2017 DBR Mock Draft - it's a wrap!

[JasonEvans]

And we are off to the races!! [edit: we're done! if you weren't following along, feel free to see how it played out!]

The 2017 DBR Mock Draft has begun. As a reminder, here are the clock rules.
Mon-Fri between 8am and 8pm ET, the clock is 2 hours.
Sat and Sun, the clock is 5 hours between 8am and 8pm ET (to allow for people who have activities away from the computer on weekends).
If you fail to pick when the clock runs out, I will pick for you by selecting the best available player from NBADraft.net and DraftExpress.

As always, you are encouraged to post not only your pick, but your rationale for selecting that player as well as how he fits into your team's needs.

Here is the draft:

Round 1

Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
Philadelphia - Gooch: Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas
Phoenix - pfrduke: De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Jayson Tatum, F Duke
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky
Minnesota - drummerdevil: Jonathan Isaac, F, FSU
New York - Ichabod Drain: Dennis Smith, PG, NC State
Dallas - brevity: Frank Ntilikina, PG, Belgium
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona
Charlotte - mattman91: Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga
Detroit - BD80: Luke Kennard, SG, Duke
Denver NSDukeFan: Harry Giles, PF, Duke
Miami - Newton 14: John Collins, PF/C, Wake Forest
Portland - Henderson: TJ Leaf, PF UCLA
Chicago - atoomer0881: Terrance Ferguson, SG, Australia
Milwaukee - kAzE: Donovan Mitchell, SG, Lousiville
Indiana - Edouble: Dwayne Bacon, SG/SF FSU
Atlanta - Jason Evans: OG Anunoby, SF Indiana
Portland - Henderson: Jonathan Jeanne, PF Guadaloupe
Oklahoma Cty - Dev11: Justin Jackson, SF, UNCheat
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Tyler Dorsey, SG, Oregon
Toronto - Nrrrrvous: Semi Ojeleye, SF/PF, SMU
Utah - Furniture: Bam Bam Adebayo, PF, Kentucky
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Frank Jackson, PG, Duke
Portland - Henderson: Isaiah Hartenstein, PF/C, Germany
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Tyler Lydon, F, Syracuse
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Justin Patton, C, Creighton
San Antonio - JNort: Josh Hart, SG, Villanova
Utah - Furniture: Jordan Bell, PF, Oregon

Round 2

Atlanta - Jason Evans: Jarrett Allen, C, Texas
Phoenix - pfrduke: Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Tony Bradley, PF, UNCheat
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Frank Mason, PG, Kansas
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Ivan Rabb, PF/C, Cal
Philadelphia - Gooch: Derrick White, SG, Colorado
Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Caleb Swanigan, PF, Purdue
Chicago - atoomer0881: Jonathan Motley, PF, Baylor
Philadelphia - Gooch: DJ Wilson, PF, Michigan
New Orleans - awhom111: Dillon Brooks, SF, Oregon
Charlotte - mattman91: Juwon Evans, PG, Oklahoma St
Utah - Furniture: Alec Peters, PF, Valparaiso
Houston - duketaylor: Thomas Bryant, PF/C, Indiana
New York - Ichabod Drain: Sindarius Thornwell, SF, South Carolina
Houston - duketaylor: Mattias Lessort, PF, France
Philadelphia - Gooch: Anzejs Pasecniks, C, Latvia
Indiana - Edouble: Jaron Blossomgame, SF, Clemson
Milwaukee - kAzE: Kyle Kuzma, PF, Utah
Denver - NSDukeFan: PJ Dozier, SG, South Carolina
Philadelphia - Gooch: LJ Peak, SG, Georgetown
Denver - NSDukeFan: Jonah Bolden, PF, Australia/UCLA
Washington - jjredickrules: Monte Morris, PG, Iowa State
Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Kobi Simmons, PG, Arizona
Phoenix - pfrduke: Cam Oliver, PF, Nevada
Utah - Furniture: Amile Jefferson, PF, Duke
Boston - flyingdutchdevil: London Perrantes, PG, Virginia
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Devin Robinson, SF, Florida
New York - Ichabod Drain: Vlatko Čančar, SF, Slovenia
San Antonio - JNort: Alpha Kaba, PF, France
Atlanta - Jason Evans: Edmond Sumner, PG, Xavier


-Jason "Th-th-that's all, folks" Evans

[drummerdevil]

The Fultz? The Tatum is in his court. Tatum should legitimately be the first pick, not just because he's a Dukie. The Celtics are in win now mode, and he's one of the only NBA ready prospects. Plus, they already have a point guard who needs the ball and is, dare I say, better.

[kAzE]

The Fultz? The Tatum is in his court. Tatum should legitimately be the first pick, not just because he's a Dukie. The Celtics are in get to the finals and get obliterated by the Warriors (but probably still not get to the finals because LeBron) mode, and he's one of the only NBA ready prospects. Plus, they already have a point guard who needs the ball and is, dare I say, better.

FIFY.

Also, if the Celtics really ask themselves "What would Belichick do?" this off season, they would trade Isaiah Thomas now.

[flyingdutchdevil]

And with the #1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, the Celtics select...wait...let's think this through first.

Right now, the Celtics are considering 4 players:

Markelle Fultz: Highest ceiling in the draft. Can play the 1 or the 2. Great length, great athleticism. Leadership likely an issue, but that's more attributed to poor coaching than the player.
Lonzo Ball: Best passer in the draft. He makes everyone better. Okay shot, but huge question marks about his NBA 3pt shooting as he shot 67% from the line. Also plays horrific defense. Family is a nightmare.
Josh Jackson: Best defender in the draft. Better offensive player than advertised. Like Wiggins, but 3pt shot is a question mark. Huge maturity issues.
Jayson Tatum: Lowest floor in the draft. Pretty much guaranteed to be a 20ppg player. But questions remain about other facets of the game (rebounding, defense, intangibles). Will he be Rudy Gay or Paul Pierce?

The Celts are in an interesting position. They made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. They have the best young coach in the business. They have some All-Stars and really good role players. They believe in one another. They are excellent defensively.

The question for the Celts isn't, "how do we get better?" It's "how do we compete with the Cavs and the Warriors?" Everyone on the Celts with the exception of Avery Bradley is expendable through trades. Ideally, we'd like to keep Horford, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, Terry Rozier, and Amir Johnson (as a back-up PF). We would love to keep Isaiah Thomas as a Super 6th man, but he's going to demand a max salary (and someone will pay). Olynyk, Green, Young, Jerebko, and Tyler Zeller are all expendable.

So what does that leave us? A core of Bradley, Horford, Brown, Smart, Crowder, Rozier, and Johnson is small and defensively amazing. What's really missing is a dynamic scorer in the backcourt and a scoring PF. The problem with the latter is that he doesn't exist as a top 5 player in the draft (Jonathan Isaac is way too raw and too risky for a #1 pick). So ideally, we'd love a dynamic scorer on the wing or the backcourt. Jackson is great for D, but not the best for O. Jayson Tatum is perfect, but is he really a #1 pick? Seems like we could trade down, get additional assets, and still draft Tatum (thanks DBR for not allowing that...;)). Ball will make everyone better, but chemistry, scoring, and defense are all massive question marks.

For the #1 pick, there really is one obvious answer. A backcourt of Bradley, Smart, Rozier, and Fultz is arguably the best defensive backcourt in the country with incredible scoring potential (Bradley is underrated, Smart is overrated, Rozier is wild, and Fultz can become a 20+ ppg scorer). Not to mention, he's a good kid in need of good coaching, and Stevens is giving you that coaching.

So, with the #1 pick in the draft, the Boston Celtics select Markelle Fultz.

[Ichabod Drain]

Jayson Tatum: Lowest floor in the draft. Pretty much guaranteed to be a 20ppg player.

:confused:

[Troublemaker]

My writeup will come this evening, but for now... in case anyone's waiting on me...

with the #2 pick in the draft, the Lakers select Lonzo Ball.

[flyingdutchdevil]

:confused:

Christ. Highest floor in the draft.

[Gooch]

Much like the Celtics, the Sixers are in a bit of weird spot with the 3rd pick. What they really need is someone who can:

1. Complement Ben Simmons & Joel Embiid on offense—add some scoring without having the ball all the time since these two are the top options. Coach Brown has said Simmons will handle the ball a lot this coming season.
2. Play defense – defense at the guard and forward positions is more important than offense right now (see #1 above). And the Sixers have started to build a reputation on defense.
3. Shoot the ball – Sixers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league last year.

So the Sixers will draft a center. Just kidding.

These needs point to someone like Malik Monk, but he is probably not the slam dunk shooting guard prospect that a GM would take at #3 in this draft. Especially when can’t miss talents like Josh Jackson and Jayson Tatum are available. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a trade here, especially with multiple second round picks (and maybe they’ll look to move Jahlil Okafor?)

My heart says one thing but my head says take the guy who has more upside and has a chance to be a great defender, and then get the shooting that the Sixers need elsewhere. Also from reading the fan boards there might be a revolt if the team takes another Dukie. So…

With the third pick in the draft, the Sixers take Josh Jackson from Kansas.

[ChillinDuke]

Christ. Highest floor in the draft.

Oh man, you're in for a lot of Michael Jordan comparisons. And not the good kind.

I don't envy you...

- Chillin

[pfrduke]

Phoenix has a bit of a weird roster. Its players are either super young (8 are between 19-24) or super old (4 are 31 or older), with very few at their peak (Bledsoe and Knight, and Knight's not very good). The Suns have guys who can score, but the defense is atrocious (30th in the NBA). Most of the talent is in the backcourt, but there are some high upside guys in the frontcourt (including last year's two lottery picks - Bender and Chriss). So, in short, this is not a team that's 1-2 pieces away from competition - this is a team that just needs to accumulate talent.*

I was honestly hoping that this board's (understandable and appropriate) tendency toward Duke homerism would make Tatum a top 3 pick and let Jackson fall to the Suns. Jackson is the best fit with the roster as a defensive oriented wing, but he's off the board. The greatest "need" is probably a defensive forward, so we considered Jonathan Isaac, but I'm not convinced he's really going to thrive and he's also very much a work in progress. Tatum is enticing and is the most ready to contribute right away. But he's not going to do anything to help the defense and making him and Devin Booker cornerstones means that you're never really going to get a lot of stops. So we're taking a high upside guard who can lock people up and makes a good pairing with Booker as the long-term franchise guards. And we all know the Phoenix Suns love Kentucky guards.

So with the 4th pick, Phoenix takes De'Aaron Fox, G, Kentucky

*For this reason, I think the Suns are going to work hard to shop #4 - Sacramento may be willing to give 5 & 10 to come get Fox; Portland may be willing to give all three of its first round picks to come get Tatum.

[kAzE]

And we are off to the races!!

Round 1

Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Markell Fultz, PG Washington
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Lonzon Ball, PG UCLA




I hate to be that guy, but we're off to a bad start in terms of spelling :p

It's Markelle and Lonzo

[English]

SNIP...
*For this reason, I think the Suns are going to work hard to shop #4 - Sacramento may be willing to give 5 & 10 to come get Fox; Portland may be willing to give all three of its first round picks to come get Tatum.

Say what?! Are you saying that of Sacto because they're run so poorly that they might be willing to make a colossally idiotic move like that just because...or is there actually a reasonable speculation that this move is on the table???

Seriously, they'd consider trading a top-10 pick to move up one spot (not even from 2 to 1...no, from 5 to 4?!) and draft a guy that is almost certain to be on the board that one spot later*? I call shenanigans.

*And even if he isn't, he's not exactly the one missing piece to a Sacto championship.

[Edouble]

And we are off to the races!!

Phoenix - pfrduke: Da'Aaron Fox, PG Kentucky



I hate to be that guy, but we're off to a bad start in terms of spelling :p

It's Markelle and Lonzo

I'll be that guy too, if it makes you feel any better.

De'Aaron Fox

[gocanes0506]

Sacramento's turn:

We want fox as PFR stated ( and why in the duece would you say you would trade the 5 and 10 to move up 1-2 spots to get him? Just killing your ability to negotiate).

The Kings are in a crazy place, they are the Old CAVs of the west. Noone wants to come there and their drafting is suspect. They are losing Gay, 2 point guards, and Collision. Want to move McLemore because he sits behind Hield, and may release Affalo. We are looking at 50 million in cap space. If Vlade Divac is worth anything, he will get 2 more 1st rounders this year from cap strapped teams like OKC and Portland. Then move one of those with the 5th to move up to get Fox. But I digress.

With the 5th pick the Divac's select: Jayson Tatum, Duke. Debated between Tatum and Isaac.With Affalo more than likely being cut we need a starter and he is starter ready. Just needs to lock down his D effort and decision making. With the 2 rim protectors that we have, he'll be able to make some mistakes early. His driving ability will really draw some attention and allow to kick out passes to Hield.

Hopefully Tatum adapts right away and brings that star to the team. That way the Kings can sign a good FA or two in a year to make us a contender. If Divac doesn't suck as bad as has, they could start competing for the 5th spot in the west by 2019.

Proposed trades:
To Portland: Papagiannis
To Sac: Evan Turner, Ezeli, and the 20th pick (i'd ask for the 15th but I don't know that we would get it)

To OKC: McLemore
To Sac: Kanter and the 21st pick

Ezeli's contract isn't guaranteed so we'd cut him and eat his 1 million guaranteed money. Turner will hurt for a while but we'll need a backup to Hield. Portland saves 22 million in the deal.

Kanter has 2 years left but 1 is a player's option, which he would most likely use. In the end he doesn't hurt at all. OKC should save around 15-18 million in cap space after they re-sign RFA McLemore. The 21st is the one I would couple with the 5th to move up and get Fox.

[drummerdevil]

Was praying he would fall to seven. Ahh, well. There are others. Except the guy I want is about to go, because he's the logical fit.

[NashvilleDevil]

I will write my reasoning tonight.

With the 6th pick of the draft the Orlando Magic select Kentucky's Malik Monk.

[drummerdevil]

YES! HE'S STILL THERE!

Making my writeup now.

[Tripping William]

Christ. Highest floor in the draft.


Oh man, you're in for a lot of Michael Jordan comparisons. And not the good kind.

I don't envy you...

- Chillin

Eh, he might simply get off easy with a Dave Matthews lyric (https://youtu.be/vhvURbhoUqw?t=93).

[JasonEvans]

I'll be that guy too, if it makes you feel any better.

De'Aaron Fox

Sorry, I'm editing on my phone and typos gonna happen.

[drummerdevil]

Over the course of the last two months, I have had several changes of heart as to who this pick should be.

Now, let's look at the Timberwolves. When you see them, you see great young scorers in Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins. You see an amazing player at center in Karl-Anthony Towns, IMO the best young player in the NBA. You see a great PG who passes the ball well and plays solid defense. That point guard, by the way, is consistently top five in steals and assists, and therefore I would not even consider drafting one of the many point guards in this draft, tempting though it is.

So when you look back at that list of players I just wrote, you see good, promising players at every position. Wait, no. Scratch that. You forgot the best position. Power Forward. At that position, we have... Gorgui Dieng? Yes, I know he's solid, but does any team hoping to contend (which they hopefully will next year) really want Gorgui Dieng as a starter? No. So we need to draft a power forward.

Ideally, we would have gotten Tatum. He fills that void nicely. However, when I really start thinking about it, I don't think he's perfect for that role. I don't think our offense would flourish with that many scorers on the floor, and I'm sure our defense wouldn't with those five players.

Now, we start looking at guys who can play power forward for us. We can consider Lauri Markannen, Jonathan Isaac, and to a certain extent Zach Collins. Those are the players you could actually plug into that role that are logical picks in this area of the draft.

Now, with this pick, we are getting a very solid defender who is not all that selfish (although he can score when need be.) He should fill the power forward role nicely in our small-ball lineup. He averaged 12 ppg, 1 apg, 8 rpg, 1.2 spg and 1.5 bpg with a 25.1 PER. However, I do think he will (with some coaching) be able to pass nicely and score when need be. He should also be able to help our defense, probably playing a Matt Jones type role and matching up against the best opposing player (because, let's face it, would you want Andrew Wiggins guarding LeBron?)

Hopefully with this write up you have guessed who it is by now.

With the seventh pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the thrilled Minnesota Timberwolves select Jonathan Isaac from FSU.

[JasonEvans]

Start of page 2... here is where we stand.

Round 1

Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
Philadelphia - Gooch: Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas
Phoenix - pfrduke: De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Jayson Tatum, F Duke
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky
Minnesota - drummerdevil: Jonathan Isaac, F, FSU
New York - Ichabod Drain: Dennis Smith, PG, NC State
Dallas - brevity: Frank Ntilikina, PG, Belgium
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona
Charlotte - mattman91: Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga
Detroit - BD80: Luke Kennard, SG, Duke
Denver NSDukeFan: Harry Giles, PF, Duke
Miami - Newton 14
Portland - Henderson
Chicago - atoomer0881
Milwaukee - kAzE
Indiana - Edouble
Atlanta - Jason Evans
Portland - Henderson
Oklahoma Cty - Dev11
Brooklyn - Bob Green
Toronto - Nrrrrvous
Utah - Furniture
Orlando - NashvilleDevil
Portland - Henderson
Brooklyn - Bob Green
LA Lakers - Troublemaker
San Antonio - JNort
Utah - Furniture


Round 2

Atlanta - Jason Evans
Phoenix - pfrduke
Orlando - NashvilleDevil
Sacramento - gocanes0506
Orlando - NashvilleDevil
Philadelphia - Gooch
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Chicago - atoomer0881
Philadelphia - Gooch
New Orleans - awhom111
Charlotte - mattman91
Utah - Furniture
Houston - duketaylor
New York - Ichabod Drain
Houston - duketaylor
Philadelphia - Gooch
Indiana - Edouble
Milwaukee - kAzE
Denver - NSDukeFan
Philadelphia - Gooch
Denver - NSDukeFan
Washington - jjredickrules
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Phoenix - pfrduke
Utah - Furniture
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Brooklyn - Bob Green
New York - Ichabod Drain
San Antonio - JNort
Atlanta - Jason Evans

[Ichabod Drain]

My first action as head of the Knicks now is to kick Phil Jackson to the curb.

My next action is to take Dennis Smith Jr with the eighth pick in the 2017 draft. After that all I have to do is convince him he's playing in Cameron Indoor every night.

[brevity]

Since 1980, Dallas has some history with the #9 overall pick in the NBA Draft. They have selected Rolando Blackman, Dale Ellis, and Samaki Walker, and traded down-but-really-up for Dirk Nowitzki. So no pressure.

Most teams in the lottery would be interested in stockpiling talent, so there is a possibility that Arizona PF Lauri Markkanen gets picked here. Many are tempted to compare him to Dirk, and Dirk himself accepts the comparison in an eye-rolling kind of way. (Real-Dirk, that is, though mock-Dirk feels similarly.) But Dallas' position this high in the draft is an anomaly for them, as was the injury-packed 2016-2017 season. So the worst team in the Southwest Division is in a curious win-now mode.

Part of winning now is keeping your star player happy. Mock-Dirk (and, as I understand, real-Dirk) wants consistency at the point, and Dennis Smith might have worked had the Knicks not selected him at #8. Honestly, though, the measurables highly favor selecting Frank Ntilikina, the 18-year-old Belgian PG who most recently played for Strasbourg in France. Dennis Smith's height and wingspan is 6-foot-3. Frank is 6-foot-5 and is said to have a 7-foot-1-inch wingspan*. Frank should develop and rise quickly in a point guard depth chart that is occupied by J.J. Barea, Devin Harris, and Yogi Ferrell. Time will tell how he works in a backcourt alongside Seth Curry and Wes Matthews.

Ultimately, it's about addressing the needs of a Mavericks organization during the present-Dirk and post-Dirk (both present-mock-Dirk and present-real... oh whatever) by mixing their young and veteran talent, working toward a common goal: making Harrison Barnes look competent.

*Ordinarily, Jay Bilas would be here raving about Frank's wingspan, but he's stuck in Atlanta, yelling at the airline about their restrictive connecting flights policy.

[gocanes0506]

Unfortunately for the Divacs, the Lees and Cubans went the expected route and selected the last 2 remaining PGs that are in the top 20. That definitely leaves a big hole for us.

The Kings will select Lauri Markkanen, Arizona. He gives the Kings a great addition to the NBA norm of pick and pop. With Lauri, Hield, Tatum, and the soon to be signee Bogdanovic, the Kings may have a formidable offense. We'll just need to address the PG position. Again it'll happen through all the moves I proposed before. FA here we come!

I contemplated reaching for a guard at this point but Luke just doesn't have the athleticism to handle NBA point duties. IQ by far, it made it tempting. We decided on BPA.

[BD80]

Unfortunately for the Divacs, the Lees and Cubans went the expected route and selected the last 2 remaining PGs that are in the top 20. That definitely leaves a big hole for us.

The Kings will select Lauri Markkanen, Arizona. He gives the Kings a great addition to the NBA norm of pick and pop. With Lauri, Hield, Tatum, and the soon to be signee Bogdanovic, the Kings may have a formidable offense. We'll just need to address the PG position. Again it'll happen through all the moves I proposed before. FA here we come!

I contemplated reaching for a guard at this point but Luke just doesn't have the athleticism to handle NBA point duties. IQ by far, it made it tempting. We decided on BPA.

Pick up the phone, the Pistons will trade Reggie Jackson, who might fit your system to a "T." He isn't able to consistently do what SVG expects, so tensions are mounting. Good time to make an offer.

[gocanes0506]

Pick up the phone, the Pistons will trade Reggie Jackson, who might fit your system to a "T." He isn't able to consistently do what SVG expects, so tensions are mounting. Good time to make an offer.

I expect if the Kings are unable to get Fox at 5 or Smith at 10 then the Pistons will get a call. Although in 2 years his salary gets a little ridiculous. Unless he becomes a top PG in the league in 2 years, that is. If we do the moves I proposed we should be able to still afford Jackson as well. If Affalo is cut, McLemore and Papa traded, and Galloway doesn't pick up his option the Kings will have 68 million in cap space. Kantes, Turner, and Jackson equal about 55 million. Gives them 13 million to sign picks, which you need 10 to sign the 4.

In the end depends on if Detroit comes down on their asking price.

[pfrduke]

Say what?! Are you saying that of Sacto because they're run so poorly that they might be willing to make a colossally idiotic move like that just because...or is there actually a reasonable speculation that this move is on the table???

Seriously, they'd consider trading a top-10 pick to move up one spot (not even from 2 to 1...no, from 5 to 4?!) and draft a guy that is almost certain to be on the board that one spot later*? I call shenanigans.

*And even if he isn't, he's not exactly the one missing piece to a Sacto championship.

There is reasonable speculation (http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-trade-rumors-kings-looking-for-deal-to-move-up-to-draft-deaaron-fox/) that the move (http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/news/nba-draft-rumors-kings-trade-picks-kentucky-deaaron-fox-markelle-fultz-lonzo-ball-josh-jackson/bfjemhxgi6i01a7d4jqdoq7j5) is on the table (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2714144-nba-draft-rumors-kings-willing-to-trade-up-for-deaaron-fox). I wouldn't do it if I were them.

[BD80]

If the Hornets don't pick by 10 EST, the Pistons are on the clock?

[Edouble]

Yeah, what's the hold up? Jason usually keeps things moving along at a quick pace (I should know, I was bad last year!).

[JasonEvans]

If the Hornets don't pick by 10 EST, the Pistons are on the clock?

I am quite frustrated. Mattman91 has been around for a while and knows how this works. Maybe he was surprised by how quickly we got through the first batch of picks on day one.

In any event, I have sent him a PM and given him until 11am to make his pick. If he does not have it in by then, I will pick for him from the top remaining players on NBADraft.net and DraftExpress.

Thanks for your patience, everyone.

[BD80]

I am quite frustrated. Mattman91 has been around for a while and knows how this works. Maybe he was surprised by how quickly we got through the first batch of picks on day one.

In any event, I have sent him a PM and given him until 11am to make his pick. If he does not have it in by then, I will pick for him from the top remaining players on NBADraft.net and DraftExpress.

Thanks for your patience, everyone.

Orrrr ....

You could let the Pistons take who they want and move the Hornets down one and give them a bit more time ....


(Not that I want the chance to select a Duke player who actually fits the Pistons' needs)

[brevity]

I am quite frustrated. Mattman91 has been around for a while and knows how this works. Maybe he was surprised by how quickly we got through the first batch of picks on day one.

Blame the Knicks, who made their pick at 5:59pm ET. Had they posted their pick 2 minutes later, Dallas could have waited until today to make the #9 pick, and I could have convinced myself to do something crazy. Instead, I stuck to form, and the DBR Mock Top 10 is the same as the predictors, just in a slightly different order. So honestly, the Hornets have the first interesting pick of the draft.


In any event, I have sent him a PM and given him until 11am to make his pick. If he does not have it in by then, I will pick for him from the top remaining players on NBADraft.net and DraftExpress.

By the way, the best player available is either Luke Kennard (DraftExpress) or Zach Collins (NBADraft.net). By averaging the two, it looks like this:

12.0 Zach Collins
14.5 Luke Kennard
15.0 Jarrett Allen
15.0 John Collins
16.0 Justin Patton
16.5 Donovan Mitchell
17.0 Ike Anigbogu
17.0 Harry Giles
17.5 Justin Jackson
33.5 Tony Bradley

[JasonEvans]

Mattman's grace period is expired, so I will take over the role of Charlotte GM and select the best available players according to the mocks. The Hornets pick Gonzaga freshman big man Zach Collins.

Many folks are projecting Collins to Charlotte. HoopsHabit says this (https://hoopshabit.com/2017/06/03/charlotte-hornets-zach-collins-bring-skill-upside/):


On paper, Collins looks like a can’t-miss prospect. He may not ever become a star, but he should be a reliable rotation player with the potential to develop into much more than that. He’s a seven-footer, he’s hyper-efficient around the rim, he can shoot from outside, and he can protect the basket. That’s everything you want from your center in the modern NBA.

...

The NBA Draft brings an opportunity to get younger and bring in a potentially franchise-changing player. If Collins reaches his ceiling, he could possibly be that type of player. At worst, he’s a solid role player that they should be able to plug into their big man rotation immediately.

Cody Zeller projects to be their starting center in 2017-18, but he missed 20 games last season. Frank Kaminsky, Marvin Williams, and Miles Plumlee make up the rest of their power forward/center rotation. If drafted, Collins could see minutes at both center and power forward during his rookie season.

-Jason "Detroit is on the clock..." Evans

[BD80]

Reviewing the prospects for the Pistons, it became more clear to me why Frank Jackson chose to go. The Pistons need perimeter shooting, and there is precious little in this draft! When Malik Monk is the best shooter in the draft, you KNOW it is a weak draft.

I am struggling a bit with the “goal” of this mock draft. Are we trying to guess who our team will pick, or are we trying to get the best “value” for our team, or are we trying to make the best pick for the team given certain parameters which we should explain? I’ll shoot for the latter.

Stan Van Gundy runs and coaches the Pistons. He is generally considered a very good coach and a very good judge of veteran talent. SVG has little use for, or patience with, rookies. It is generally likely that SVG will trade a pick for an undervalued veteran. Examples of his acquisitions are Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris, very productive veterans with contracts well below their value.

It is even more likely that SVG trades this year’s pick for a veteran wing, because the Pistons badly need a perimeter shooter – everybody on the team shoots 35% or worse from 3 – and there isn’t much shooting available in this draft. If Luke is available I’ll be forced to choose him (Luke – “force” – get it?) – as he is the best available shooter by far, and has the release and shot fakes that will translate to the next level. I do see a solid career for Luke, but any rookie is going to suffer under SVG. Luke’s time with Coach K, and the development of his game between his freshman and sophomore years, make me believe he can handle and even thrive under SVG. I am extremely worried about Luke’s defense at the next level, but figure that he will be on the second unit and hopefully he can hide a bit on D.

There is a great temptation to take Harry Giles here. Frankly, none of the players available at 12 has much of a chance to ever see an all-star game without buying a ticket. A few may develop into solid starters, but even that is a crap-shoot; this is a weak draft and scouts have been predicting this for years. Depending on his individual work-outs, Harry could be a great pick here. If he were to demonstrate that his athleticism is returning and that he has the skill sets that made him the #1 recruit as a junior, I’d invest this pick on Harry.

If Luke were not available, I’d have gone with Donovan Mitchell – who seems like a SVG guy. Not SG height, but huge wingspan, tough to shoot over and a tenacious defender. This scares me to type, but his outside shot is “developing.” How many pros “develop” an outside shot once in the pros? Mitchell does seem to be one of those guys who is developing, and is a “winner.” He could easily earn minutes on the second unit by playing great defense.

Many mocks have the Pistons taking Zach Collins or Lauri Markkanen, primarily because SVG is fond of “stretch 4s.” However, the Pistons drafted Henry Ellison last year as a “stretch 4” and have no need for 2 developmental “stretch 4s.” They also brought in undervalued Jon Leuer as an undervalued veteran “stretch 4” for the second unit, behind starting “stretch 4” Marcus Morris.

Briefly considered Terrance Ferguson, NBA athleticism for sure, can shoot in streaks, but then thought about how he’d fare under SVG, chuckled, and moved on.

[gocanes0506]

Mattman's grace period is expired, so I will take over the role of Charlotte GM and select the best available players according to the mocks. The Hornets pick Gonzaga freshman big man Zach Collins.

Many folks are projecting Collins to Charlotte. HoopsHabit says this (https://hoopshabit.com/2017/06/03/charlotte-hornets-zach-collins-bring-skill-upside/):



-Jason "Detroit is on the clock..." Evans

You know the Charlotte Tar Holians are selecting jackson. Its the status quo. They must continue their utter incompetence to be competitive. Just ask Sean May.

[English]

You know the Charlotte Tar Holians are selecting jackson. Its the status quo. They must continue their utter incompetence to be competitive. Just ask Sean May.

You're stuck in the past. The current model suggests stockpiling as many tall white dudes as possible. Because of the recent (to slightly less recent) departures of Spencer Hawes and McBob, we have vacancy for another. It's gotta Markkanen or Zach Collins. Case closed. He'll complement Zeller, MP1, and Frank very well.

[flyingdutchdevil]

You're stuck in the past. The current model suggests stockpiling as many tall white dudes as possible. Because of the recent (to slightly less recent) departures of Spencer Hawes and McBob, we have vacancy for another. It's gotta Markkanen or Zach Collins. Case closed. He'll complement Zeller, MP1, and Frank very well.

But they are a versatile bunch of white dudes. Zeller for a traditional back-to-the-basket bigman, MP1 for defense, and Frank for shooting. They need a big, hunking Eastern European and have all varieties!

[JasonEvans]

Reviewing the prospects for the Pistons, it became more clear to me why Frank Jackson chose to go. The Pistons need perimeter shooting, and there is precious little in this draft! When Malik Monk is the best shooter in the draft, you KNOW it is a weak draft.

I dunno if it is a weak draft. The top is quite strong. I think there are at least 6 guys who seem to have a good chance to be All-stars some day and another half dozen with tremendous athleticism and potential. I do think it drops off a good bit toward the middle of the first round. I agree that it is not a good draft for shooters, which seems to be an increasingly valuable commodity in the NBA these days. After all, both teams in the NBA finals prefer to play 5 guys who can all shoot 3s. That tells you how important shooting is and this draft does not have many pure shooters.


I am struggling a bit with the “goal” of this mock draft. Are we trying to guess who our team will pick, or are we trying to get the best “value” for our team, or are we trying to make the best pick for the team given certain parameters which we should explain? I’ll shoot for the latter.

Great question -- I think the goal here is to get the best player you can for your team. You are pretending to be the GM of your club. You look at your roster and your needs an try to make the best pick. Your view may be completely opposite from what the team's GM will do. Our job is not to try to duplicate the NBA draft itself. We are trying to make the best selection for each team as we see it.

-Jason "Does that make sense?" Evans

[NSDukeFan]

The Denver Nuggets are in an interesting position. I might compare them to the Celtics-lite. The team has reasonably good players at each position and some depth. The Nuggets best player is power forward Nikola Jokic, who has improved greatly the last couple of years. Danilo Gallinari, a big small forward, was their leading scorer, but just became a free agent. He may re-sign. The team also has Mason Plumlee, who was extremely well coached in college, at center. Also in the mix for bigs are Kenneth Faried, who has dropped off significantly since his Olympic run five years ago, Darrell Arthur, Juan Hernangomez and whatever is left of Roy Hibbert. Wilson Chandler is a solid small forward, as is Gallinari. The backcourt is also solid with Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Jameer Nelson, Will Barton and Emmanuel Mudiay. The team is in the mix for the playoffs, but not close to being contenders. Unless Jokic makes another jump, there are unlikely to be any all-stars.

This team could use a star. Unfortunately, at this point in the draft they aren't likely to get it. So that's why the team is going to roll the dice on one of the top talents in the draft, in hopes that his knee health continues to improve. He is not likely to make a huge impact for the team this year, but should be in the mix for some minutes up front. We would have liked Markkanen or Ntilikina had they been available and considered T.J. Leaf as a stretch four, but are very excited by Harry Giles' potential.

[mattman91]

Sorry guys, had an emergency this morning and was unable to make my pick.

All is well now, sorry to cause a delay.

[Edouble]

With Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside locked up for the next four years, the Heat are looking to construct a young core to build around their two stars.

Miami has a nice stable of shooting guards and wings, but the absence of Chris Bosh has left a gaping hole down low. After Whiteside's 14.1 RPG, the next most prolific rebounder on the Heat's roster is SF Justise Winslow with 5.2 RPG.

The Heat are thrilled that their top target, John Collins, is still available when the #14 Pick rolls around. Collins will provide rebounding, post scoring, and we think, a reliable jump shot, which we hope Mr. Collins will add some range to during the off season.

[Newton_14]

With Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside locked up for the next four years, the Heat are looking to construct a young core to build around their two stars.

Miami has a nice stable of shooting guards and wings, but the absence of Chris Bosh has left a gaping hole down low. After Whiteside's 14.1 RPG, the next most prolific rebounder on the Heat's roster is SF Justise Winslow with 5.2 RPG.

The Heat are thrilled that their top target, John Collins, is still available when the #14 Pick rolls around. Collins will provide rebounding, post scoring, and we think, a reliable jump shot, which we hope Mr. Collins will add some range to during the off season.

hmm... Houston, we have a problem here. I have the Miami Heat. You have the Indiana Pacers.... So are we swapping teams to make this work out now?

[Edouble]

hmm... Houston, we have a problem here. I have the Miami Heat. You have the Indiana Pacers... So are we swapping teams to make this work out now?

HA HA HA HA!!! I can't help but laugh. I am swamped at work, but really wanted to participate. Clearly I am not paying close enough attention!

Please cancel this pick. I will grab someone for Indiana down the line.

[devildeac]

Sorry guys, had an emergency this morning and was unable to make my pick.

All is well now, sorry to cause a delay.

Glad to read all is well. At least it wasn't rosterbation occupying your time. :o;):rolleyes:

[English]

Sorry guys, had an emergency this morning and was unable to make my pick.

All is well now, sorry to cause a delay.

We all know you were channeling your inner-MJ, and you missed the pick because you were busy losing thousands of dollars on the golf course.

Do you have any thoughts on Commissioner Silver/Evans' auto-draft pick, as the GM of BuzzCity? Was Zach Collins your guy?

[JasonEvans]

Here is the updated list of who has been taken...

Round 1

Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
Philadelphia - Gooch: Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas
Phoenix - pfrduke: De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Jayson Tatum, F Duke
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky
Minnesota - drummerdevil: Jonathan Isaac, F, FSU
New York - Ichabod Drain: Dennis Smith, PG, NC State
Dallas - brevity: Frank Ntilikina, PG, Belgium
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona
Charlotte - mattman91: Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga
Detroit - BD80: Luke Kennard, SG, Duke
Denver NSDukeFan: Harry Giles, PF, Duke
Miami - Newton 14: John Collins, PF/C, Wake Forest
Portland - Henderson: TJ Leaf, PF UCLA
Chicago - atoomer0881
Milwaukee - kAzE
Indiana - Edouble
Atlanta - Jason Evans
Portland - Henderson
Oklahoma Cty - Dev11
Brooklyn - Bob Green
Toronto - Nrrrrvous
Utah - Furniture
Orlando - NashvilleDevil
Portland - Henderson
Brooklyn - Bob Green
LA Lakers - Troublemaker
San Antonio - JNort
Utah - Furniture


Round 2

Atlanta - Jason Evans
Phoenix - pfrduke
Orlando - NashvilleDevil
Sacramento - gocanes0506
Orlando - NashvilleDevil
Philadelphia - Gooch
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Chicago - atoomer0881
Philadelphia - Gooch
New Orleans - awhom111
Charlotte - mattman91
Utah - Furniture
Houston - duketaylor
New York - Ichabod Drain
Houston - duketaylor
Philadelphia - Gooch
Indiana - Edouble
Milwaukee - kAzE
Denver - NSDukeFan
Philadelphia - Gooch
Denver - NSDukeFan
Washington - jjredickrules
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Phoenix - pfrduke
Utah - Furniture
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Brooklyn - Bob Green
New York - Ichabod Drain
San Antonio - JNort
Atlanta - Jason Evans

[JasonEvans]

hmm... Houston, we have a problem here. I have the Miami Heat. You have the Indiana Pacers... So are we swapping teams to make this work out now?

Newton_14, you still need to pick for the Heat. You are on the clock. I will grant you some grace time because of the confusion, but you really need to pick soon.

[Henderson]

Newton_14, you still need to pick for the Heat. You are on the clock. I will grant you some grace time because of the confusion, but you really need to pick soon.

Portland at 15 standing by....

[mattman91]

We all know you were channeling your inner-MJ, and you missed the pick because you were busy losing thousands of dollars on the golf course.

Do you have any thoughts on Commissioner Silver/Evans' auto-draft pick, as the GM of BuzzCity? Was Zach Collins your guy?

I'll post my thoughts after work...but the short answer is yes.

[Troublemaker]

Writeup for #2 Pick Lonzo Ball

The Lakers: Magic and I (and our puppet Rob Pelinka) have been going over the roster, and we're very unhappy with it. After 4 consecutive horrible seasons, it feels like the Lakers should have much more impressive young talent on hand. There are a few young players who have "good player" ceilings, but we have no one who projects to be a top-15 player in the league down the line. Therefore, Jeanie was right to go all Game of Thrones on her bumbling family to seize control, and she made the right choice to bring in Magic and some Duke talent in myself to head basketball operations after poop-canning the horrible Mitch Kupchak, a UNC grad.

Premise: In the modern NBA, the bottom-of-the-barrel rebuilding teams like the Lakers should first focus on adding a player who could one day develop into the primary creator on a playoff team. The league as currently constructed is all about a primary creator running pick and roll. If you can find a player who can do it at the level of an all-time great like Lebron or Curry, then great (and good luck finding that!), but at the very least, we need to find a Damian Lillard, Mike Conley, or Kemba Walker. This is the draft to do that in because of all the PG talent available.

Talent on Hand: Magic and I don't believe D'Angelo Russell is the answer. He's one of those players with a "good player" ceiling, but he disappointingly doesn't seem to have top-end instincts, passing, finishing, athleticism, maturity, and separation skills. Magic and I wish Mitch Cup-Check (haha, Magic came up with that one!) had had the balls to draft Porzingis instead in 2015. Then, we'd have a stretch-5 for the creative Luke Walton to work with. As is, we'll shift Russell to the 2, and maybe that will improve his game. As for Brandon Ingram, we love him, but we see him more as a top-end 3-and-D player rather than a primary creator. As Magic said, Brandon is untouchable.

Lonzo: Lonzo will enter the league as one of its best passers, on par with or perhaps only slightly behind the likes of Lebron, Harden, and Rubio. His size helps create passing angles smaller PGs can't use, and he also has incredible instincts and court vision, being able to dime up a teammate accurately as soon as he sees the teammate's defender leaning the wrong way. If the Lakers can put Lonzo and 3 other good shooters on the court, it's hard to believe he won't orchestrate a good offense by his second season in the league, and his passing will become contagious to his teammates and create a fun atmosphere and culture of teamwork.

To complement his amazing passing ability, Lonzo also is a very good 3-pt shooter with deeeep range; adjusting to the NBA 3-pt line shouldn't be a problem for him as he routinely launched from 26+ feet and made them. On top of THAT, Lonzo is also a tremendous finisher around the rim, shooting an absurd 79% at the rim at UCLA (https://hoop-math.com/UCLA2017.php) and 73% overall from 2-pt range. Add all these qualities together, and you have an incredibly efficient offensive player who sported a 129 offensive rating at UCLA.

"But What About Defense?": Magic and I project Lonzo to be at least an average defender, and he may actually turn out to be pretty good. He had a 2.8% steal rate at UCLA thanks to his 6'9" wingspan and because he applies his court vision on defense as well in order to anticipate passes. At 6'6", Lonzo will be switchable onto SGs and maybe even SFs. In fact, one of the reasons why I'm not concerned about Lonzo's defense is because there are plenty of athletic 6'1"/6'2"/6'3" basketball players out there who can play defense but shouldn't play point guard. Patrick Beverley would be the pinnacle of such a player. Lonzo's height allows him to play shooting guard on defense if needed, so there are relatively easy solutions available if, for whatever reason, he's not quick enough to play PG defensively.

Duke Angle: As a Duke fan, I'm rooting hard for Magic and myself to select Lonzo because he will really help Brandon Ingram's career. Lonzo is an amazing transition point guard who is going to dial up Showtime in L.A. again and get Brandon easy buckets running the floor. Once Brandon extends his 3-pt range out to the NBA line, it's going to be scary to have Brandon's quick release and Lonzo's anticipation on the court at the same time. As mentioned, Lonzo can dime up his shooters given just a sliver of daylight, similar to how Lebron and Harden are able to find defenders leaning the wrong way off of Love, JR Smith, and Kyrie. In fact, Lonzo's going to improve every Laker and make them appear better than they are with his passing ability, which will set the Lakers up to make trades for value later on using pieces we will no longer need (D'Angelo? Clarkson? Randle?). Our goal is to pair Lonzo and Brandon with Lebron and Paul George in two years.

Other Possibilities: We also heavily considered Dennis Smith and DeAaron Fox at this pick. With Dennis Smith, Magic and I decided to bet that Lonzo's passing and instincts > Smith's athleticism. And with Fox, we don't think he'll ever become a good shooter. We ignored all the highly-rated wings (Tatum, JJack, Isaac, etc) because we already have Brandon and anticipate having Paul George in two years if not next season. If Cup-Check (haha, Magic's so clever) were around, he wouldn't have had the cojones to abandon the De'Angelo experiment so soon. He would've drafted Tatum or something, blocking Lebron from possibly coming in 2018. Suck it, Cup-Check.

[Edouble]

Newton_14, you still need to pick for the Heat. You are on the clock. I will grant you some grace time because of the confusion, but you really need to pick soon.

I am sorry Jason. Last year I picked too late, this year (way, way, way) too early. If Newton wants to pick for the Pacers instead, I am cool with that.

[kAzE]

This feels strangely like that time 3 of my friends forgot to show up for the fantasy football draft.

[JasonEvans]

Well, this is frustrating... especially because Newton_14 knows how the system works. He has been PM'd but has not responded in quite some time. I expect more from a longtime poster and moderator like him. Sigh.

So, for the second time today I am forced to make a pick for a delinquent GM. I feel a bit like David Stern when he had to manage the Pelicans trades of Chris Paul. This is not supposed to be my job, but the current GM is so inept, I have to step in.

Seeing as John Collins was almost, accidentally taken for Miami already and seeing as he is one of the picks that would be next according to the various mock drafts that are our guideline, the Heat will take the Wake big man. Here, you can read what EDouble wrote about it a few hours ago.


With Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside locked up for the next four years, the Heat are looking to construct a young core to build around their two stars.

Miami has a nice stable of shooting guards and wings, but the absence of Chris Bosh has left a gaping hole down low. After Whiteside's 14.1 RPG, the next most prolific rebounder on the Heat's roster is SF Justise Winslow with 5.2 RPG.

The Heat are thrilled that their top target, John Collins, is still available when the #14 Pick rolls around. Collins will provide rebounding, post scoring, and we think, a reliable jump shot, which we hope Mr. Collins will add some range to during the off season.

-Jason "Portland is now on the clock... can we please right the ship?" Evans

[Henderson]

#15 Portland Trailblazers -- TJ Leaf, UCLA

Portland has a relatively young team with some interesting talent. We're good at PG and SG, and we like the new young C we got from Denver, Jusuf Nurkic (sorry about that Mason), who will come back from that broken leg this summer. We like Noah Vonieh as a developing F, and Al-Farouk Aminu can pull down boards in the front court too. What Portland REALLY needs is a great player to replace Lamarcus Aldridge, but with three picks in the first round, all of them 15 and lower, we aren't going to get that.

So our thinking is this: Let's take TJ Leaf and his 46% 3 pt. shooting touch from last year, and see if we can make him into that stretch 4 that would really complement our current pieces. He's got holes in his game and may be a defensive liability due to his lack of lateral quickness, but if he can light up the scoreboard from the NBA 3 point line (can he?), he might help unclog the inside so our other bigs can operate. And at #15, there aren't any players available who don't have weaknesses.

Plus, with three picks in the first round, we might want to think about them as trade bait after the draft. And a 6-10 kid who can drain outside shots will always have some market value. Plus, he has international experience with the Israeli National Team and comes from a basketball family. We think he's the best choice this far down the board.

[BD80]

I am sorry Jason. Last year I picked too late, this year (way, way, way) too early. If Newton wants to pick for the Pacers instead, I am cool with that.

What do you mean "premature?" You had been thinking about it all night!

[Henderson]

The Portland Trailblazers would like to negative spork Denver for stealing Harry Giles, the player we really wanted and thought might be available at #15.

We're back on track. Let's roll.

[Henderson]

A side note to Henderson, Portland may try to get secret a Euro player and hide him in Europe for 2 years with a pick.


I thought about that, but honestly I'm a new GM without the skill set necessary to suss out all the variables involved there. Portland may also try to trade up in the first round, but we can't do that here.

[Pghdukie]

As an outsider on this draft, I would vote that if someone is late in their GM duties - that pick MUST be Bill Walton wearing his knee pads !

[atoomer0881]

Chicago's most glaring need right now is someone to complement Jimmy Butler. Outside of Butler, there's not a single player that fans trust to shoot the 3-ball or stay with their man on defense. Rumor has it, the only Bulls player that has a chance to be any sort of 3&D guy is last year's second round pick Paul Zipser, and that's saying something.

The Bulls' weaknesses last season were threefold: lack of athleticism, shooting, and defense. While their average age is a "young" 26.1 years old, when you look at the actual personnel they possess, they aren't really "young or athletic," having gotten run out of the gym last season on more than one occasion. While they have youth and potential, they don't have athletes. And while Butler is their best player, his athleticism has slowed due to him having to carry such a huge workload. On top of that, the Bulls were among the worst 3-point shooting teams last year -- their 34% shooting from long range was better than only six other teams.

While I went back and forth between a few players, only one player really stood out that seemed to check all the boxes, especially this late in the draft. And that's Terrance Ferguson. He has great size for a shooting guard at 6'7, is alarmingly athletic, has an explosive leaping ability and can shoot the 3-ball very well. While he does possess some flaws (who doesn't?), he has plenty of time to improve, being that he just had his 19th birthday.

Ferguson originally committed to Alabama, then decommitted and committed to Arizona, and then decommitted again to go play in Australia last year. While his actual numbers weren't overly impressive, he showed a great understanding of his role and helped his team finish first overall in the regular season. While he's certainly an unknown, Chicago feels very comfortable taking their chances on this stellar athlete. His ability to explode off the bounce to a max 38" vertical is one that not many athletes possess. It not only gives him lift for his jumper (which coupled with his quick release will give him great looks from the perimeter whenever he wants it), but will also help him in rebounding. While he didn't shoot particularly well this past year, his mechanics are so sound (he has a smooth release and his feet are always squared up to the basket before he catches the ball) that it's only inevitable that he will improve. And while he only averaged 2.7 rebounds per 36 minutes last season, his team possessed four of the top fifteen rebounders in the league, something that prevented him from getting more of his own. But he shows the instincts for tracking down the ball on long rebounds, and he’s excelled at boxing out any nearby body around the basket when the ball is up for grabs.

Knowing what his role will be and being aware of that and able to fill it, the Bulls think Ferguson is everything that we need in a player to complement our star Jimmy Butler.

[kAzE]

Donovan Mitchell, guard, from the Louisville Johns . . . er . . . Cardinals.

This was a tough decision. There are still a few roster unknowns that will have cleared up by the time the real draft rolls around, especially with the front court. Centers Greg Monroe and Spencer Hawes each hold options for next season, with Monroe's worth $17.9 million and Hawes' worth about $6 million. For the purposes of this mock draft, I am assuming that Greg Monroe opts in for the final year of his deal, reprising his role as the 6th man, and leading scorer off of the bench. "Moose" is on a bit of an expensive contract, but his willingness to accept a backup role, and his effectiveness (4th leading scorer on the team) while playing limited minutes (22.5) was a key factor in the Buck's run to capture the #6 seed in the East.

The first thing I love about Mitchell is his competitiveness on defense. He by far the best player in the draft at getting steals (2.6 per 40). He's got active hands, quick feet, and isn't afraid to dive on the floor or mix it up in the paint with big men. He's an excellent athlete who can defend NBA point guards and 2 guards because of his strong build (210 pounds), and absurd length (6'10") for someone his height (6'3"). I'm confident that he will be able to make a defensive impact in the NBA.

Offensively, he's more of a mixed bag. Despite his height, he's very capable of playing above the rim with his long arms and great leaping ability. He's also versatile, showing the ability to score at all 3 levels. Mitchell is a very physical and aggressive player, who is quite good at dribbling through traffic, splitting pick and rolls, and scoring over taller defenders.

He is an improved, but somewhat average outside shooter (35%). He is pretty good off the catch, and his mechanics are sound, but settles for contested pull up jumpers too often. His biggest area for improvement is his decision making and shot selection. He doesn't have an elite feel for the game, but is still a capable play maker, averaging 3.4 assists per 40 last season. I am confident that Donovan can develop into a respectable outside threat with proper coaching, and less ball handling responsibility (we have the Greek Freak).

Overall, I'm happy with the pick, and feel that Donovan slipped a little from where I thought he would be drafted. I believe he will fit into the Bucks' long term plan to contend with Giannis Antetokounmpo in a few years as a combo guard, possibly starting next to Malcolm Brogdon. With such gifted play makers in Giannis and Jabari, I feel quite comfortable playing defensive minded combo guards in our rotation.

[Ichabod Drain]

I'm going to have anxiety the rest of the draft now about having a meeting or something and not being able to make my pick.

[NSDukeFan]

I'm going to have anxiety the rest of the draft now about having a meeting or something and not being able to make my pick.

I would recommend you stick to having virtual anxiety about the mock draft in case you lose virtual sporks and leave the real anxiety for your actual life, though you may want to try to stick to mock stress if you can.

[JNort]

I'm going to have anxiety the rest of the draft now about having a meeting or something and not being able to make my pick.

This should be a non issue though. Just pm Jason or whomever and tell them your top 2 or 3 guys and have them make the selection for you. You can do a write up for the pick later.

[JasonEvans]

Round 1

Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
Philadelphia - Gooch: Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas
Phoenix - pfrduke: De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Jayson Tatum, F Duke
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky
Minnesota - drummerdevil: Jonathan Isaac, F, FSU
New York - Ichabod Drain: Dennis Smith, PG, NC State
Dallas - brevity: Frank Ntilikina, PG, Belgium
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona
Charlotte - mattman91: Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga
Detroit - BD80: Luke Kennard, SG, Duke
Denver NSDukeFan: Harry Giles, PF, Duke
Miami - Newton 14: John Collins, PF/C, Wake Forest
Portland - Henderson: TJ Leaf, PF UCLA
Chicago - atoomer0881: Terrance Ferguson, SG, Australia
Milwaukee - kAzE: Donovan Mitchell, SG, Lousiville
Indiana - Edouble: Dwayne Bacon, SG/SF FSU
Atlanta - Jason Evans: OG Anunoby, SF Indiana
Portland - Henderson: Jonathan Jeanne, PF Guadaloupe
Oklahoma Cty - Dev11
Brooklyn - Bob Green
Toronto - Nrrrrvous
Utah - Furniture
Orlando - NashvilleDevil
Portland - Henderson
Brooklyn - Bob Green
LA Lakers - Troublemaker
San Antonio - JNort
Utah - Furniture


Round 2

Atlanta - Jason Evans
Phoenix - pfrduke
Orlando - NashvilleDevil
Sacramento - gocanes0506
Orlando - NashvilleDevil
Philadelphia - Gooch
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Chicago - atoomer0881
Philadelphia - Gooch
New Orleans - awhom111
Charlotte - mattman91
Utah - Furniture
Houston - duketaylor
New York - Ichabod Drain
Houston - duketaylor
Philadelphia - Gooch
Indiana - Edouble
Milwaukee - kAzE
Denver - NSDukeFan
Philadelphia - Gooch
Denver - NSDukeFan
Washington - jjredickrules
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Phoenix - pfrduke
Utah - Furniture
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Brooklyn - Bob Green
New York - Ichabod Drain
San Antonio - JNort
Atlanta - Jason Evans

[JasonEvans]

So, what are the odds that Edouble makes his pick and then something comes up that forces me to delay my pick tomorrow? 70%? 90%? 112%?

I'm probably going to get a tumor and be sent to the hospital, sending the entire mock draft into chaos... yup, it might be a tumor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaTO8_KNcuo

[Edouble]

Keep. Paul. George.

The first round of the NBA Draft is traditionally used to find the next franchise superstar. Indiana is in an interesting situation, in that they have a superstar in Paul George, they just somehow have to keep him from going to the Lakers next season.

With George's trade value plummeting on reports that he yearns to play in LA(L), the Pacers are in win-now mode, in the hopes that PG13 will have a change of heart and re-sign with Indy in the 2018 offseason.

George, PF Thaddeus Young, C Myles Turner, and oft maligned PG Jeff Teague, are the heart of the Pacers.

Help at any position would be welcome at this point, with former league standouts like Monta Ellis, Al Jefferson, and Lance Stephenson (yes, he's a Pacer again if you missed it) turning in sub-par seasons in 2016-17.

Feeling some pressure to take hometown favorite Og Anunoby from IU, or the low skill but high potential Bam Adebayo, per the MO outlined above (win now, keep Paul George) and with the first shocker pick of the draft, the Indiana Pacers select Dwayne Bacon from Florida State University with the #18 pick.

Indiana believes that Bacon is NBA ready and has the ability to make an impact from year one in the league. If he is as good as hoped, by the All-Star break, he should allow Ellis to come off the bench as a PG/SG supersub, and allow the Pacers to package some of their backcourt depth (Aaron Brooks, Glenn Robinson III, CJ Miles) for veteran frontcourt help.

Jason, you're up. And if you select for our Hawks at 10:01 or later, God help you sir.

[JNort]

Keep. Paul. George.

The first round of the NBA Draft is traditionally used to find the next franchise superstar. Indiana is in an interesting situation, in that they have a superstar in Paul George, they just somehow have to keep him from going to the Lakers next season.

With George's trade value plummeting on reports that he yearns to play in LA(L), the Pacers are in win-now mode, in the hopes that PG13 will have a change of heart and re-sign with Indy in the 2018 offseason.

George, PF Thaddeus Young, C Myles Turner, and oft maligned PG Jeff Teague, are the heart of the Pacers.

Help at any position would be welcome at this point, with former league standouts like Monta Ellis, Al Jefferson, and Lance Stephenson (yes, he's a Pacer again if you missed it) turning in sub-par seasons in 2016-17.

Feeling some pressure to take hometown favorite Og Anunoby from IU, or the low skill but high potential Bam Adebayo, per the MO outlined above (win now, keep Paul George) and with the first shocker pick of the draft, the Indiana Pacers select Dwayne Bacon from Florida State University with the #18 pick.

Indiana believes that Bacon is NBA ready and has the ability to make an impact from year one in the league. If he is as good as hoped, by the All-Star break, he should allow Ellis to come off the bench as a PG/SG supersub, and allow the Pacers to package some of their backcourt depth (Aaron Brooks, Glenn Robinson III, CJ Miles) for veteran frontcourt help.

Jason, you're up. And if you select for our Hawks at 10:01 or later, God help you sir.
Glad it's not me, I won't be up and about till near 11.

[brevity]

...with the first shocker pick of the draft, the Indiana Pacers select Dwayne Bacon from Florida State University with the #18 pick.

It's JasonEvans. I've hacked into brevity's account to say this to you: For a fellow Atlanta Hawks fan, you sure have ruined everything.

The best place for Bacon to go was my Hawks. Nay, OUR Hawks. One of their assistant coaches is Darvin Ham. Darvin Ham! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8sj4JAvuLo) Who better to coach Bacon than Ham? Grrr. I hope the real Atlanta GM gets a chance to do what I could not.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8sj4JAvuLo

-Jason "Checking the Plaza Theatre (http://plazaatlanta.com/) schedule right now for a Joseph Bologna Film Retrospective" Evans

[JasonEvans]

#19 Atlanta Hawks OG Anunoby, F Indiana

I will post a full explanation of this pick tomorrow.

[Henderson]

#20 -- Portland -- Jonathan Jeanne, Guadaloupe

This guy is over 7' in socks, has a 7'-6" wing span, moves with incredible grace and fluidity around the court, and can hit jump shots. His shot even looks pretty smooth. He's super thin and only 19 years old, so he will be a project. But his upside is too great. In two years, we may have a 7-2 stretch 4 on offense who can swat away anything close to the rim on defense. In the meantime, we'll get him some Voodoo Doughnuts, Burgerville shakes, and decent coaching for the first time in his life. He'll probably play in Europe again next year, except he'll get some PT on a decent team this time.

Did I mention he's over 7' tall and can hit jump shots?

[Furniture]

Hello
I am in transit from India so if it gets to Utah this Friday afternoon just to be clear I will not be able to document my pick until about 7.00pm this Friday.
Sorry for any inconvenience.

[Henderson]

LaRue Martin, Sam Bowie, Greg Oden, now this.

Literally 20 minutes after drafting Jeanne at #20, I learned that he has just been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a disease that affects the body's connective tiissue. He may never play basketball again.

If this had been the real draft, the pick never would have happened. Jeanne's physical at the combine showed a need to follow up, and it was the pre-draft follow up that showed the diagnosis.

This is what I get for being conscientious and posting my pick at 1 a.m. my time rather than reading the morning paper first, but I dared not risk oversleeping given recent events.

[Ichabod Drain]

LaRue Martin, Sam Bowie, Greg Oden, now this.

Literally 20 minutes after drafting Jeanne at #20, I learned that he has just been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a disease that affects the body's connective tiissue. He may never play basketball again.

If this had been the real draft, the pick never would have happened. Jeanne's physical at the combine showed a need to follow up, and it was the pre-draft follow up that showed the diagnosis.

This is what I get for being conscientious and posting my pick at 1 a.m. my time rather than reading the morning paper first, but I dared not risk oversleeping given recent events.

If I'm not mistaken this is almost the exact same thing that happened to Isaiah Austin a few years ago. They found it due to his physical while working out for NBA teams.

FWIW Austin actually started playing basketball again this year in Serbia.

[BD80]

LaRue Martin, Sam Bowie, Greg Oden, now this.

Literally 20 minutes after drafting Jeanne at #20, I learned that he has just been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a disease that affects the body's connective tiissue. He may never play basketball again.

If this had been the real draft, the pick never would have happened. Jeanne's physical at the combine showed a need to follow up, and it was the pre-draft follow up that showed the diagnosis.

This is what I get for being conscientious and posting my pick at 1 a.m. my time rather than reading the morning paper first, but I dared not risk oversleeping given recent events.

Or, was he afflicted with Marfan syndrome BECAUSE you selected him on behalf of Portland?

[JasonEvans]

First of all, I have told Henderson he can change his pick provided it happens before Dev11 (who lives in Denver and therefore may post late due to time zone stuff) picks. I feel truly awful about my angst over the timing of everything yesterday so y'all should not worry very much about missing deadlines today.


#19 Atlanta Hawks OG Anunoby, F Indiana

I will post a full explanation of this pick tomorrow.

In any event, regarding Anunoby...

I hate this pick. I feel like there are about 15 guys I really like in this draft and I had hopes one of them would slip to me. Sadly, it did not happen. So, before I discuss the pick, let me discuss the Hawks.

Team Outlook: For a team that just made the playoffs for the 10th consecutive year (only the Spurs have a longer active streak) the Hawks need... well... just about everything. Somehow, Atlanta has managed to construct a roster good enough to be a solid playoff team year after year but with few hopes of taking the next step. The are cursed with the worst thing that can happen to a NBA team -- they are good, but don't have a single great player on their roster. So, they are not an attractive free agent destination, they don't get good draft picks, and it is hard to get excited about their prospects.

The Roster: The Hawks best player is PF Paul Milsaps, who is one of the better stretch 4s in the NBA. He would be a great 2nd or 3rd complimentary piece to a star player. But, with no star player he is forced to take on a bigger role for the Hawks and he simply isn't a star. Whats more, he's a free agent and someone is going to give him the max (Milsaps recently declined his $21+ mil player option for the upcoming season because he knows he is going to get closer to $30 mil as a free agent). He ain't worth the max, but that is what he is going to get and I'm not sure the Hawks will mortgage their future to pay him. This past season was a break out one for PG Dennis Schroder. He is still inconsistent but is capable of rising up and carrying the team at times. Again, he'd be a wonderful compliment to a great player, but the Hawks ain't got no great players. The club feels excited about the future of SF Taurean Prince who came on strong late in his rookie campaign. He needs to develop a better shot, but brings a lot of athleticism to the table and looks like he could be a good piece for the future of the club.

The team is saddled with a pair of really bad contracts. Kent Bazemore is due to make $16.9/$18.1/$19.2 over the next 3 years. He's a good defender but isn't worth anything close to that kind of money. And then there is the man in the middle -- Dwight Howard will make $47+ million over the next 2 years and he seems utterly disinterested in playing hard at this point in his career. If it comes easy to him, he will do it, but if it requires effort he's just not into it. Dwight is only 31, so he should still physically be in his prime, but he has already been in the league for 13 years and he has taken a pounding over that time. He does not protect the rim the way he used to and his offense is basically non-existent other than finishing lobs or easy putbacks. He claims he is working on a 3-pointer in the off-season, but given his lifetime of free throw struggles, I cannot even begin to fathom that he will succeed in being a decent shooter from 20+ feet, even if teams left him wide open out there.

So, the Hawks need everything, which means I was free to pick whoever I want.

The Pick:
http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/anunoby-of-the-indiana-hoosiers-dunks-the-ball-against-the-maryland-picture-id638879952

Here is what I like about OG Anunoby-- other than the fact that he LOOKS DOWN AT THE RIM when he dunks -- he plays defense like a demon. He's long, 6-7 with a 7-2 wingspan, and he is a freak athlete with tremendous quickness. He was one of the best defenders in all of college basketball last year and his combination of length and lateral quickness gives him the unique ability to guard virtually every position on the floor. He somewhat reminds me of a guy like Kawhi Leonard (who was drafted in the middle of the first round and who took a few years to grow into a real offensive threat but was a great defender from day one). OG is not a polished offensive player yet, though scouts say he has good form on his 3-point jumper and could develop it. No matter what, he will be able to score with his athleticism. This is a guy who looked like a certain lottery-pick back in January... and then he blew out his ACL. It is telling that Indiana tanked when OG went down. He was clearly a huge driving force behind their success (they were 13-6 with him, and 5-10 without him). Obviously, I worry about how he will come back from the injury, but if he returns to form then I am getting a mid-lottery steal in the back half of the first round. If not... well, I sorta want the Hawks to suck for a few years so we can stockpile some young assets.

Other Considerations: I came very close to taking one of the many talented, athletic big men who are available here. Jarrett Allen and Bam Adebayo got looooong looks from me. I would have no problem with the real Hawks taking either of those guys (and if Harry Giles is available here, I will personally burn Philips Arena to the ground if the Hawks pass on him). I would have loved to have gotten some outside shooting, something the Hawks really need, but there just isn't any available with this pick (the only way I don't burn Philips to the ground is if the Hawks take Luke Kennard instead of Giles if Kennard is available).

The Dirty Truth: I probably should have taken Justin Jackson here. I think he is the player most ready to help a NBA team at this point and I love his mid-range game. He scores in the kinds of ways I see NBA players score. He developed a nice 3-point stroke in college, which tells me he can grow as a shooter... but I just couldn't do it. If I took off my Duke blinders I would probably have picked him... though, as I said, I'm not that upset at the prospect of the Hawks being bad for a couple years so grabbing a guy who helps right away like Jackson may not be what is best for the future of the franchise.

-Jason "that... was... long!" Evans

[BD80]

... The Dirty Truth: I probably should have taken Justin Jackson here. I think he is the player most ready to help a NBA team at this point and I love his mid-range game. He scores in the kinds of ways I see NBA players score. He developed a nice 3-point stroke in college, which tells me he can grow as a shooter... but I just couldn't do it. If I took off my Duke blinders I would probably have picked him... though, as I said, I'm not that upset at the prospect of the Hawks being bad for a couple years so grabbing a guy who helps right away like Jackson may not be what is best for the future of the franchise.

-Jason "that... was... long!" Evans

I just don't see JJ as having that fire that will let him compete in the NBA. He had a tendency to disappear at unc, and that type of player generally does not do well in the real man's league.

[JNort]

I just don't see JJ as having that fire that will let him compete in the NBA. He had a tendency to disappear at unc, and that type of player generally does not do well in the real man's league.

That and he is a good shooter, not great. Average rebounder, below average ability to dribble, below average passer, average finisher and an ok defender.

[Henderson]

First of all, I have told Henderson he can change his pick provided it happens before Dev11 (who lives in Denver and therefore may post late due to time zone stuff) picks.

Thanks, but I'm good and don't want to hold folks up. Let's let Dev11 have time to see that he's up next and make a considered pick.

Maybe next time there could be some modification of the rules to account for time zones By making a pick at 2 a.m., the person ahead of me put me on the clock from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. my time. I picked in time, but that put Dev11 on the clock from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. his time. Just something to keep in mind for the future.

[gocanes0506]

JasonEvans

A team that isn't Portland, Lakers, or Magic would be beyond dumb to take Giles. Those three have a 2nd 1st rounder low enough to warrant the risk factor. He may have the talent of a 10th pick but his knees put him at too much risk to take before 20. I guess the too talent teams could afford to take him in the last few picks and stow him away.

I'd be happy to eat my crow but I would feel bad for all my fellow Atlantans that are hawks fans if they took Giles. He has injury bust written all over him. It isn't worth the risk without another 1st round pick as insurance. Hawks need roster ready talent to continue their regular season decency in hopes a star decides to be an addition to the roster during FA. I don't think Giles is there yet.

[Dev11]

Sorry for the delay. I'm Dev11, GM of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and I'm here build around the most eye-poppingly athletic dude in basketball while playing in the same conference as the Warriors. Russell Westbrook may not be long for our humble city, so we want to target immediate impact players to try to snag a series from Golden State in the next two seasons (great, really, just fantastic, I love this job).

I want a guy who will take care of the basketball, and since we want to win now, I want some experience. With the 21st pick in the 2017 NBA mock draft, the Thunder select Justin Jackson, SF from UNC (barf). He's a capable offensive player who should help shoulder some of the load, and he doesn't get in the way of what we already do well. We also like that he's played on big stages (literally) and should be mature enough to contribute right away.

[JasonEvans]

JasonEvans

A team that isn't Portland, Lakers, or Magic would be beyond dumb to take Giles. Those three have a 2nd 1st rounder low enough to warrant the risk factor. He may have the talent of a 10th pick but his knees put him at too much risk to take before 20. I guess the too talent teams could afford to take him in the last few picks and stow him away.

I'd be happy to eat my crow but I would feel bad for all my fellow Atlantans that are hawks fans if they took Giles. He has injury bust written all over him. It isn't worth the risk without another 1st round pick as insurance. Hawks need roster ready talent to continue their regular season decency in hopes a star decides to be an addition to the roster during FA. I don't think Giles is there yet.

What are the odds Harry Giles becomes an all-star talent? 5%? 15%? 30? Whatever they are, I think they are significantly higher than the odds that someone else you pick in the mid-late teens turns into a great player. The vast, vast majority of guys taken in the mid-late teens turn into decent, rotation players. Some turn into starters. Almost none of them turn into all-stars. I can get decent, rotation players relatively easily in today's NBA. Getting an all-star is muuuuch more difficult. I have no problem with my team shooting for the stars and taking a flier on a guy who may be a bust because the upside to taking a safe pick is extremely limited.

And that is why Harry Giles will be picked somewhere in the mid-low teens... because if you miss on him it just isn't that big a deal but if you hit on him it can change the future of your team.

-Jason "plus, being bad is actually a pretty good thing in the NBA... for some teams it is the only way to get an elite player" Evans

[JasonEvans]

Round 1

Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
Philadelphia - Gooch: Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas
Phoenix - pfrduke: De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Jayson Tatum, F Duke
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky
Minnesota - drummerdevil: Jonathan Isaac, F, FSU
New York - Ichabod Drain: Dennis Smith, PG, NC State
Dallas - brevity: Frank Ntilikina, PG, Belgium
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona
Charlotte - mattman91: Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga
Detroit - BD80: Luke Kennard, SG, Duke
Denver NSDukeFan: Harry Giles, PF, Duke
Miami - Newton 14: John Collins, PF/C, Wake Forest
Portland - Henderson: TJ Leaf, PF UCLA
Chicago - atoomer0881: Terrance Ferguson, SG, Australia
Milwaukee - kAzE: Donovan Mitchell, SG, Lousiville
Indiana - Edouble: Dwayne Bacon, SG/SF FSU
Atlanta - Jason Evans: OG Anunoby, SF Indiana
Portland - Henderson: Jonathan Jeanne, PF Guadaloupe
Oklahoma Cty - Dev11: Justin Jackson, SF, UNCheat
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Tyler Dorsey, SG, Oregon
Toronto - Nrrrrvous: Semi Ojeleye, SF/PF, SMU
Utah - Furniture: Bam Bam Adebayo, PF, Kentucky
Orlando - NashvilleDevil
Portland - Henderson
Brooklyn - Bob Green
LA Lakers - Troublemaker
San Antonio - JNort
Utah - Furniture


Round 2

Atlanta - Jason Evans
Phoenix - pfrduke
Orlando - NashvilleDevil
Sacramento - gocanes0506
Orlando - NashvilleDevil
Philadelphia - Gooch
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Chicago - atoomer0881
Philadelphia - Gooch
New Orleans - awhom111
Charlotte - mattman91
Utah - Furniture
Houston - duketaylor
New York - Ichabod Drain
Houston - duketaylor
Philadelphia - Gooch
Indiana - Edouble
Milwaukee - kAzE
Denver - NSDukeFan
Philadelphia - Gooch
Denver - NSDukeFan
Washington - jjredickrules
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Phoenix - pfrduke
Utah - Furniture
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Brooklyn - Bob Green
New York - Ichabod Drain
San Antonio - JNort
Atlanta - Jason Evans

[Bob Green]

Brooklyn had their eyes on Justin Jackson but he just left the board so with the 22nd pick they go with Tyler Dorsey from Oregon. Brooklyn needs to add outside shooting and Dorsey has the range and confidence to excel in the NBA.

[Truth&Justise]

Brooklyn had their eyes on Justin Jackson but he just left the board so with the 22nd pick they go with Tyler Dorsey from Oregon. Brooklyn needs to add outside shooting and Dorsey has the range and confidence to excel in the NBA.

Definitely defying convention there. DraftExpress and NBAdraft.net both have Dorsey at #49, for what that's worth.

[Bob Green]

Definitely defying convention there.

I fully expect the guy I have my eye on for pick #27 to still be there when it is my turn.

There are a couple of strategies one can employ when drafting:

1. Take the best player available.
2. Address team needs.

I'm going with option 2 and Brooklyn needs outside shooting.

[Truth&Justise]

I fully expect the guy I have my eye on for pick #27 to still be there when it is my turn.

There are a couple of strategies one can employ when drafting:

1. Take the best player available.
2. Address team needs.

I'm going with option 2 and Brooklyn needs outside shooting.

Makes sense, especially when you're not allowed to trade your picks to move down.

[mattman91]

First of all, I have told Henderson he can change his pick provided it happens before Dev11 (who lives in Denver and therefore may post late due to time zone stuff) picks. I feel truly awful about my angst over the timing of everything yesterday so y'all should not worry very much about missing deadlines today.



In any event, regarding Anunoby...

I hate this pick. I feel like there are about 15 guys I really like in this draft and I had hopes one of them would slip to me. Sadly, it did not happen. So, before I discuss the pick, let me discuss the Hawks.

Team Outlook: For a team that just made the playoffs for the 10th consecutive year (only the Spurs have a longer active streak) the Hawks need... well... just about everything. Somehow, Atlanta has managed to construct a roster good enough to be a solid playoff team year after year but with few hopes of taking the next step. The are cursed with the worst thing that can happen to a NBA team -- they are good, but don't have a single great player on their roster. So, they are not an attractive free agent destination, they don't get good draft picks, and it is hard to get excited about their prospects.

The Roster: The Hawks best player is PF Paul Milsaps, who is one of the better stretch 4s in the NBA. He would be a great 2nd or 3rd complimentary piece to a star player. But, with no star player he is forced to take on a bigger role for the Hawks and he simply isn't a star. Whats more, he's a free agent and someone is going to give him the max (Milsaps recently declined his $21+ mil player option for the upcoming season because he knows he is going to get closer to $30 mil as a free agent). He ain't worth the max, but that is what he is going to get and I'm not sure the Hawks will mortgage their future to pay him. This past season was a break out one for PG Dennis Schroder. He is still inconsistent but is capable of rising up and carrying the team at times. Again, he'd be a wonderful compliment to a great player, but the Hawks ain't got no great players. The club feels excited about the future of SF Taurean Prince who came on strong late in his rookie campaign. He needs to develop a better shot, but brings a lot of athleticism to the table and looks like he could be a good piece for the future of the club.

The team is saddled with a pair of really bad contracts. Kent Bazemore is due to make $16.9/$18.1/$19.2 over the next 3 years. He's a good defender but isn't worth anything close to that kind of money. And then there is the man in the middle -- Dwight Howard will make $47+ million over the next 2 years and he seems utterly disinterested in playing hard at this point in his career. If it comes easy to him, he will do it, but if it requires effort he's just not into it. Dwight is only 31, so he should still physically be in his prime, but he has already been in the league for 13 years and he has taken a pounding over that time. He does not protect the rim the way he used to and his offense is basically non-existent other than finishing lobs or easy putbacks. He claims he is working on a 3-pointer in the off-season, but given his lifetime of free throw struggles, I cannot even begin to fathom that he will succeed in being a decent shooter from 20+ feet, even if teams left him wide open out there.

So, the Hawks need everything, which means I was free to pick whoever I want.

The Pick:
http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/anunoby-of-the-indiana-hoosiers-dunks-the-ball-against-the-maryland-picture-id638879952

Here is what I like about OG Anunoby-- other than the fact that he LOOKS DOWN AT THE RIM when he dunks -- he plays defense like a demon. He's long, 6-7 with a 7-2 wingspan, and he is a freak athlete with tremendous quickness. He was one of the best defenders in all of college basketball last year and his combination of length and lateral quickness gives him the unique ability to guard virtually every position on the floor. He somewhat reminds me of a guy like Kawhi Leonard (who was drafted in the middle of the first round and who took a few years to grow into a real offensive threat but was a great defender from day one). OG is not a polished offensive player yet, though scouts say he has good form on his 3-point jumper and could develop it. No matter what, he will be able to score with his athleticism. This is a guy who looked like a certain lottery-pick back in January... and then he blew out his ACL. It is telling that Indiana tanked when OG went down. He was clearly a huge driving force behind their success (they were 13-6 with him, and 5-10 without him). Obviously, I worry about how he will come back from the injury, but if he returns to form then I am getting a mid-lottery steal in the back half of the first round. If not... well, I sorta want the Hawks to suck for a few years so we can stockpile some young assets.

Other Considerations: I came very close to taking one of the many talented, athletic big men who are available here. Jarrett Allen and Bam Adebayo got looooong looks from me. I would have no problem with the real Hawks taking either of those guys (and if Harry Giles is available here, I will personally burn Philips Arena to the ground if the Hawks pass on him). I would have loved to have gotten some outside shooting, something the Hawks really need, but there just isn't any available with this pick (the only way I don't burn Philips to the ground is if the Hawks take Luke Kennard instead of Giles if Kennard is available).

The Dirty Truth: I probably should have taken Justin Jackson here. I think he is the player most ready to help a NBA team at this point and I love his mid-range game. He scores in the kinds of ways I see NBA players score. He developed a nice 3-point stroke in college, which tells me he can grow as a shooter... but I just couldn't do it. If I took off my Duke blinders I would probably have picked him... though, as I said, I'm not that upset at the prospect of the Hawks being bad for a couple years so grabbing a guy who helps right away like Jackson may not be what is best for the future of the franchise.

-Jason "that... was... long!" Evans

I actually like this pick. I think he may be a sleeper in this year's draft.

[JNort]

I fully expect the guy I have my eye on for pick #27 to still be there when it is my turn.

There are a couple of strategies one can employ when drafting:

1. Take the best player available.
2. Address team needs.

I'm going with option 2 and Brooklyn needs outside shooting.
Same. I see two guys I want and both should still be there

[JasonEvans]

Same. I see two guys I want and both should still be there

There are 3 guys I am eyeing with the first pick of the 2nd round and I bet there is some overlap here. I suspect some of us may be disappointed.

[fidel]

As an outsider on this draft, I would vote that if someone is late in their GM duties - that pick MUST be Bill Walton wearing his knee pads !

Ewww.

[Nrrrrvous]

The new GM of the Toronto Raptors is driving home right now. He will place his pick in 20 mins. Or so.

[Furniture]

The new GM of Utah Jazz is Nervousssly awaiting in the back room studying all of the options....

[Nrrrrvous]

With the 23rd pick of the 2017 Mock Draft, the Toronto Raptors choose Semi Ojeleye.

Our number one goal this summer is to keep Kyle Lowry around, we saw what a drop-off there is when he was out this year. We feel as though Joseph, Wright and VanVleet provide us with some ball handling behind him that will come along a little more next year. We are also feeling pretty strong down low with Ibaka/Patterson/Valanciunas/et al. What we could use is another wing that can possibly fill it up when DeRozan and Carroll are out. We love Semi's athletic ability (40.5" Vertical) and feel that in a year or two he could become a solid piece to our young puzzle.

[Furniture]

With the 24th pick of the 2017 NBA draft the new Utah Jazz GM (freshly back from a spicy scouting trip to India) picks Bam Adebeyo. I had really liked the look of TJ Leaf but that new GM of Portland nabbed him! Looking at last years team Utah lacked energy so this is a kid who really fights for his team. Originally from North Carolina the kid had a great year at Kentucky averaging 13 points and 8 rebounds per game. He is also a bloody good shot blocker.

[JNort]

With the 23rd pick of the 2017 Mock Draft, the Toronto Raptors choose Semi Ojeleye.

Our number one goal this summer is to keep Kyle Lowry around, we saw what a drop-off there is when he was out this year. We feel as though Joseph, Wright and VanVleet provide us with some ball handling behind him that will come along a little more next year. We are also feeling pretty strong down low with Ibaka/Patterson/Valanciunas/et al. What we could use is another wing that can possibly fill it up when DeRozan and Carroll are out. We love Semi's athletic ability (40.5" Vertical) and feel that in a year or two he could become a solid piece to our young puzzle.

Heck of a pick! If he has the right attitude and is willing to commit on defense and distributing the ball more he could become something similar to a Draymond Green for a team. He is strong and very athletic and can do a little bit of everything but really should work on getting teammates more involved. He is one of my steals of the draft along with Giles, ... and ... (can't say them yet cause I wanna draft one of em)

[JasonEvans]

Heck of a pick! If he has the right attitude and is willing to commit on defense and distributing the ball more he could become something similar to a Draymond Green for a team. He is strong and very athletic and can do a little bit of everything but really should work on getting teammates more involved. He is one of my steals of the draft along with Giles, ... and ... (can't say them yet cause I wanna draft one of em)

Yup, this is one of the guys I had an eye on for the first pick of the 2nd round. I had a feeling he would not last. It is really hard to say how Semi will fare against stepped up competition. Don't forget that he amassed his impressive stats this year in the AAC, which is a pretty large step down from the Power 5 conferences (as well as the Big East). He was just the best athlete on the floor in 90% of his games. That will not be the case in the NBA.

I know there is talk about him as a stretch 4, and his 3pt percentage this year shows he will be able to hit shots from distance in the NBA, but he measured a shade under 6-7 at the NBA combine with a fairly pedestrian 6-9 wingspan. The Draymond Green comparison omits the part where Draymond has almost a 7-2 wingspan.

It may be a tad early for him, but I like the pick and like his potential. I think he is a rotation guy who has a chance to be something more than that. He clearly has great work ethic (look at how much he improved after leaving Duke) and that counts a lot too. Nice pick.

[JasonEvans]

With the 24th pick of the 2017 NBA draft the new Utah Jazz GM (freshly back from a spicy scouting trip to India) picks Bam Adebeyo. I had really liked the look of TJ Leaf but that new GM of Portland nabbed him! Looking at last years team Utah lacked energy so this is a kid who really fights for his team. Originally from North Carolina the kid had a great year at Kentucky averaging 13 points and 8 rebounds per game. He is also a bloody good shot blocker.

Like I said, I was looking hard at this guy several picks ago, so I think he took was a good selection. It is worth noting that NBADraft.net has him #15 so they think you got a steal.

[Nrrrrvous]

Heck of a pick! If he has the right attitude and is willing to commit on defense and distributing the ball more he could become something similar to a Draymond Green for a team. He is strong and very athletic and can do a little bit of everything but really should work on getting teammates more involved. He is one of my steals of the draft along with Giles, ... and ... (can't say them yet cause I wanna draft one of em)

That could end up being a good comparison. He's built like a PF but very comfortable out in space. Although most sites are classifying him as a 4, I could see him spending some time at the 3, especially if he continues to work on his shot. Could definitely stand to work on his passing a bit. He's one that I'm looking forward to following next year.

[JNort]

Yup, this is one of the guys I had an eye on for the first pick of the 2nd round. I had a feeling he would not last. It is really hard to say how Semi will fare against stepped up competition. Don't forget that he amassed his impressive stats this year in the AAC, which is a pretty large step down from the Power 5 conferences (as well as the Big East). He was just the best athlete on the floor in 90% of his games. That will not be the case in the NBA.

I know there is talk about him as a stretch 4, and his 3pt percentage this year shows he will be able to hit shots from distance in the NBA, but he measured a shade under 6-7 at the NBA combine with a fairly pedestrian 6-9 wingspan. The Draymond Green comparison omits the part where Draymond has almost a 7-2 wingspan.

It may be a tad early for him, but I like the pick and like his potential. I think he is a rotation guy who has a chance to be something more than that. He clearly has great work ethic (look at how much he improved after leaving Duke) and that counts a lot too. Nice pick.
He does also jump more than 7 inches higher than Draymond. I'm not saying that's who he will be but who I would be trying to get him to mold his game after.

[brevity]

Utah - Furniture: Bam Bam Adebayo, PF, Kentucky

Odd spelling. Does he handle the rock by crushing it into Pebbles?

[BD80]

Brooklyn had their eyes on Justin Jackson but he just left the board so with the 22nd pick they go with Tyler Dorsey from Oregon. Brooklyn needs to add outside shooting and Dorsey has the range and confidence to excel in the NBA.


Definitely defying convention there. DraftExpress and NBAdraft.net both have Dorsey at #49, for what that's worth.


... There are a couple of strategies one can employ when drafting:

1. Take the best player available.
2. Address team needs.

I'm going with option 2 and Brooklyn needs outside shooting.

As I noted above, I hadn't really noticed how weak this draft is for shooting until we started this mock draft.

That fact will skew the "rankings" quite a bit, particularly given how important shooting has become in today's NBA.

It also gives me a sense that Frank Jackson will go higher than I originally expected.

[JNort]

As I noted above, I hadn't really noticed how weak this draft is for shooting until we started this mock draft.

That fact will skew the "rankings" quite a bit, particularly given how important shooting has become in today's NBA.

It also gives me a sense that Frank Jackson will go higher than I originally expected.

On this board in our mock draft or do you mean in real life? Cause I can assure you a Duke guy will always get drafted earlier than what experts say when we do our mock draft. :cool:

[Deslok]

On this board in our mock draft or do you mean in real life? Cause I can assure you a Duke guy will always get drafted earlier than what experts say when we do our mock draft. :cool:

I am shocked, shocked I say that there might be a tinge of bias here!

[JNort]

I am shocked, shocked I say that there might be a tinge of bias here!

I Frankly refuse to believe it happens. Justin Jackson just happened to slip and Giles just had a great workout.... wonder where Amile gets drafted....

[NashvilleDevil]

Orlando is taking Frank Jackson. I'm at the beach and write ups will be forthcoming.

[JNort]

Orlando is taking Frank Jackson. I'm at the beach and write ups will be forthcoming.

I wanna let you know that I really don't like you right now.... I thought there was no way anyone else would take him before me :(

Well that's 3 of my 4 sleepers (Giles, Semi and Frank)

[Henderson]

#26 -- Portland -- Isaiah Hartenstein C/F (Germany)

Legit 7 footer who just turned 19 last month. And he has an outside shot, a valuable commodity for a guy of that size. Although he generally plays center, we think we might be able to use him flexibly to possibly create mismatches perhaps as a stretch 4. We'll see. He's still very young. He has pretty good moves to the basket, can shoot from outside reasonably well, and moves fluidly for such a big guy.

This far down in the first round, you either draft a role player or someone whose upside might be higher than the draft position. We think he could be both, and Portland could use more talented big guys. We've got several big guys who just aren't ever going to be that great. Unfortunately, Portland will probably be among the teams that make the playoffs most years but don't have the talent to break through. Having drafted 3 players in the first round this year, we're a little overstocked and will be looking to trade serviceable personnel for draft picks.

Bonus for this pick: Hartenstein was born in Eugene, Oregon and lived there until he was 11. So there's a marketing angle.

And with that, Portland is done. No second round picks.

[Bob Green]

With the 27th pick, Brooklyn selects Tyler Lydon, forward, Syracuse.

[Troublemaker]

Wow, this draft is deep. Magic and I didn't expect to have such a difficult decision at the 28th pick, but we think there are two (maybe three) prospects remaining who project to be quality starting centers in the modern NBA. Now, which one to choose, which one to choose....

In the end, the Lakers were won over by Justin Patton. Magic and I are thrilled that we could grab a center with his fluidity and skill (highlight reel (https://youtu.be/mzZUNYTNGeQ?t=21s)) late in the first round. Patton is going to be one of the best rollers in the league and will even hit threes. We love him.

[Troublemaker]

Well that's 3 of my 4 sleepers (Giles, Semi and Frank)

Magic wants to know if we stole your 4th sleeper, JNort. He thinks we did.

[kAzE]

Wow, this draft is deep. Magic and I didn't expect to have such a difficult decision at the 28th pick, but we think there are two (maybe three) prospects remaining who project to be quality starting centers in the modern NBA. Now, which one to choose, which one to choose...

In the end, the Lakers were won over by Justin Patton. Magic and I are thrilled that we could grab a center with his fluidity and skill (highlight reel (https://youtu.be/mzZUNYTNGeQ?t=21s)) late in the first round. Patton is going to be one of the best rollers in the league and will even hit threes. We love him.

Nice pick, I was genuinely torn between Donovan Mitchell and Justin Patton at #17. I'm very surprised he lasted until 28.

[JNort]

With the 29th pick in the 2017 draft the San Antonio Spurs select.... Josh Hart from Villanova.

This decision ended up being more difficult than expected in that the Spurs while aging at pg and sg (Parker and Ginobli) seemingly have a couple of decent young talents in Murray and Simmons who showed they have some potential to become something more.

The Spurs are also in need of a big man with Aldridge not being who they hoped he would be and Pau Gasol falling into the same boat as Parker and Manu in the aging category.

Would have loved to select Frank Jackson at this spot so he could learn to play pg and still provide scoring off the bench in perhaps a 2 guard role. He was the safest pick and had the most upside imo.

So with no other viable pg prospects imo worth this selection it came down to a sg or big man. This was very difficult because the need is worse at center/power forward but we felt Hart was just such a good fit we couldn't pass him up. He improved every year in college, was a good shooter and defender and a great overall team player. At worst we think he will be among the best 3 and D players in the NBA and at best he could be our own Jimmy Butler who went at the same spot several years ago. There are some noticeable differences obviously but we believe with the coaching we have he could truly develop into a top 3 option on a championship contender.

[JNort]

I still see a few very intriguing guys I would love to draft, hopefully they fall all the way down (doubtful).

[JasonEvans]

Here is where we stand...

Round 1

Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
Philadelphia - Gooch: Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas
Phoenix - pfrduke: De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Jayson Tatum, F Duke
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky
Minnesota - drummerdevil: Jonathan Isaac, F, FSU
New York - Ichabod Drain: Dennis Smith, PG, NC State
Dallas - brevity: Frank Ntilikina, PG, Belgium
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona
Charlotte - mattman91: Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga
Detroit - BD80: Luke Kennard, SG, Duke
Denver NSDukeFan: Harry Giles, PF, Duke
Miami - Newton 14: John Collins, PF/C, Wake Forest
Portland - Henderson: TJ Leaf, PF UCLA
Chicago - atoomer0881: Terrance Ferguson, SG, Australia
Milwaukee - kAzE: Donovan Mitchell, SG, Lousiville
Indiana - Edouble: Dwayne Bacon, SG/SF FSU
Atlanta - Jason Evans: OG Anunoby, SF Indiana
Portland - Henderson: Jonathan Jeanne, PF Guadaloupe
Oklahoma Cty - Dev11: Justin Jackson, SF, UNCheat
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Tyler Dorsey, SG, Oregon
Toronto - Nrrrrvous: Semi Ojeleye, SF/PF, SMU
Utah - Furniture: Bam Bam Adebayo, PF, Kentucky
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Frank Jackson, PG, Duke
Portland - Henderson: Isaiah Hartenstein, PF/C, Germany
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Tyler Lydon, F, Syracuse
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Justin Patton, C, Creighton
San Antonio - JNort: Josh Hart, SG, Villanova
Utah - Furniture: Jordan Bell, PF, Oregon

Round 2

Atlanta - Jason Evans: Jarrett Allen, C, Texas
Phoenix - pfrduke
Orlando - NashvilleDevil
Sacramento - gocanes0506
Orlando - NashvilleDevil
Philadelphia - Gooch
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Chicago - atoomer0881
Philadelphia - Gooch
New Orleans - awhom111
Charlotte - mattman91
Utah - Furniture
Houston - duketaylor
New York - Ichabod Drain
Houston - duketaylor
Philadelphia - Gooch
Indiana - Edouble
Milwaukee - kAzE
Denver - NSDukeFan
Philadelphia - Gooch
Denver - NSDukeFan
Washington - jjredickrules
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Phoenix - pfrduke
Utah - Furniture
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Brooklyn - Bob Green
New York - Ichabod Drain
San Antonio - JNort
Atlanta - Jason Evans

[Furniture]

With the 30th pick in the 2017 NBA draft Utah pick Jordon Bell from Oregon. Jordan has a high energy, consistent and very solid style. He really impressed at the combine. All in all too good to pass on at this point in the draft with him still being available.

[Henderson]

Hey, @JasonEvans: Portland chose Isaiah Hartenstein, not Hartensen. It's not a big deal until some 14 year old from New Jersey shows up at your office and demands a contract.

[JasonEvans]

So, let me see if I understand...

NBADraft.net says Jarrett Allen is the #12 pick in the draft
Draftexpress has him as the #17 pick
ESPN puts him at #19

And he is still on the board for me to draft in the 2nd round?!?!?!

Ummmm, the Atlanta Hawks love the notion of a big man who can develop over a couple years and then replace Dwight Howard when Superman's incredibly expensive contract is up. Allen has an impressive 7-5 reach and is known for his remarkably big hands. He already shows signs of being incredibly adept at finishing off the pick and roll, a very valuable trait (as Tristan Thompson has been proving in the wrong way over the past several NBA Finals games). Allen is long, athletic, fast, and has a solid frame already. As he matures, he has the potential to be an impact center. No, he will never be an outside shooting threat, but he does just about everything else you could want from a big man.

I'm stunned he was still on the board for me. In the real draft, he will not be available in this spot.

-Jason "sorry for the mixup on the draft sheet... thanks for fixing, pfr!" Evans

[pfrduke]

Thought Allen might slip one more pick. Since he didn't, and since this player is also being mocked well ahead of the current selection, Phoenix selects Ike Anigbogu, UCLA. As I mentioned earlier, the Suns need some frontline help and taking a high upside 6'10" center to potentially play alongside Chriss or Bender sounds like a deal to us.

[JNort]

So, let me see if I understand...

NBADraft.net says Jarrett Allen is the #12 pick in the draft
Draftexpress has him as the #17 pick
ESPN puts him at #19

And he is still on the board for me to draft in the 2nd round?!?!?!

Ummmm, the Atlanta Hawks love the notion of a big man who can develop over a couple years and then replace Dwight Howard when Superman's incredibly expensive contract is up. Allen has an impressive 7-5 reach and is known for his remarkably big hands. He already shows signs of being incredibly adept at finishing off the pick and roll, a very valuable trait (as Tristan Thompson has been proving in the wrong way over the past several NBA Finals games). Allen is long, athletic, fast, and has a solid frame already. As he matures, he has the potential to be an impact center. No, he will never be an outside shooting threat, but he does just about everything else you could want from a big man.

I'm stunned he was still on the board for me. In the real draft, he will not be available in this spot.

-Jason "sorry for the mixup on the draft sheet... thanks for fixing, pfr!" Evans

Yeah I really debated him and a couple of other bigs for the Spurs and I bet the real Spurs would have pulled the trigger on him.

[NashvilleDevil]

Showing that Roy can produce OADs. Orlando is taking Tony Bradley in the 2nd round.

[JasonEvans]

Showing that Roy can produce OADs. Orlando is taking Tony Bradley in the 2nd round.

If it was not for all the experts rating Allen as a top 20 pick, making it impossible for me to pass on him in the 30s, I would have given Bradley a long look. I think he has very nice potential. Great hands and shows lots of touch around the basket. Having a 7-5 wingspan is a help too, but he's not an elite run/jump athlete who can protect the rim and he hasn't shown much ability to step outside the lane to make baskets. Still, at this point in the draft, a very nice pick, I think.

[JasonEvans]

Round 1

Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
Philadelphia - Gooch: Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas
Phoenix - pfrduke: De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Jayson Tatum, F Duke
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky
Minnesota - drummerdevil: Jonathan Isaac, F, FSU
New York - Ichabod Drain: Dennis Smith, PG, NC State
Dallas - brevity: Frank Ntilikina, PG, Belgium
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona
Charlotte - mattman91: Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga
Detroit - BD80: Luke Kennard, SG, Duke
Denver NSDukeFan: Harry Giles, PF, Duke
Miami - Newton 14: John Collins, PF/C, Wake Forest
Portland - Henderson: TJ Leaf, PF UCLA
Chicago - atoomer0881: Terrance Ferguson, SG, Australia
Milwaukee - kAzE: Donovan Mitchell, SG, Lousiville
Indiana - Edouble: Dwayne Bacon, SG/SF FSU
Atlanta - Jason Evans: OG Anunoby, SF Indiana
Portland - Henderson: Jonathan Jeanne, PF Guadaloupe
Oklahoma Cty - Dev11: Justin Jackson, SF, UNCheat
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Tyler Dorsey, SG, Oregon
Toronto - Nrrrrvous: Semi Ojeleye, SF/PF, SMU
Utah - Furniture: Bam Bam Adebayo, PF, Kentucky
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Frank Jackson, PG, Duke
Portland - Henderson: Isaiah Hartenstein, PF/C, Germany
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Tyler Lydon, F, Syracuse
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Justin Patton, C, Creighton
San Antonio - JNort: Josh Hart, SG, Villanova
Utah - Furniture: Jordan Bell, PF, Oregon

Round 2

Atlanta - Jason Evans: Jarrett Allen, C, Texas
Phoenix - pfrduke: Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Tony Bradley, PF, UNCheat
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Frank Mason, PG, Kansas
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Ivan Rabb, PF/C, Cal
Philadelphia - Gooch
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Chicago - atoomer0881
Philadelphia - Gooch
New Orleans - awhom111
Charlotte - mattman91
Utah - Furniture
Houston - duketaylor
New York - Ichabod Drain
Houston - duketaylor
Philadelphia - Gooch
Indiana - Edouble
Milwaukee - kAzE
Denver - NSDukeFan
Philadelphia - Gooch
Denver - NSDukeFan
Washington - jjredickrules
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Phoenix - pfrduke
Utah - Furniture
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Brooklyn - Bob Green
New York - Ichabod Drain
San Antonio - JNort
Atlanta - Jason Evans

[gocanes0506]

Ok Sacremento's shot. We need a PG badly but there are a bunch of forwards available that were supposed to go earlier. There are a bunch of decent but need growth or seniors that lack one element and are deemed to have little potential left.

I believe the most ready and best PG option left is:

The Kings select: Frank Mason, Kansas.

He is athletic, a good leader, is great with the pick and roll, and scores. His one knock is his height. He is the shortest of PG prospects. Which wont change but I would bring him on to facilitate the O. I believe his is highly underrated at this point.

[English]

With the 29th pick in the 2017 draft the San Antonio Spurs select... Josh Hart from Villanova.

This decision ended up being more difficult than expected in that the Spurs while aging at pg and sg (Parker and Ginobli) seemingly have a couple of decent young talents in Murray and Simmons who showed they have some potential to become something more.

The Spurs are also in need of a big man with Aldridge not being who they hoped he would be and Pau Gasol falling into the same boat as Parker and Manu in the aging category.

Would have loved to select Frank Jackson at this spot so he could learn to play pg and still provide scoring off the bench in perhaps a 2 guard role. He was the safest pick and had the most upside imo.
So with no other viable pg prospects imo worth this selection it came down to a sg or big man. This was very difficult because the need is worse at center/power forward but we felt Hart was just such a good fit we couldn't pass him up. He improved every year in college, was a good shooter and defender and a great overall team player. At worst we think he will be among the best 3 and D players in the NBA and at best he could be our own Jimmy Butler who went at the same spot several years ago. There are some noticeable differences obviously but we believe with the coaching we have he could truly develop into a top 3 option on a championship contender.

I don't dislike the pick, and I guess you're getting into the spirit of NBA Draft analysis with some pretty stark hyperbole, but I'd like to unpack a couple of points in this write-up...

"Would have loved to select Frank Jackson at this spot so he could learn to play pg and still provide scoring off the bench in perhaps a 2 guard role. He was the safest pick and had the most upside imo."
This is a bit confusing--Frank Jackson was the safest pick and had the most upside of whom? The players no longer on the board? The players projected by the draft sites to be available at this point in the first round (even though those same sites have him going in the second round)? Saying that Frank Jackson is the safest pick (despite needing to learn to play PG) with the most upside at this point in the draft (or at any point in the first round) is, um, highly questionable. Duke affinity notwithstanding, but c'mon now, Frank may become a strong rotation player in the NBA, but safest and highest upside don't really describe him at this stage in his development.

"At worst we think [Josh Hart] will be among the best 3 and D players in the NBA."
You explicitly say this is the thinking of the Spurs new GM, to which you're certainly entitled, but the phrases at worst and among the best in the NBA don't belong together when talking about a player at the very back-end of the first round. If Hart's floor was to be among the best 3 and D (top-10, top-15, even top-20) players in the NBA, he's not dropping out of the lottery. The 3 and D specialty in the League has never been more coveted. Is Josh Hart's worst-case scenario really to be one of the best 3 and D guys in the NBA?

[kAzE]

Is Josh Hart's worst-case scenario really to be one of the best 3 and D guys in the NBA?

An early 2nd round pick's worst case is usually "out of the league within 2 years"

I see Hart sticking around, though. He's athletic enough to hang with the stars of the league on defense, and he's an average shooter (39% from 3 and 72% from the foul line at Villanova), so he is a 3 and D guy. But I think his "roof" would be one of the better 3 and D guys in the league, not his floor.

His best case scenario I think is next year's version of Malcolm Brogdon.

[NashvilleDevil]

Orlando is taking Ivan Rabb out of Cal.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Orlando is taking Ivan Rabb out of Cal.

Great pick. So much potential.

[JasonEvans]

Orlando is taking Ivan Rabb out of Cal.

Dude was a lock for the 2016 lottery pretty much his entire freshman campaign. He decided to come back to school and had a meh soph season and now finds himself going in the 2nd round (I won't be shocked if he goes in the 2nd in the real draft too). I think his decision to play for Cuonzo Martin at Cal was a big mistake. They were 289th in tempo according to KenPom and Rabb is the kind of guy who needs to get out and run to take advantage of his mobility and agility. He's not a good outside shooter and has struggled at the FT line, which is often seen as a sign of someone who will have trouble developing a 3-point shot.

He's a good pick though and has a chance to become a pretty good player.

[Gooch]

With their next pick (first of four in the second round), the Sixers take Derrick White from Colorado.

White really impressed at the combine, showing more athleticism during the workouts than he tended to show during the season. He's big enough (6' 5") to play both guard positions. According to DraftExpress, Derrick was one of only 4 P5 conference players to average 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists (Fultz, Frank Mason, and Dennis Smith, Jr. were the others). His length (6' 7.5" wingspan) will help him fit into the aggressive defensive scheme the Sixers are working on.

He's a little older, having taken a long road from being a Division II All-American to the Buffs, but I like that he's had to keep pushing to make it to this point in his career. Some mock drafts are projecting Derrick White as a late first-round pick, so the Sixers are excited to take him with the 36th pick.

I liked this DraftExpress write-up on Derrick: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Derrick-White-95407/

[flyingdutchdevil]

So....Celtics have a lot of good role players. We're not looking for role players. We're looking to be risky!

So, with the 37th pick in the draft, the Celtics select Caleb Swanigan from Purdue! He's got a 9 foot standing reach, soft hands, and rebounds like Deandre Jordan. Swanigan is a risky player, because he loves to eat a la Sean May and lacks elite athleticism, but he could become a really great third banana (kinda like Horford).

[JNort]

I don't dislike the pick, and I guess you're getting into the spirit of NBA Draft analysis with some pretty stark hyperbole, but I'd like to unpack a couple of points in this write-up...

"Would have loved to select Frank Jackson at this spot so he could learn to play pg and still provide scoring off the bench in perhaps a 2 guard role. He was the safest pick and had the most upside imo."
This is a bit confusing--Frank Jackson was the safest pick and had the most upside of whom? The players no longer on the board? The players projected by the draft sites to be available at this point in the first round (even though those same sites have him going in the second round)? Saying that Frank Jackson is the safest pick (despite needing to learn to play PG) with the most upside at this point in the draft (or at any point in the first round) is, um, highly questionable. Duke affinity notwithstanding, but c'mon now, Frank may become a strong rotation player in the NBA, but safest and highest upside don't really describe him at this stage in his development.

"At worst we think [Josh Hart] will be among the best 3 and D players in the NBA."
You explicitly say this is the thinking of the Spurs new GM, to which you're certainly entitled, but the phrases at worst and among the best in the NBA don't belong together when talking about a player at the very back-end of the first round. If Hart's floor was to be among the best 3 and D (top-10, top-15, even top-20) players in the NBA, he's not dropping out of the lottery. The 3 and D specialty in the League has never been more coveted. Is Josh Hart's worst-case scenario really to be one of the best 3 and D guys in the NBA?

I hyped him up a bit because I was trying to be in the GM persona but I do think he is one of the safest picks in this draft. I really want the Hornets to take him or Luke with their first pick and try to grab Frank in the 2nd or move back up at the end if the first.

50% chance he becomes one of the best 3 and D players in the NBA. 30% chance he pulls a Jimmy Butler and 10% he a rotation role player and 10% chance he's a total bust.

[atoomer0881]

As I made clear during our first round pick, the Bulls three main weaknesses last year were lack of athleticism, shooting, and defense. With most of the good shooters no longer available, we then looked on how improve our defense and athleticism.

Originally, we were deciding between a pair of teammates who played for South Carolina: PJ Dozier and Sindarius Thornwell. Both of those players had stellar seasons in leading their team on a remarkable Final Four run. And a big part of that was their smothering defense. However, given the abundance of players at the guard spot (Wade, Rondo, Butler, Valentine, and our first round pick Ferguson) we ultimately decided to look to add another player to our frontcourt.

Given our need there, we were hoping Ivan Rabb or Caleb Swanigan would still be available, however Orlando and Boston beat us to them! Therefore, the most logical pick was Johnathan Motley from Baylor. During his junior year, he averaged 17.3 ppg and 9.9 rbg while shooting 52% from the field. He has a very solid mid range game (42.5% on jump shots) as well as the ability to post up on the block and use a nice hook over either shoulder. He's got a high release on his jumper, and good touch, even on fade aways and turn arounds.

The 6'9" power forward sports an incredible 7'4" wingspan and 9'3" standing reach. He's a good finisher at the rim, having converted 62% of his attempts around the basket last year while averaging 1.3 points per possession. He's also a good rebounder, having pulled down 4.8 offensive rebounds and 8.0 defensive rebounds per 40-minutes. His 40 minute averages of 22.4 points, 12.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks on a 56.9% true shooting percentage helped him earn First-Team All-Conference honors in the Big 12 last year.

Motley has great end-to-end speed, and the ability to really get out on the break. Additionally, he’s a quick leaper who can get off the ground nicely. Motley possess the size, length and agility to operate in small lineups, which has become a favorite during this small-ball era. His speed will allow him to thrive in transition, and his versatile offensive game will allow him to be effective in the half court. He has all the physical tools to project success on the glass as well.

As long as he is able to develop a more polished offensive game and improves his effort on defense, we believe Motley has the potential to be a solid rotational player down the road, and perhaps even a starter if he continues to work on his game.

[Steven43]

Also from reading the fan boards there might be a revolt if the team takes another Dukie. So…

With the third pick in the draft, the Sixers take Josh Jackson from Kansas.
Wait....what? Why do you think 76ers fans might revolt if they take a Duke player? What is their history with Duke players that would make them feel this way? And aren't there undoubtedly a BUNCH of players from other schools who have not turned out so well for the 76ers? Why pick on Duke?

[Gooch]

Wait...what? Why do you think 76ers fans might revolt if they take a Duke player? What is their history with Duke players that would make them feel this way? And aren't there undoubtedly a BUNCH of players from other schools who have not turned out so well for the 76ers? Why pick on Duke?

The comments were mostly about the way Jah has worked out so far. Of course I agree with you! (That's why I almost picked Jayson...)

[Gooch]

Jason was right that I'd be busy in Round Two...

My plan was to use (at least) one of the Sixers' four 2nd round picks on a draft-and-stash type, seeing how the Sixers have had some history with these. I figured there would be good young players to choose from with this pick. And I nearly picked Rodions Kurucs from Latvia/Barcelona II, but he withdrew his name from the draft today!

Ok...I'm going to hold on my international pick(s) until a bit later...

With the 39th pick the Sixers take DJ Wilson from Michigan. Coming off a strong NCAA tournament, DJ has seen his prospect steadily rise (kinda like the hem on his shorts). He has the height and long arms to be the proverbial stretch-4 and has shown a good shooting stroke from deep. He runs the floor well and plays with a lot of energy. He'll need to toughen up a bit in the NBA, but hopefully he will as he continues to mature.

[JasonEvans]

Awhom111 tells me he is picking Dillon Brooks of Oregon. He will have details later.

[mattman91]

Jawun Evans, PG Oklahoma State -

Lets face it, the Hornets are a mess. Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum are the only bright spots on this team, so it was hard to pick another guard when there are so many other positions of need. The decision was down to Evans and Latvian small forward Rodions Kurucs, but in the end, Kurucs was too unproven to be taken this early in the second round. Would he have filled a more immediate need? Certainly. Our small forward situation is pathetic, but I don't think he is worth the gamble IMO.

Evans has a very similar style of play with many of the same strengths as Kemba Walker. This will make it an easy transition when Kemba is off of the floor resting. Not only that, but our current backup Ramon Sessions is going in to a team option next year after having an absolutely horrible season.

- mattman "glad I made my pick on time" 91

[Furniture]

With the 42nd pick in the NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz select Alec Peters

A Senior out of Valparaiso, Peters is a fantastic combination of size and shooting ability, a double-double machine averaging 23 points and 10.2.

[duketaylor]

Thomas Bryant, 6'10", 248, Indiana. 7'6" wingspan sophomore at 19 years old can hit from 3, but is a project, to a degree. Houston needs defense more than offense. Bryant has good size, and though listed as a center, his size is more NBA PF to me. Hopefully, he can be taught at the next level to improve defensive skills. I would expect Houston to look at free-agency as they didn't have a 1st-round pick to help on defense as well.

[Ichabod Drain]

Sindarius Thornwell, a senior from the University of South Carolina.

At 6'-5" and 214 pounds with a 6'10" wingspan Thornwell has an NBA body. He showed good improvement shooting the ball his senior year at 39% from three and 83% from the line. He averaged 21.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assist this past season while leading the Gamecocks to their first ever final four.

[awhom111]

Awhom111 tells me he is picking Dillon Brooks of Oregon. He will have details later.

The Pelicans only have this pick in the draft because our first rounder was sent to the Kings in the DeMarcus Cousins trade. While that trade got us another good player, we are now in a place where we need a lot of help and have very limited means to get it. With the addition of Cousins, that leaves four of the six largest guaranteed contracts we have for next season tied up in bigs. Re-signing Jrue Holiday would help the backcourt, but his tenure with us sums up our other issue of injuries, which have generally left us unable to see how our full team plays exactly. It seems unlikely that we would be able to make any significant moves to clear space so we will operate under the assumption that this pick should be used on a player that help this team in the upcoming season as opposed to a draft and stash candidate or another project, since our D League team is still a year away.

With the goal of finding the best shooting guard or small forward available, we have decided to pick Dillon Brooks, who has experience leading his team and shown improvement over the course of his career. He should be able to contribute immediately in a complementary role and has the ability to create his own shot should he need to be given a bigger role.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Sindarius Thornwell, a senior from the University of South Carolina.

At 6'-5" and 214 pounds with a 6'10" wingspan Thornwell has an NBA body. He showed good improvement shooting the ball his senior year at 39% from three and 83% from the line. He averaged 21.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assist this past season while leading the Gamecocks to their first ever final four.

A smaller (and hopefully better) Renaldo Balkman? Good pick - he is a talented, tough kid who won't settle for losing, though he will likely have to get used to it.

[duketaylor]

Mattias Lessort, 6'9", 250, Fort-de-France, Martinique.
."At 21-years old, Lessort is automatically eligible for the 2017 NBA Draft, and is in the midst of a very strong season, averaging 18.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.4 steals per-40 minutes. He ranks fourth overall in PER in the French League, and is also Top-10 in PER in the FIBA Europe Cup, where his team recently advanced to the semi-finals. Lessort has steadily progressed throughout this season and is making significant contributions to his team, who are 16-6 in the French league and currently tied for second place. Hes playing some of his best basketball as of late, posting a combined 35 points and 18 rebounds in 55 minutes in the home and away playoff quarterfinal series in FIBA Europe Cup against Usak from Turkey this past week. Playing with a huge motor, Mathias shows impressive physical tools, playing above the rim with the ease and having great speed in the open court and pick and roll. Lessort is a bit undersized for a center and doesnt show the type of scoring range or playmaking ability from someone who might play some power forward, even if his intensity level and length on defense does help ease some of those concerns. The way the NBA game is trending will certainly benefit him, as teams are far less reluctant to use 69 centers as in the past, especially one with Lessorts bulk." - Source: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Mathias-Lessort-73162/ ©DraftExpress

I didn't know about him, but picked him based on this assessment; seems he has defensive skills as well as some offensive. Whether that will translate to the next level is a question, but worth the pick, IMO.

[Edouble]

Jason, any chance on an updated list? I am starting to get confused on where we are with Houston having so many picks in Round 2. Thanks!

[duketaylor]

Jason, any chance on an updated list? I am starting to get confused on where we are with Houston having so many picks in Round 2. Thanks!

Just had 2, not like Gooch with 3;)

[JasonEvans]

Round 1

Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
Philadelphia - Gooch: Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas
Phoenix - pfrduke: De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Jayson Tatum, F Duke
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky
Minnesota - drummerdevil: Jonathan Isaac, F, FSU
New York - Ichabod Drain: Dennis Smith, PG, NC State
Dallas - brevity: Frank Ntilikina, PG, Belgium
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona
Charlotte - mattman91: Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga
Detroit - BD80: Luke Kennard, SG, Duke
Denver NSDukeFan: Harry Giles, PF, Duke
Miami - Newton 14: John Collins, PF/C, Wake Forest
Portland - Henderson: TJ Leaf, PF UCLA
Chicago - atoomer0881: Terrance Ferguson, SG, Australia
Milwaukee - kAzE: Donovan Mitchell, SG, Lousiville
Indiana - Edouble: Dwayne Bacon, SG/SF FSU
Atlanta - Jason Evans: OG Anunoby, SF Indiana
Portland - Henderson: Jonathan Jeanne, PF Guadaloupe
Oklahoma Cty - Dev11: Justin Jackson, SF, UNCheat
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Tyler Dorsey, SG, Oregon
Toronto - Nrrrrvous: Semi Ojeleye, SF/PF, SMU
Utah - Furniture: Bam Bam Adebayo, PF, Kentucky
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Frank Jackson, PG, Duke
Portland - Henderson: Isaiah Hartenstein, PF/C, Germany
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Tyler Lydon, F, Syracuse
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Justin Patton, C, Creighton
San Antonio - JNort: Josh Hart, SG, Villanova
Utah - Furniture: Jordan Bell, PF, Oregon

Round 2

Atlanta - Jason Evans: Jarrett Allen, C, Texas
Phoenix - pfrduke: Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Tony Bradley, PF, UNCheat
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Frank Mason, PG, Kansas
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Ivan Rabb, PF/C, Cal
Philadelphia - Gooch: Derrick White, SG, Colorado
Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Caleb Swanigan, PF, Purdue
Chicago - atoomer0881: Jonathan Motley, PF, Baylor
Philadelphia - Gooch: DJ Wilson, PF, Michigan
New Orleans - awhom111: Dillon Brooks, SF, Oregon
Charlotte - mattman91: Juwon Evans, PG, Oklahoma St
Utah - Furniture: Alec Peters, PF, Valparaiso
Houston - duketaylor: Thomas Bryant, PF/C, Indiana
New York - Ichabod Drain: Sindarius Thornwell, SF, South Carolina
Houston - duketaylor: Mattias Lessort, PF, France
Philadelphia - Gooch: Anzejs Pasecniks, C, Latvia
Indiana - Edouble: Jaron Blossomgame, SF, Clemson
Milwaukee - kAzE: Kyle Kuzma, PF, Utah
Denver - NSDukeFan: PJ Dozier, SG, South Carolina
Philadelphia - Gooch: LJ Peak, SG, Georgetown
Denver - NSDukeFan: Jonah Bolden, PF, Australia/UCLA
Washington - jjredickrules
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Phoenix - pfrduke
Utah - Furniture
Boston - flyingdutchdevil
Brooklyn - Bob Green
New York - Ichabod Drain
San Antonio - JNort
Atlanta - Jason Evans

[duketaylor]

Gooch, er, Philly, has 4 2nd round pix.

[tbyers11]

Gooch, er, Philly, has 4 2nd round pix.

Trust the process :D

[Gooch]

Trust the process :D

Back to the plan...with the 46th pick in the NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select Anzejs Pasecniks from Latvia. We will stash Anzejs in the Spanish league for at least another year to continue his development, which has taken off quite nicely of late.

Pasecniks is really tall (7' 2"), is athletic, and a bit of a late bloomer as his frame has really filled out since moving to the Canary Islands (I tried to get the Sixers to pay for my scouting trip, but no dice). The team will be looking to develop his stretch-4 game as he's shown good shooting ability from range. He'll need to work on his defense/rim protection and continue to bulk up so he can also play at center.

His stats in the ACB/EuroCup look very similar this past year to another Latvian prospect, which led some scouts to dub him "a poor man's Porzingis", and Gran Canaria's head coach, Luis Casimiro, actually coached Porzingis for the second half of his final season in Seville. Of course Pasecniks is unlikely to become that good, but should be able to contribute in a year or two when the Sixers are ready to actually sorta maybe? compete in the East.


This was another good writeup from DraftExpress: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Anzejs-Pasecniks-65023/

[kAzE]

Back to the plan...with the 46th pick in the NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select Anzejs Pasecniks from Latvia.

Nice pick. I was going to take this guy if he lasted 2 more picks. I'm glad I didn't have my write up already done . . .

[English]

Back to the plan...with the 46th pick in the NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select Anzejs Pasecniks from Latvia. We will stash Anzejs in the Spanish league for at least another year to continue his development, which has taken off quite nicely of late.

It'll be fun to listen to all the broadcasters pronounce this bro's name when he arrives stateside.

[Edouble]

With the 47th pick, the Indiana Pacers select Jaron Blossomgame from Clemson. Write-up later.

[kAzE]

Kyle Kuzma, forward, from Utah.

I was set to take P.J. Dozier, who has the athletic profile you would want in an NBA player, but then decided we already had enough hyper-long athletes who can't shoot. Kuzma, on the other hand, doesn't wow you with any particular aspect of his game, but he's a fluid and versatile offensive player, and a very good rebounder (12.1 rebounds per 40 last season).

Kyle is extremely agile and light on his feet and for a 6'9.5" big man, and has some very NBA-ready moves in terms of attacking off the dribble, finishing at (and above) the rim or with a pull up jumper.

Recent workouts have given the indication that he has some very good potential as a catch and shoot big man, despite his somewhat lackluster perimeter shooting numbers from college.

Kuzma made a big splash at the NBA combine's 5-on-5 sessions, where he posted a ridiculous stat line: 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 8-10 FG, 4-5 3FG in just 20 minutes.

DraftExpress's Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz had some glowing things to say about the 21 year-old:


The 6' 9.5 Kuzma proved to be one of the most offensively talented prospects to play 5-on-5, as he showed how projectable his game is when he's knocking down shots with consistency (something he struggled with at times at Utah). Sporting a quick release with sound mechanics, Kuzma made four spot up threes, knocked down a one-dribble pull up and looked really comfortable attacking off the bounce and finding teammates on the move. The Flint, Michigan native, who already decided to forego his senior season and sign with an agent, still needs to get make strides defensively, but he certainly helped his stock with his game-one performance and, if he can shoot it well enough in workouts, could hear his name called in the first half of the second round (or even potentially late first) pending his remaining workouts and interviews.

All in all, I think this kid has some potential and could have what it takes to stick around the league for a long time if he's willing to put in the necessary work.

NBADraft.net has Kuzma #20 on their 2017 mock draft, so getting him at #48 feels like a pretty nice bargain.

[JasonEvans]

NBADraft.net has Kuzma #20 on their 2017 mock draft, so getting him at #48 feels like a pretty nice bargain.

Color me stunned that Kuzma was still in the board in our draft. I took a long look at him for the first pick of the 2nd round. Reports are that he has shown a really nice jumper in work outs for NBA teams and is certainly under consideration to be a first round pick by some teams. HoopsHype's mock draft has him going #16 to the Bulls, which is probably overly optimistic, but I doubt he lasts past the first half dozen or so picks of the second round, at the latest.

Nice pick, kAzE. You done right by Milwaukee.

[NSDukeFan]

With their first second round selection, the Denver Nuggets select P.J. Dozier from South Carolina, a 6'6 combo guard that should give us more depth on the perimeter. Although not a three point shooter at this point, Dozier does a lot of other good things, including finishing well,at the rim, ball handling and defending several positions, with his 7 foot wingspan. Welcome to the mock Nuggets!

[mattman91]

Projected first rounder Rodions Kurucs pulled out of the draft yesterday....glad I didn't pick him.

[Gooch]

With the 50th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft (and did I mention it was the 4th in the 2nd round?), the Philadelphia 76ers select LJ Peak from Georgetown.

The Sixers got some help up front with the last two picks, so now turn to the backcourt and try to get a role player that can shoot the ball from 3-point range. But there are not a lot of good shooters left, so we're counting on LJ to return to the form he showed his sophomore year with the Hoyas. His 3-point percentage dropped from 40% to 32% perhaps because his usage increased a lot this year as he took on a bigger role on a bad team. He is a good free throw shooter (almost 80%) so his fundamentals appear sound.

And LJ will reunite with high school teammate Jahlil Okafor, so we've got that going for us!

[Truth&Justise]

With the 50th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft (and did I mention it was the 4th in the 2nd round?), the Philadelphia 76ers select LJ Peak from Georgetown.

The Sixers got some help up front with the last two picks, so now turn to the backcourt and try to get a role player that can shoot the ball from 3-point range. But there are not a lot of good shooters left, so we're counting on LJ to return to the form he showed his sophomore year with the Hoyas. His 3-point percentage dropped from 40% to 32% perhaps because his usage increased a lot this year as he took on a bigger role on a bad team. He is a good free throw shooter (almost 80%) so his fundamentals appear sound.

And LJ will reunite with high school teammate Jahlil Okafor, so we've got that going for us!

What if he's already Peaked?

[Gooch]

What if he's already Peaked?

I think he's got lots of growth potential, to summit up.

[NSDukeFan]

With the team's second second round pick, the Denver Nuggets select Jonah Bolden, a well-travelled young man who grew up in Australia, went to a few prep schools in the US, redshirted and then played for UCLA, and most recently played in Serbia. He is 6'10, with a reported 7'3 wingspan, jumps well, can shoot the 3 and handle the ball. He has some potential, but may have to gain some strength first.

[jjredickrules]

The Wiz had zero picks in last year’s draft, and our only pick in 2017 is #52. We’ve been wheeling and dealing to get the players we want, so our drafting has taken a hit.

With a starting lineup of Wall-Beal-Porter-Morris-Gortat, the ‘zards made it to the Eastern Conference semis where we ALMOST beat top seeded Boston for the right to lose to the Cavs. IMO (although probably incorrect), this is as good a starting lineup as a non-“super team” gets.

What this Mock GM wanted most was to find a suitable backup to John Wall (everyone: do the John Wall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ2kYoMDw8E). We believe that Monte’s high basketball IQ and insanely high A:TO ratio (he doesn’t turn it over) can make up for his lack of size and athleticism. This late in the draft, even if he doesn’t work out it’s no big deal. As Duke fans know, true PGs are tough to come by, and Mr. Morris proved to be a competent one.

The most likely real draft with probably see us take someone to stash in Europe while our roster works itself out. We have a few “projects” already in our big man lineup, so another one would be a bit troublesome with limited roster space.

[Also, apologies to Jason for my multiple superfluous messages.]

[JasonEvans]

Round 1

Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
Philadelphia - Gooch: Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas
Phoenix - pfrduke: De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Jayson Tatum, F Duke
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky
Minnesota - drummerdevil: Jonathan Isaac, F, FSU
New York - Ichabod Drain: Dennis Smith, PG, NC State
Dallas - brevity: Frank Ntilikina, PG, Belgium
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona
Charlotte - mattman91: Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga
Detroit - BD80: Luke Kennard, SG, Duke
Denver NSDukeFan: Harry Giles, PF, Duke
Miami - Newton 14: John Collins, PF/C, Wake Forest
Portland - Henderson: TJ Leaf, PF UCLA
Chicago - atoomer0881: Terrance Ferguson, SG, Australia
Milwaukee - kAzE: Donovan Mitchell, SG, Lousiville
Indiana - Edouble: Dwayne Bacon, SG/SF FSU
Atlanta - Jason Evans: OG Anunoby, SF Indiana
Portland - Henderson: Jonathan Jeanne, PF Guadaloupe
Oklahoma Cty - Dev11: Justin Jackson, SF, UNCheat
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Tyler Dorsey, SG, Oregon
Toronto - Nrrrrvous: Semi Ojeleye, SF/PF, SMU
Utah - Furniture: Bam Bam Adebayo, PF, Kentucky
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Frank Jackson, PG, Duke
Portland - Henderson: Isaiah Hartenstein, PF/C, Germany
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Tyler Lydon, F, Syracuse
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Justin Patton, C, Creighton
San Antonio - JNort: Josh Hart, SG, Villanova
Utah - Furniture: Jordan Bell, PF, Oregon

Round 2

Atlanta - Jason Evans: Jarrett Allen, C, Texas
Phoenix - pfrduke: Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Tony Bradley, PF, UNCheat
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Frank Mason, PG, Kansas
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Ivan Rabb, PF/C, Cal
Philadelphia - Gooch: Derrick White, SG, Colorado
Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Caleb Swanigan, PF, Purdue
Chicago - atoomer0881: Jonathan Motley, PF, Baylor
Philadelphia - Gooch: DJ Wilson, PF, Michigan
New Orleans - awhom111: Dillon Brooks, SF, Oregon
Charlotte - mattman91: Juwon Evans, PG, Oklahoma St
Utah - Furniture: Alec Peters, PF, Valparaiso
Houston - duketaylor: Thomas Bryant, PF/C, Indiana
New York - Ichabod Drain: Sindarius Thornwell, SF, South Carolina
Houston - duketaylor: Mattias Lessort, PF, France
Philadelphia - Gooch: Anzejs Pasecniks, C, Latvia
Indiana - Edouble: Jaron Blossomgame, SF, Clemson
Milwaukee - kAzE: Kyle Kuzma, PF, Utah
Denver - NSDukeFan: PJ Dozier, SG, South Carolina
Philadelphia - Gooch: LJ Peak, SG, Georgetown
Denver - NSDukeFan: Jonah Bolden, PF, Australia/UCLA
Washington - jjredickrules: Monte Morris, PG, Iowa State
Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Kobi Simmons, PG, Arizona
Phoenix - pfrduke: Cam Oliver, PF, Nevada
Utah - Furniture: Amile Jefferson, PF, Duke
Boston - flyingdutchdevil: London Perrantes, PG, Virginia
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Devin Robinson, SF, Florida
New York - Ichabod Drain: Vlatko Čančar, SF, Slovenia
San Antonio - JNort: Alpha Kaba, PF, France
Atlanta - Jason Evans

[Henderson]

Folks are getting some very good bargains in the second round. This draft seems to have a tight group of excellent prospects at the very top, then a lot of closely-clumped good prospects in the late-first and second rounds.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Kobi Simmons, Arizona. Freshman with talent. May grow up and be pretty awesome one day. We can send him to D-League for a few years and see what happens.

[JasonEvans]

PFRDuke gave me his pick. It is Cam Oliver from Nevada. He also had his eye on Kobi Simmons, but wanted Oliver more. I am sure he will post his thoughts on the pick in a little bit.

-Jason "Furniture, Utah is up..." Evans

[Furniture]

Utah ( can't believe this bargain is still available) selects Amile Jefferson from Duke University!

[JNort]

Utah ( can't believe this bargain is still available) selects Amile Jefferson from Duke University!

Well there goes the last guy I was looking at... now I gotta research someone

[Bob Green]

Well there goes the last guy I was looking at... now I gotta research someone

Isaiah Hicks is still available. :rolleyes:

[tbyers11]

Isaiah Hicks is still available. :rolleyes:

Kennedy Meeks, too :p

[Furniture]

Matt Jones?

[Henderson]

Utah ( can't believe this bargain is still available) selects Amile Jefferson from Duke University!

And so it is that a dynasty is born.

When Amile's image in bronze is erected in SLC in 2031 to commemorate the 12 consecutive NBA titles, @Furniture will be there to pull the cover off that statue for the reveal. And his grandchildren will never hear the end of his DBR draft pick. ;) Well played, sir.

[atoomer0881]

Any idea when we're getting the final 5 picks of the mock draft?

[flyingdutchdevil]

Celtics select London Perrenties (sp?).

Why? Cuz Ainge loves these kind of players. And yu can't have too many PGs.

[Bob Green]

Brooklyn selects PF Alec Peters, Valparaiso, with the 57th pick.

[kAzE]

Brooklyn selects PF Alec Peters, Valparaiso, with the 57th pick.

Someone already drafted him . . . #42 overall to the Jazz.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Brooklyn selects PF Alec Peters, Valparaiso, with the 57th pick.

Look at the 12th pick in round 2...

[Bob Green]

Someone already drafted him . . . #42 overall to the Jazz.

Okay, there was a slight delay while I fired my administrative assistant...

Brooklyn selects SF Devin Robinson, Florida, with the 57th pick. We like his potential as a 3 and D player.

[Ichabod Drain]

With the 58th pick in the 2017 NBA draft the New York Knick select Vlatko Cancar from Slovenia.

ETA: I'm on my phone and have no idea how that smiley face got in the header.

[JNort]

With the 59th pick in the 2017 NBA draft the San Antonio Spurs select... Alpha Kaba from France.

I haven't heard of this guy but SI makes him seem like a lottery selection.

"Kaba comes off a solid season with Mega Leks, a team that’s been a bit of a prospect factory in recent years, and has physical gifts on par with the top players in the class. At 6’10” with a 7’5” wingspan, Kaba has potential as an athletic banger in the paint in addition to tangible comfort shooting jump shots. He’s mobile, a developing passer, and recently turned 21.

Kaba’s skill level is pretty high for a guy his size, and he’s improved at putting the ball on the floor, suggesting he has some stretch-four potential. He’s been knocked for occasionally wavering effort levels and isn’t an elite-caliber athlete in terms of explosiveness, but for a kid his age, he’s a well-rounded, improving prospect." -Sports Illustrated

[JasonEvans]

Vlatko Čančar, Alpha Kaba... y'all are just making names up at this point.

I need to do a bit of research... the last pick of the draft will be coming soon (or by 10am tomorrow).

[JasonEvans]

Round 1

Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
Philadelphia - Gooch: Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas
Phoenix - pfrduke: De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Jayson Tatum, F Duke
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky
Minnesota - drummerdevil: Jonathan Isaac, F, FSU
New York - Ichabod Drain: Dennis Smith, PG, NC State
Dallas - brevity: Frank Ntilikina, PG, Belgium
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona
Charlotte - mattman91: Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga
Detroit - BD80: Luke Kennard, SG, Duke
Denver NSDukeFan: Harry Giles, PF, Duke
Miami - Newton 14: John Collins, PF/C, Wake Forest
Portland - Henderson: TJ Leaf, PF UCLA
Chicago - atoomer0881: Terrance Ferguson, SG, Australia
Milwaukee - kAzE: Donovan Mitchell, SG, Lousiville
Indiana - Edouble: Dwayne Bacon, SG/SF FSU
Atlanta - Jason Evans: OG Anunoby, SF Indiana
Portland - Henderson: Jonathan Jeanne, PF Guadaloupe
Oklahoma Cty - Dev11: Justin Jackson, SF, UNCheat
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Tyler Dorsey, SG, Oregon
Toronto - Nrrrrvous: Semi Ojeleye, SF/PF, SMU
Utah - Furniture: Bam Bam Adebayo, PF, Kentucky
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Frank Jackson, PG, Duke
Portland - Henderson: Isaiah Hartenstein, PF/C, Germany
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Tyler Lydon, F, Syracuse
LA Lakers - Troublemaker: Justin Patton, C, Creighton
San Antonio - JNort: Josh Hart, SG, Villanova
Utah - Furniture: Jordan Bell, PF, Oregon

Round 2

Atlanta - Jason Evans: Jarrett Allen, C, Texas
Phoenix - pfrduke: Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Tony Bradley, PF, UNCheat
Sacramento - gocanes0506: Frank Mason, PG, Kansas
Orlando - NashvilleDevil: Ivan Rabb, PF/C, Cal
Philadelphia - Gooch: Derrick White, SG, Colorado
Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Caleb Swanigan, PF, Purdue
Chicago - atoomer0881: Jonathan Motley, PF, Baylor
Philadelphia - Gooch: DJ Wilson, PF, Michigan
New Orleans - awhom111: Dillon Brooks, SF, Oregon
Charlotte - mattman91: Juwon Evans, PG, Oklahoma St
Utah - Furniture: Alec Peters, PF, Valparaiso
Houston - duketaylor: Thomas Bryant, PF/C, Indiana
New York - Ichabod Drain: Sindarius Thornwell, SF, South Carolina
Houston - duketaylor: Mattias Lessort, PF, France
Philadelphia - Gooch: Anzejs Pasecniks, C, Latvia
Indiana - Edouble: Jaron Blossomgame, SF, Clemson
Milwaukee - kAzE: Kyle Kuzma, PF, Utah
Denver - NSDukeFan: PJ Dozier, SG, South Carolina
Philadelphia - Gooch: LJ Peak, SG, Georgetown
Denver - NSDukeFan: Jonah Bolden, PF, Australia/UCLA
Washington - jjredickrules: Monte Morris, PG, Iowa State
Boston - flyingdutchdevil: Kobi Simmons, PG, Arizona
Phoenix - pfrduke: Cam Oliver, PF, Nevada
Utah - Furniture: Amile Jefferson, PF, Duke
Boston - flyingdutchdevil: London Perrantes, PG, Virginia
Brooklyn - Bob Green: Devin Robinson, SF, Florida
New York - Ichabod Drain: Vlatko Čančar, SF, Slovenia
San Antonio - JNort: Alpha Kaba, PF, France
Atlanta - Jason Evans: Edmond Sumner, PG, Xavier

[JasonEvans]

So, with the final pick in the mock draft the Hawks looked at who was still available and we were shocked to find the name of Edmund Sumner still on the board. Draftexpress says he will go #41 and NBADraft.net expects him to be off the board with pick #40. So, we are getting a guy who is supposed to go in the top half of the 2nd round with a pick at the end of the round... good value.

Sumner is a explosive athlete who took more than half of his field goal attempts at the rim this season. This is a dude who drives the lane fearlessly and he shoots a ton of FTs as a result. He has great length for the PG position, standing 6-5 with a 6-9 wingspan. He is strong and able to physically dominate smaller guards, something that also allows him to also be a strong rebounder. He has the kind of quickness that projects to be a strong defender too.

That's the good stuff... now the bad. He's a pretty bad outside shooter (27% on his 3s) and it is not like he shows good form on his shot. He is a guy who was playing his way into being a first round draft pick but he tore his ACL in January. So, that makes 2 guys with torn ACLs in the Hawks draft this year. That's ok though because though full recovery from an ACL tear takes 6+ months, it is not at all uncommon for the victims of ACL tears to have a full recovery that does not affect their athletic ability at all. So, if Sumner does recover as expected, we have first round talent from the end of the 2nd round. I'll take that risk.

-Jason "and with that, the mock draft is over! Anyone want to tell us who we foolishly forgot to pick... other than Matt Jones" Evans

[JNort]

Vlatko Čančar, Alpha Kaba... y'all are just making names up at this point.

I need to do a bit of research... the last pick of the draft will be coming soon (or by 10am tomorrow).
Yeah still am not convinced my guy is even real tbh... If you just read SI he's worthy of a top 10 pick.

[JNort]

So, with the final pick in the mock draft the Hawks looked at who was still available and we were shocked to find the name of Edmund Sumner still on the board. Draftexpress says he will go #41 and NBADraft.net expects him to be off the board with pick #40. So, we are getting a guy who is supposed to go in the top half of the 2nd round with a pick at the end of the round... good value.

Sumner is a explosive athlete who took more than half of his field goal attempts at the rim this season. This is a dude who drives the lane fearlessly and he shoots a ton of FTs as a result. He has great length for the PG position, standing 6-5 with a 6-9 wingspan. He is strong and able to physically dominate smaller guards, something that also allows him to also be a strong rebounder. He has the kind of quickness that projects to be a strong defender too.

That's the good stuff... now the bad. He's a pretty bad outside shooter (27% on his 3s) and it is not like he shows good form on his shot. He is a guy who was playing his way into being a first round draft pick but he tore his ACL in January. So, that makes 2 guys with torn ACLs in the Hawks draft this year. That's ok though because though full recovery from an ACL tear takes 6+ months, it is not at all uncommon for the victims of ACL tears to have a full recovery that does not affect their athletic ability at all. So, if Sumner does recover as expected, we have first round talent from the end of the 2nd round. I'll take that risk.

-Jason "and with that, the mock draft is over! Anyone want to tell us who we foolishly forgot to pick... other than Matt Jones" Evans
Bet Wheat could inform us of a couple of guys.....

[Gooch]

I thought about VJ Beachem since he can shoot and there really was not a lot of good shooting in the draft.

Thanks for everyone for their write-ups. It was fun to learn about what teams need and research players I knew nothing about. An excellent distraction from the boring workday!

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Bet Wheat could inform us of a couple of guys....

...who is this "wheat///?"

[BD80]

...who is this "wheat///?"

Question is: who won the draft?

[JasonEvans]

Question is: who won the draft?

We will know in a week or so when the NBA does their thing and awhom tells us who picked guys too high and who got bargains...

...or we could look back in a couple years and see who did a good job based on how the draftees actually developed as NBA Players. I know, how crazy?!?!

[GGLC]

We will know in a week or so when the NBA does their thing and awhom tells us who picked guys too high and who got bargains...

...or we could look back in a couple years and see who did a good job based on how the draftees actually developed as NBA Players. I know, how crazy?!?!

Someone with a little time on their hands (not me, sadly!) could take a look at past years' DBR mock drafts to assess whose picks look the most prescient/impressive; it would be interesting to see.

How long have we been doing these mock drafts, anyway? There have to be some that can now be evaluated in the light of a few seasons' worth of draftees' careers.

[drummerdevil]

I was just looking at 2013 and recognized only a few names. Namely recognized, to quote Jason Evans: Giannis Adetokumbo (maybe he could have researched it instead of sounding it out.)

[kAzE]

Wow . . . the Celtics are killing this draft.

[kAzE]

whoops . . . replied to the wrong draft thread -_-

[awhom111]

I think I managed to correct a few spelling errors (poor people who have to keep track of punctuation on some of these names) and marked the commissioner's picks correctly.

Here are the results:

Same in both drafts:
1 Markelle Fultz flyingdutchdevil
2 Lonzo Ball Troublemaker
12 Luke Kennard BD80
34 Frank Mason gocanes0506
35 Ivan Rabb NashvilleDevil

We picked before they were drafted:
18 40 Dwayne Bacon Edouble -22
22 41 Tyler Dorsey Bob Green -19
26 43 Isaiah Hartenstein Henderson -17
32 47 Ike Anigbogu pfrduke -15
23 37 Semi Ojeleye Nrrrrvous -14
42 54 Alec Peters Furniture -12
47 59 Jaron Blossomgame Edouble -12
30 38 Jordan Bell Furniture -8
13 20 Harry Giles NSDukeFan -7
25 31 Frank Jackson NashvilleDevil -6
6 11 Malik Monk NashvilleDevil -5
14 19 John Collins Newton_14*JasonEvans -5
16 21 Terrance Ferguson atoomer0881 -5
40 45 Dillon Brooks awhom111 -5
45 50 Mathias Lessort duketaylor -5
19 23 OG Anunoby JasonEvans -4
44 48 Sindarius Thornwell Ichabod Drain -4
15 18 TJ Leaf Henderson -3
3 4 Josh Jackson Gooch -1
4 5 De'Aaron Fox pfrduke -1
8 9 Dennis Smith Jr. Ichabod Drain -1
29 30 Josh Hart Jnort -1
59 60 Alpha Kaba Jnort -1

Picked before we picked them:
39 17 D.J. Wilson Gooch 22
46 25 Anzejs Pasecniks Gooch 21
48 27 Kyle Kuzma kAzE 21
51 36 Jonah Bolden NSDukeFan 15
28 16 Justin Patton Troublemaker 12
37 26 Caleb Swanigan flyingdutchdevil 11
24 14 Edrice Adebayo Furniture 10
31 22 Jarrett Allen JasonEvans 9
58 49 Vlatko Cancar Ichabod Drain 9
60 52 Edmond Sumner JasonEvans 8
36 29 Derrick White Gooch 7
21 15 Justin Jackson Dev11 6
33 28 Tony Bradley NashvilleDevil 5
17 13 Donovan Mitchell kAzE 4
10 7 Lauri Markkanen gocanes0506 3
27 24 Tyler Lydon Bob Green 3
5 3 Jayson Tatum gocanes0506 2
41 39 Jawun Evans mattman91 2
7 6 Jonathan Isaac drummerdevil 1
9 8 Frank Ntilikina brevity 1
11 10 Zach Collins mattman91*JasonEvans 1
43 42 Thomas Bryant duketaylor 1
52 51 Monte Morris jjredickrules 1

We picked, went undrafted:
20 U Jonathan Jeanne Henderson
38 U Johnathan Motley atoomer0881
49 U PJ Dozier NSDukeFan
50 U L.J. Peak Gooch
53 U Kobi Simmons flyingdutchdevil
54 U Cameron Oliver pfrduke
55 U Amile Jefferson Furniture
56 U London Perrantes flyingdutchdevil
57 U Devin Robinson Bob Green

Drafted, but we did not pick:
32 Davon Reed
33 Wesley Iwundu
44 Damyean Dotson
46 Sterling Brown
53 Kadeem Allen
55 Nigel Williams-Goss
56 Jabari Bird
57 Aleksandar Vezenkov
58 Ognjen Jaramaz

[Troublemaker]

Picked before we picked them:
39 17 D.J. Wilson Gooch 22
46 25 Anzejs Pasecniks Gooch 21
48 27 Kyle Kuzma kAzE 21
51 36 Jonah Bolden NSDukeFan 15
28 16 Justin Patton Troublemaker 12
37 26 Caleb Swanigan flyingdutchdevil 11
24 14 Edrice Adebayo Furniture 10
31 22 Jarrett Allen JasonEvans 9
58 49 Vlatko Cancar Ichabod Drain 9
60 52 Edmond Sumner JasonEvans 8
36 29 Derrick White Gooch 7
21 15 Justin Jackson Dev11 6
33 28 Tony Bradley NashvilleDevil 5
17 13 Donovan Mitchell kAzE 4
10 7 Lauri Markkanen gocanes0506 3
27 24 Tyler Lydon Bob Green 3
5 3 Jayson Tatum gocanes0506 2
41 39 Jawun Evans mattman91 2
7 6 Jonathan Isaac drummerdevil 1
9 8 Frank Ntilikina brevity 1
11 10 Zach Collins mattman91*JasonEvans 1
43 42 Thomas Bryant duketaylor 1
52 51 Monte Morris jjredickrules 1


Nice mock-drafting, Gooch! Thanks for compiling, awhom!

[Gooch]

Nice mock-drafting, Gooch! Thanks for compiling, awhom!

Thanks! It was a lot more fun to follow the draft having at least seen something about most of the players. I'm pretty fired up about the Sixers moving up to get Fultz and excited for all my Celtics friends here in CT who I think got a great pick in Jayson. The fact that most of the Celtics fans are Duke-haters makes it even more sweet!

[brevity]

Same in both drafts:
1 Markelle Fultz flyingdutchdevil
2 Lonzo Ball Troublemaker
12 Luke Kennard BD80
34 Frank Mason gocanes0506
35 Ivan Rabb NashvilleDevil

Picked before we picked them:
39 17 D.J. Wilson Gooch 22
46 25 Anzejs Pasecniks Gooch 21
48 27 Kyle Kuzma kAzE 21
51 36 Jonah Bolden NSDukeFan 15
28 16 Justin Patton Troublemaker 12
37 26 Caleb Swanigan flyingdutchdevil 11
24 14 Edrice Adebayo Furniture 10
31 22 Jarrett Allen JasonEvans 9
58 49 Vlatko Cancar Ichabod Drain 9
60 52 Edmond Sumner JasonEvans 8
36 29 Derrick White Gooch 7
21 15 Justin Jackson Dev11 6
33 28 Tony Bradley NashvilleDevil 5
17 13 Donovan Mitchell kAzE 4
10 7 Lauri Markkanen gocanes0506 3
27 24 Tyler Lydon Bob Green 3
5 3 Jayson Tatum gocanes0506 2
41 39 Jawun Evans mattman91 2
7 6 Jonathan Isaac drummerdevil 1
9 8 Frank Ntilikina brevity 1
11 10 Zach Collins mattman91*JasonEvans 1
43 42 Thomas Bryant duketaylor 1
52 51 Monte Morris jjredickrules 1

We should also single out gocanes0506 for getting value out of 2 Top 10 picks, and nailing the Frank Mason pick.


We picked before they were drafted:
18 40 Dwayne Bacon Edouble -22
22 41 Tyler Dorsey Bob Green -19
26 43 Isaiah Hartenstein Henderson -17
32 47 Ike Anigbogu pfrduke -15
23 37 Semi Ojeleye Nrrrrvous -14
42 54 Alec Peters Furniture -12
47 59 Jaron Blossomgame Edouble -12
30 38 Jordan Bell Furniture -8
13 20 Harry Giles NSDukeFan -7
25 31 Frank Jackson NashvilleDevil -6
6 11 Malik Monk NashvilleDevil -5
14 19 John Collins Newton_14*JasonEvans -5
16 21 Terrance Ferguson atoomer0881 -5
40 45 Dillon Brooks awhom111 -5
45 50 Mathias Lessort duketaylor -5
19 23 OG Anunoby JasonEvans -4
44 48 Sindarius Thornwell Ichabod Drain -4
15 18 TJ Leaf Henderson -3
3 4 Josh Jackson Gooch -1
4 5 De'Aaron Fox pfrduke -1
8 9 Dennis Smith Jr. Ichabod Drain -1
29 30 Josh Hart Jnort -1
59 60 Alpha Kaba Jnort -1

Shame on JNort for jumping the gun and picking guys at #29 and #59 that could be drafted at #30 and #60. Seriously though, it's hard to predict the end of each round, so well done.

[gocanes0506]

We should also single out gocanes0506 for getting value out of 2 Top 10 picks, and nailing the Frank Mason


Thanks. If the Celtics and Philadelphia trade happened before our mock, i believe our mock would look pretty similar 1-10. After that all those PF/ C types were close together.