NBA Mock Draft
All Eyes Focus on Philadelphia, as Thursday's NBA Draft Approaches....
The NBA Draft is less than 6 hours away, and we've already had a pair of blockbuster deals. The eve of the draft began, with the Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, and Utah Jazz agreeing to a three-team deal that will send point guard Jeff Teague to Indiana, combo-guard George Hill to Utah, and the 12th overall pick in tonight's draft to Atlanta. As the draft draws closer, more chaos is expected. Everything will begin with the Philadelphia 76ers, who possess the 1st overall pick.
1.) Philadelphia 76ers- Ben Simmons [PF/LSU]
This pick has been an almost no-brainer for the longest time. Simmons has been viewed as the most talented prospect in this draft, and has even been called a "generational talent" at times. To a point this is true. There's a caveat here, though. Simmons work ethic has been brought into question recently, and could prove to be a problem. This pick is a very-high risk, very-high reward type of selection.
2.) Los Angeles Lakers- Brandon Ingram [SF/Duke]
Man, the Lakers tried...they really did. They tried to trade this selection for a bonafide superstar, but nobody would bite. So, they instead opt to add yet another young piece to their core of players, with the addition of the former sharpshooting Blue Devil. Ingram shot 44% from the field last season with the Blue Devils, but shot a very solid 41% from beyond the arc. Pairing Ingram with the young duo of Julius Randle and D'Angelo Russell could easily help the Lakers transition to life post-Kobe. Well, not factoring in L.A.'s anticipated free-agent frenzy.
MOCK TRADE: Philadelphia 76ers trade Nerlens Noel, #26 overall to Boston for #3 overall
3.) Philadelphia 76ers [via Boston]- Kris Dunn (G/Providence)
The Sixers find themselves back up at the podium, after making a blockbuster deal to send Nerlens Noel to Boston for the third overall pick. With this pick, they capitalize once again, by grabbing Kris Dunn out of Providence. Dunn has proven to be effective in multiple facets of the game, including ball-handling, and scoring. This would make him the perfect addition for the Sixers, who are also reportedly looking to acquire a veteran point guard.
4.) Phoenix Suns- Jaylon Brown (SF/California)
It's been said that not only is Jaylon Brown a talented player on the court, but a very smart player too. One scout even said that Brown's intelligence could be "intimidating" to organizations, allowing him to slide. I don't see how he slides past the Suns, though. Phoenix needs help, and badly. Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight are both very talented, but they're both injury-prone. The Suns can't fully rely on Bledsoe and Knight, without some form of a backup plan. Pairing Brown with young upstart Devin Booker would be just that backup plan.
5.) Minnesota Timberwolves- Jamal Murray (G/Kentucky)
The Timberwolves are an upstart team, with a bright future. Karl-Anthony Towns is clearly the centerpiece, while Andrew Wiggins and Gorgui Dieng have established themselves as a solid supporting cast. The only question has been about who will run the point? Will it be Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine, or the #5 overall pick in this draft? Some peg Murray as Minnesota's new starting PG, but I'm going to put him alongside Rubio. Murray is young, and can score. But, the rest of his game needs some work. He'd be perfect to slide in between Rubio at the point, and Wiggins at the 3. This move could make Minny a sleeper next season.
6.) New Orleans Pelicans- Buddy Hield (SG/Oklahoma)
The Pelicans' back-court needs help. Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon are constantly hurt, while Jrue Holiday is no stranger to injuries himself. Hield finished sixth in the country, shooting 47.5% from beyond the arc last season. As a whole last season, the 22-year old averaged 25.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 2.0 APG.
7.) Denver Nuggets- Dragan Bender (PF/Croatia)
The Nuggets get the first "steal" of the draft, in Bender. Standing at 7'1, 225 lbs, Bender has all of the physical tools to be a stud in the NBA. It's just a matter of him putting them all together. However, he only averaged about 12 minutes per game last season, in only three starts. While Bender's ceiling is pretty high, there's questions about his ability to transition to the NBA-style. At 18-years old, he's got plenty of time to make that transition. The only question remains: Will he?
8.) Sacramento Kings- Marquese Chriss (PF/Washington)
Chriss really skyrocketed up draft boards, recently. He started out as a mid-1st round pick, but jumped into top-10 discussion, before landing in top-5 consideration. One executive described him by saying, "He's got some Amar'e (Stoudemire), some Shawn Kemp." While that's a nice pair of comparisons, his lack of a rebounding presence, and frequent foul-out ability will make it hard for a team to invest a top-5 pick in him.
9.) Toronto Raptors- Jakob Poeltl (C/Utah)
"The poor man's Pau Gasol." Those were the words used by one executive, to describe Poeltl. He's got a good feel for the game, solid passing skills, and an ability to play inside. It's said that he's been working on becoming a better scorer, and has been described as the kind of guy to put in the time & effort to become better. He would be a good compliment to Jonas Valenciunas.
10.) Milwaukee Bucks- Skal Labbissiere (PF-C/Kentucky)
Rounding out our top 10, is another Kentucky player. When Labbissiere began the season at Kentucky, he was viewed as the second-best prospect, at worst. How did he fall this far? Well, a bad start to the season caused his draft stock to free fall. Skal's talent has never been in question, but his heart has been. One exec was quoted as saying "Does he love to play? That's the question." Interesting pick here, for the Bucks.
11.) Orlando Magic- Henry Ellenson (C/Marquette)
12.) Atlanta Hawks [via Utah]- Denzel Valentine (SG-SF/Michigan State)
13.) Phoenix Suns- Malachai Richardson (SG/Syracuse)
14.) Chicago Bulls- Demetrious Jackson (PG/Notre Dame)
15.) Denver Nuggets- Timothe Luwawu (SG-SF/Serbia)
16.) Boston Celtics- Deyonta Davis (PF/Michigan State)
17.) Memphis Grizzlies- Wade Baldwin IV (PG/Vanderbilt)
18.) Detroit Pistons- Furkan Korkmaz (SG/Turkey)
19.) Denver Nuggets- Domantas Sabonis (PF/Gonzaga)
20.) Indiana Pacers- Taureran Prince (SF/Baylor)
21.) Atlanta Hawks- Malcolm Brogdon (SG/Virginia)
22.) Charlotte Hornets- Damian Jones (C/Vanderbilt)
23.) Boston Celtics- Malik Beasley (SG/Florida State)
24.) Philadelphia 76ers- De'Andre Bembry (SG-SF/St.Joseph's)
25.) Los Angeles Clippers- Diamond Stone (C/Maryland)
26.) Boston Celtics [via Philadelphia]- Ivica Zubac (C/Croatia)
27.) Toronto Raptors- Stephen Zimmerman (C/UNLV)
28.) Phoenix Suns- Chieck Diallo (PF/Kansas)
29.) San Antonio Spurs- Brice Johnson (PF/North Carolina)
30.) Golden State Warriors- Juan Hernangomez (F/Spain)
