Recap
This mock draft is entirely preliminary, and the draft order is certainly set to change once the lottery occurs on May 20. As for now, this year's class appears to be one of the deepest classes in recent memory. Its hard to believe a class this strong can follow up the shit-show of a class we witnessed last year. I'd be lying if I said my first crack at a mock draft was easy. It wasn't. That being said, I can already see some interesting storylines that will begin to take center-stage once June 26 rolls around.
Basically every mock draft out there has a combination of Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins, and Jabari Parker in the top three. From what I have seen, it seems that Andrew Wiggins is the favorite to go number one overall. However, I do not think that the combination of these three are necessarily guaranteed to go 1-2-3. Personally, I believe both Dante Exum and Marcus Smart have the talent to sneak into the three slot. This is especially a possibility if a point guard hungry team, such as Orlando, becomes locked in at number three.
Moving forward to picks four through seven, we see the group of stars outside of EWP (Embiid-Wiggins-Parker). This includes: Dante Exum, Julius Randle, Marcus Smart, and Noah Vonleh. Each of these players will fall somewhere within this range. The only possible exception I can see would be Aaron Gordon leapfrogging Vonleh and going to Sacramento at the seven spot. Other than that, and with EWP, there are your first seven draft picks ladies and gentleman.
Now outside the top seven is where the fun begins. Detroit will definitely look for shooting at eighth overall. Gary Harris occupies that spot now, but I could see Rodney Hood, Doug McDermott, or even Stauskas going to Detroit. Harris and Gordon are the two best prospects on the board, but Gordon doesn't make sense logistically. Next, Cleveland grabs the best player available in Gordon.
At tenth overall, Philadelphia begins the train of teams with multiple picks in the first round. Philadelphia (2 & 10) and Orlando (3 & 12) will have huge decisions to make in late June. Also, Boston, Chicago, and Oklahoma City have two picks. Phoenix is by itself with three first round selections.
As I mentioned earlier, Orlando could possibly go after Exum at three. However, I do not think that would be the best move for the organization. While Exum has star potential, it would be difficult to make a definite case for him over EWP. Plus, Orlando would likely have their pick between Tyler Ennis, Shabazz Napier, and Zach LaVine in the late lottery.
Following the lottery, there seems to be some sort of consensus on the web between picks 15 and 19. Atlanta will go after a guard at 15. How does a combination of Stauskas and Kyle Korver sound? With the Derrick Rose situation and D.J. Augustin a free agent, Chicago will have its pick of a point guard at 16. And then at 19, Chicago grabs ACC Player of the Year TJ Warren. As much as I hate to say it, Warren is a match made in heaven for the Bulls. They have struggled to score mightily this season, and especially in the playoffs. Warren at 19th overall would be a steal.
And at pick twenty, the real craziness begins. A considerable amount of mocks have Jerami Grant here, or even higher, but I have never been a big fan of his game. There is only so far athleticism can take you as a wing player in the NBA. I like Cleanthony Early here. His draft stock has shot up over the past couple months or so, and I do not think it has reached it's ceiling just yet.
I love Elfrid Payton to the Rockets at 25 overall. Payton is one the least-known prospect in this year's class. His defensive abilities are ridiculous, and he has played at a high level with the U19 USA team this past summer. Although he's a junior, he is a year young for his grade, which makes his stock even more intriguing. After pre-draft workouts, I expect Payton to be a fringe lottery selection.
Following Payton, two interesting prospects are Missouri combo guard Jordan Clarkson and Oklahoma State's Markel Brown. I see both players being productive players in a bench rotation.
Clint Capela (Switzerland), at 29th overall, would be only the third international prospect drafted at this point without counting Wiggins. Outside of Exum, this year's international class is still largely unknown. I think everyone is still recovering from the year Jan Vesley went sixth overall. Who? Exactly. That being said, we have a solid group of international prospects this year.
Dario Saric of Croatia is the next best international prospect behind Exum. While I have him currently at 18th to Phoenix, I can see him going as high as ninth to Cleveland by the time draft day rolls around. Capela and Jusuf Nurkic (Bosnia & Herzegovina) represent solid froncourt prospects who could very well go in the first round. Additionally, Vasilje Micic (Serbia) could offer value at the point and is projected to be a late-first, early-second round selection.
Overall, this draft class is shaping up to be one of the deepest classes in recent memory. While I think there is less star-power than what is being advertised, there are definitely solid NBA players all over the board. June 26 will certainly be interesting.
If you have any comments or questions about my mock, feel free to comment below.
