There is a lot of speculation around this year’s draft. Although the number 1 pick has been linked mostly to Nerlens Noel, there isn’t a clear number 1 pick. There isn’t one guy who is a guaranteed star.
With so much speculation on who is going where, there are also some rumors going around that bring up the question: who will pick where? There will be trades come draft time. I would be surprised if there are zero trades among this year’s lottery teams.
That being said, here is my mock draft for this year, assuming every team keeps their own pick.
Lottery Picks
1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Nerlens Noel – I don’t think they are completely sold on him. Neither is anyone else. Cleveland will take him if they keep the pick. I wouldn’t.
2. Orlando Magic: Victor Oladipo – I had Ben McLemore here for a while. He came into workouts looking out of shape so he drops a bit. I have seen some buzz around the Magic moving down in the draft. No matter who picks here, I see them taking Oladipo if Noel in fact goes 1. Oladipo is a much improved scorer and has tremendous defensive tenacity.
3. Washington Wizards: Otto Porter – Unless they make a trade for Luol Deng, this will be their pick. A solid one at that. He is very long and athletic. This helps him to be the great player he is on both ends of the floor.
4. Charlotte Bobcats – Ben McLemore – I was a fan of his. But how do you pull a Raymond Felton and come in out of shape? Okay, maybe he wasn’t THAT out of shape. He still has great scoring potential. I think people sometimes mistake his patience for hesitancy. He has great patience on the floor. He knows how to score and when to attack.
5. Phoenix Suns: Alex Len – Len has been shooting up in the order of mock drafts lately, even without a single workout. An injury to his wrist has prevented him from participating, but he has interviewed for a majority of the lottery teams and it seems that scouts and NBA executives are high on him.
6. New Orleans Pelicans: Anthony Bennett – Bennett would be a nice fit with New Orleans. He can do a little bit of everything as a power forward. However, he is stuck in a small forwards body. If he can use his strength to match-up with the league’s premier power forwards he should be in line for a solid career.
7. Sacramento Kings: Trey Burke – At the 6th pick, the Kings do not want to miss out on another potential star point guard (they passed on Damian Lillard with the 5th pick last year). The difference in this year’s top point guard is that he lacks the court vision and poise of Lillard. He has the scoring ability, the range, and the confidence to succeed. Look out Tyreke Evans.
8. Detroit Pistons: Shabazz Muhammad – A few people have C.J. McCollum here. The Pistons already have enough 1-2 combo guards. Shabazz can play the 3, but will likely move to shooting guard as an NBA player. The pistons need a wing player. I think he is their best fit.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves: C.J. McCollum – A four year guard from a small school. His story is similar to Lillard. The T-Wolves will look to add a perimeter scorer and McCollum can fill the void.
10. Portland Trail Blazers: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – Just what Portland is looking for. He can defend, shoot, and get out and score on the break. He should be the perfect player to add depth to a rather shallow roster.
11. Philadelphia 76ers: Cody Zeller – Returning to school looks like it has hurt his draft value. He will most likely be a lottery pick, but last year he was looking like a top-5 talent. The emergence of Oladipo is partially in fault of the recent slide. Zeller is still a great talent – the best Zeller brother by far. Playing at power forward will suit him best.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder: Steven Adams – I believe Kendrick Perkins’ days are over in OKC. They will be looking for a new center in the draft and/or possibly through trades.
13. Dallas Mavericks: Michael Carter-Williams – Darren Collison hasn’t solidified himself as the starter in Dallas. This summer Dallas could be looking for a replacement. Carter-Williams reminds me of Kendall Marshall, who I think they would have took if he fell to them last year.
14. Utah Jazz: Kelly Olynyk – Not sure about his workout with Utah, but Olynyk had a good one with Portland. He is another guy that can do a little bit of everything. This could be a result of his unusual growth spurt where he reportedly grew seven inches during his junior year of high school.
Rest of the First Round
15. Milwaukee Bucks: Sergey Karasev
16. Boston Celtics: Shane Larkin
17. Atlanta Hawks: Gorgui Dieng
18. Atlanta Hawks: Jamaal Franklin
19. Cleveland Cavaliers: Reggie Bullock
20. Chicago Bulls: Rudy Gobert
21. Utah Jazz: Dennis Schroeder
22. Brooklyn Nets: Mason Plumlee
23. Indiana Pacers: Tony Mitchell
24. New York Knicks: Lucas Nogueira
25. Los Angeles Clippers: Allen Crabbe
26. Minnesota Timberwolves: Tim Hardaway Jr.
27. Denver Nuggets: Giannis Adetokunbo
28. San Antonio Spurs: Tony Snell
29. Oklahoma City Thunder: Lorenzo Brown
30. Phoenix Suns: Archie Goodwin
NBA Draft: June 27, 2013. Coverage starts at 4:00 PM PT on ESPN
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