with Napier’s size and athleticism which lead to worries about his potential as a defensive player.
30 | San Antonio Spurs | Semaj Christon (-3), PG, Xavier (6’3”, 190)
Christon is a big, explosive, athletic and quick point guard who is a great finisher and can make some great passes. On offense Christon is very aggressive which leads to a lot of trips to the free throw line. Where Christon still needs to really improve is his decision making and jump shot.
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