NBA Mock Draft: The Staff Picks

Where are the top prospects in the world going tonight in the NBA Draft? The Lottery Mafia staff breaks it down:

The NBA Draft is mere hours away, and players are already arriving at the green room to await the commissioner’s call. Who is each team going to pick? Our staff here at The Lottery Mafia takes a crack at predicting the lottery, starting with Philadealphia on the clock at #1:

1. Philadelphia – Ben Simmons. Simmons possesses the type of all-around talent and vertsatility that make him hard to pass up on. He’s one of the few prospects in this draft with star potential, and the 76ers need a star.

2. Los Angeles – Brandon Ingram. The Lakers might have targeted Ingram at No. 1 anyway, so it will be no surprise to hear his name called after Ben Simmons. Ingram will immediately slide into a starting role, taking the retired Kobe Bryant’s place in the lineup from day one.

3. Boston Celtics – Dragan Bender. The Celtics have guards galore with Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart, and Boston might be wise to swing for a big man with two-way star potential. At 18, Bender possesses plenty of upside, and his comfortability along the perimeter as a shooter and passer makes it too tough to pass on him at No. 3 overall.

4. Phoenix Suns – Marquese Chriss. In desperate need of a forward, Chriss fits the bill as a high-potential forward that can play both the three and the four. As the positionless trend continues in the NBA, taking a chance on a high-risk, high-reward option like Chriss could pay off. In need of a home run with this draft pick, Ryan McDonough swings for the fences on a potential star. Jamal Murray and Kris Dunn could also be in play.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves – Kris Dunn. The guy Minnesota is hoping falls to them here is Dragan Bender, who would fit their needs for a stretch-4 perfectly while providing the defensive potential to fit perfectly in Thibodeau’s scheme. With Bender gone, the choice is between Dunn and Jamal Murray. I think Thibodeau will be in love with what current point guard Ricky Rubio brings to the table on both sides of the ball, so he won’t be looking to move Rubio as the past regime was. But this pick is just as much for a trade asset as a rotation player, and Dunn is more attractive to the rest of the league than Murray, whose shooting may fit the Timberwolves’ needs a bit more than Dunn.

6. New Orleans – Jamal Murray. The Pelicans aren’t in love with their draft slot and need help right away. They are losing daylight with Anthony Davis and want to compete as soon as possible. Since Chriss was pulled off the board either way too early or too late, depending on what you believe he will be, New Orleans has the luxury of Murray, Buddy Hield and Jaylen Brown. With so many options for their bac court, it probably comes down to Murray who “shouldn’t” still be available or Buddy. While both players are tantalizing prospects, Murray offers a little more upside and the Pelicans will value that because they need help for Davis now, over the next few years and a guy under team control with great prospects should The Brow abandon them in free agency in a few years when his current deal expires.

7. Denver – Buddy Hield. The Nuggets need to add as much perimeter shooting as possible (especially if Emmanuel Mudiay is the long-term plan at point guard), and Hield fills that void in spades. Furkan Korkmaz could get a look here as well, but Buddy seems like a good bet to land in Colorado should he still be available at no. 7.

8. Sacramento – Dejounte Murray. The Kings need help at essentially every position except for center. Demarcus Cousins has that on lock. With McLemore and Belinelli under team control for two more seasons and Darren Collison on an expiring contract next season, it would seem that point guard is a more immediate need. The Kings are looking for athleticism, defense, and passing to replace the irreplaceable Rondo. Dejounte Murray could fill that role. At 6-5 with a 6-11 wingspan, Murray has the size to be a nuisance defensively at the point, as well as guard twos if needed. He’s a tenacious rebounder for a point guard and can be a crafty passer. He has a knack for penetrating the paint, which should help create space for McLemore, Belinelli, and Gay. His shooting is the major hole in his game, but new Head Coach Dave Joerger would love a player like Murray to lead his defense.

9. Toronto – Henry Ellenson. Domantas Sabonis, Henry Ellenson, Deyonta Davis, and Skal Labissiere might as well be names in a hat drawn at random. All four fit the bill for a missing power forward with different combinations of what the Raptors are searching for. Sabonis is physical down low and is a talented passer, Davis is an athletic shot-blocker and rebounder with range, Ellenson is basically an offensive talent all the way out to the three-point line, and Labissiere has a little bit of everything. I think Labisierre is a bit of a risk here, though he might be the best shooter of the group. Although Sabonis didn’t shoot much from three in college, he had a great pro day in Los Angeles and looks to have at least a solid stroke from deep. Ellenson is one of the best stretch fours in this draft though, so it’s a hard choice between the two as the Raptors are clearly looking for some mid-range and outside scoring considering nobody besides James Johnson shot better than .333 from beyond the arc in the regular season on the current roster. Ultimately, I’d give the slight nod to Ellenson based on the way the NBA has transitioned to a three-heavy league.

10. Milwaukee – Jakob Poetl. The Bucks slid out of the playoffs last year in part because of a major defensive drop-off. Jabari Parker and Greg Monroe helped the Bucks score, but as a frontcourt could not protect the rim. Poetl would give them rim protection and pick-and-roll coverage, as well as elite rebounding and touch around the basket. There is concern about his ability to hold up in the post against physical opponents, but the bigs currently on the roster aren’t going to do any better. This is a great spot to take the top center in the draft.

11. Orlando – Skal Labissiere. Orlando will be pushing for the playoffs next season, but Labissiere’s potential would be hard to pass up. If they let him develop, he could become a great player to pair or back up with Nikola Vucevic.

12. Atlanta – Furkan Korkmaz. The Hawks seem intentional. They bothered to trade Jeff Teague and land the No. 12 pick in return. Al Horford is also liking on the way out and Kyle Korver is the grandpa on this squad at the age of 35. Atlanta will be thin at a number of positions and they will have plenty to choose from. I’m unreasonably high on Denzel Valentine for pretty much every team between the No. 12 and No. 25 picks, but there is also Wade Baldwin, Timothe Luwawu and Furkan Korkmaz. Korkmaz is the pick. Atlanta loves players who can score from outside, just like the rest of the league, and Korkmaz is arguably better at it than anyone else in the entire draft. If his ability to create off the dribble continues to evolve, this is a steal for the Hawks.

13. Phoenix – Jaylen Brown. The Suns are in need of help on the wing, and Brown can step in immediately ad a defensive stopper and offensive slasher. The spacing the Suns have in their offense should free Brown up more than the 5 non-shooters Cal put together. Brown falls here because his advanced stats look terrible due to a lackluster freshman year, but his talent is high enough that he won’t fall past 13.

14. Chicago – Wade Baldwin. While Baldwin is a bit of a reach on our board at 14, the Bulls seem locked in to take the Vanderbilt product to finish up the lottery. After dealing Derrick Rose on Wednesday, Chicago is in need of a point guard to compete with newly acquired Jerian Grant. Baldwin is an above-average shooter with decent pace and mechanics, and he possesses one of the largest height to wingspan differentials in the draft. He could be a plug and play option in Fred Hoiberg’s spread offense.