What If The Top Eight Weren’t The Top Eight?

The “top prospects” in tonight’s draft are set, but what if that wasn’t the case? Who might the top teams consider if they couldn’t pick the top guys?

There are three things we think we know about this year’s NBA Draft. First, there are two prospects that are on another level than the rest – Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram. They are both reported to be going with the top two picks in the draft. After that, there are another six players that make up the “second tier” – Kris Dunn, Jamal Murray, Dragan Bender, Jaylen Brown, Marquese Chriss, and Buddy Hield. Most draft prognosticators think those players will round out the top eight picks in the draft, including TLM’s Zachary Reynolds.

Since the start of the draft process only one or two players have been in the mix for Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Boston has always been connected to a small handful of players. Phoenix needs a forward, and has had only a couple of players deemed good enough for consideration.

But what if the top eight teams couldn’t pick those top eight players? That is, what if Woj or Marc Stein suddenly reported that the top eight picks in the draft were deemed ineligible, or were boycotting the NBA? What if some team in China offered each $25 million to play overseas for the next year? Who would those teams take?

Hence this thought exercise. The draft order is the same, but the top eight prospects are suddenly not able to be picked. Who does each team select? That starts with a Philadelphia team desperately in need of a point guard.

Philadelphia – Dejounte Murray. The 76ers are in more of a “win now” mode than they were the last few seasons under Sam Hinkie’s guidance, but they won’t pass up on the best player available at their position of need. Murray is raw, but he is dynamic, and could develop into a top-15 starting point guard in the league. That’s the kind of player the 76ers need.

Los Angeles – Jakob Poeltl. What the Lakers most need is a dynamic scoring wing, and Ingram would have been a perfect fit. But with him off the board, the Lakers instead address their hole at center. Poetl can defend the rim and make up for the defensive weaknesses of Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell, and has some versatility in his game that may remind Lakers fans of a young Andrew Bynum.

Boston – Henry Ellenson. The Celtics can use shooting and bodies in the frontcourt, and Ellenson fits both needs. He provides an immediate upgrade on offense over Jonas Jerebko, and would have a multitude of open looks in Brad Stevens’ offense. Ellenson, as a “stretch-4” is also imminently tradeable if Boston was putting together a package. Denzel Valentine as a replacement for Evan Turner’s role would also get a look here.

Phoenix – Furkan Korkmaz. Phoenix goes with a scoring wing who can slot in immediately alongside Devin Booker and whichever point guard the Suns decide to keep. He can hit shots from all over the court and is the best of the remaining European prospects; if he stays in Europe for another year it wouldn’t kill the Suns on their timetable.

Minnesota – Domantas Sabonis. Tom Thibodeau likes toughness, effort, and two-way players. The big man out of Gonzaga brings all of those things to the table, and more. He can rebound, score out to 18 feet (and possibly further), and absolutely attacks players trying to guard him in the post. He’s Thibs’ kind of player, and he would be versatile enough to play the 4 with Towns or Dieng, while even sliding to the 5 on bench units with Shabazz Muhammad as a small-ball 4.

New Orleans – Wade Baldwin IV. Baldwin is a top-notch shooter as a guard, and his length (6’11” wingspan) allow him to play alongside a PG like Jrue Holiday or Tyreke Evans, or even both. He would give the Pelicans options in their backcourt rotation, as well as spacing the floor around Anthony Davis pick-and-rolls. He is a tenacious defender who would help a team that has struggled to find anyone other than Holiday to defend opposing backcourts.

Denver – Timothe Luwawu. The French wing can shoot, pass, drive, and defend – at least theoretically. Many scouts have their doubts about whether he could do all – or any – of those things at the professional level. Others have him pushing into the top-8 of the draft (with every player available). His upside is high, and he fits both need and value for the Nuggets at #7.

Sacramento – Malachi Richardson. The Kings are always a wild card, because they have a comparatively small scouting department and an affinity for falling in love with certain players. Richardson played in the Final Four, has elite measurables, and enough upside that the Kings will likely squint and see the next Kobe Bryant. They take him over guys like Valentine and Labissiere here.