The NBA Draft may not be until October now, but that doesn’t change the fact that we can still put out mock drafts. Here’s my first of the summer, with some comments about the top players and some others that I like coming in.
Quick note, the draft order is based off of the records, not a lottery projection.
1. Golden State: James Wiseman, C, Memphis
Bob Myers has said that he may trade the Warriors’ lottery pick but if they get the first pick, I doubt they will, and they go with Wiseman. He’s an athletic freak with a massive wingspan that can get up and down the floor and finish at the rim. He also fills their need for a big man. However, with this being a weaker class, don’t think of him as the next Giannis, but he can be a very competitive center in the NBA.
2. Cleveland: Anthony Edwards, PG, Georgia
Edwards is the best scorer in the draft. He can score from all places on the floor and can look great when he gets into a rhythm, which he does still need to work on his consistency, especially from behind the arc. He shot 29% from three this year at Georgia, so the ability is there. He can also defend multiple positions, which is needed in today’s NBA.
3. Minnesota: Obi Toppin, PF, Dayton
My favorite player in the draft. He was unreal at Dayton and he came out of nowhere to be a sure-fire top five pick. I have him at #3 here. He’s one of the few players in this draft that can make a significant impact as a rookie. Anthony Grant’s offense is as close as you are going to get for an NBA offense in the college game, so that gives a great idea of what his floor is going to be and you can see everything he can do. A lot of players at the top of the boards are being picked on potential, but so far, Toppin is the opposite of that.
4. Atlanta: LaMelo Ball, PG, Australia
Yeah, yeah. I know what you’re thinking. You see him as the 5-10 high school kid with braces and a blonde mohawk that hangs out at half court to cherry-pick and launch shot after shot to try to get 100 points a game on inferior competition. Oh, and Lavar. Now, it’s a different LaMelo. He’s a 6-7 guard who has the tools to be a star point guard. He’s a great passer who has terrific ball-handling skills, and has a great IQ. He’s also still growing. However, he’s an inconsistent shooter, but that can be turned around just by an NBA coach having him take higher-percentage shots. Another drawback is his reputation of being lazy on defense, having a bad work ethic, and a big ego. He’ll still go towards the top, but a team has to really do their due diligence before they pick him.
5. Detroit: Killian Hayes, PG, Germany
Hayes is kind of a high-risk pick. The best part of his game is his passing ability, which is elite. A stat I found on him is that he played 25 minutes per game for his German team, Ratiopharm Ulm, this past season and averaged 13 ball screens against him per game. That’s insanity. He had success against it too, which is what you want in today’s NBA. His jumper is above-average, but he’s still a project. If he develops, this will be a great pick. But I’m skeptical.
6. New York: Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina
This pick is probably a bit of a reach, but so be it. Anthony is a workhorse who spends hours upon hours in the gym, which is what any NBA GM would want. He had a knee injury midyear at North Carolina and came back and played, even when the Tar Heels were way out of contention. In an era where college players quit if they get hurt, there’s something to be said for that. Anthony is a bit streaky and inconsistent, similar to Russell Westbrook, but if he can develop his talents, he can be a well above-average guard.
7. Chicago: Onyeka Okongwu, PF, USC
I’m really interested in Okongwu. He’s an explosive athlete who can produce on both sides of the ball as a scorer, rebounder and rim protector. He has a nice soft touch at the rim and can switch around on defense. His floor is pretty known, at worst he’s an off-the-bench guy who can grab rebounds and play defense. Best-case scenario, he can be much, much more than that.
8. Charlotte: Isaac Okoro, SF, Auburn
The best part of Okoro’s game is his defense. He may have been the best perimeter defender in the country this season. He can be a guy who is an absolute stalwart on defense, an Andre Igoudala or Kawhi Leonard-type defender. His offense needs a little work, but he’s been working on it and will surely improve come his time in the NBA.
9. Washington: Deni Avidija, F, Israel
Avidija’s shooting and playmaking ability is what makes him a top-10 pick. He’s drawn comparisons to a poor man’s Luka Doncic, but he will be a very useful player down the road. He has good size and a good passing ability. If his defense ability continues to improve and he can be taught to shoot more effectively, he can be a very solid player down the road.
10. Phoenix: Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Iowa State
Another elite passer and fantastic three-point shooter, a Trae Young-type of player. He needs to bulk up a bit, only 175 pounds, and probably quicken up his shot release to have more success. If he can do that, you’re looking at a starting point guard for the long haul somewhere.
11. San Antonio: Tyrese Maxey, SG, Kentucky
Risky pick. He’s a big-time scorer but is a little inconsistent shooting the ball, and takes a high number of shots. Solid defender, too. Probably never a starter but projects as a very serviceable role player.
12. Sacramento: RJ Hampton, SG, New Zealand
Hampton has some great potential but needs some more development. He can play on and off the ball well, and is quick and athletic. The concern with him is his jump shot, which is probably a bit below average for this class. He needs a lot of development to figure out an elite skill, which he doesn’t really seem to have yet.
13. New Orleans: Kira Lewis, PG, Alabama
Lewis is young – won’t turn 20 until next April. He put up big numbers for Alabama on a team whose entire offense was based on getting into the paint, and threes. He shot almost 40% from three this past season, proving he’s a great shooter. However, he’s prone to turnovers and is another guy who probably has to bulk up a little bit. Considering that he still just turned 19, he’s okay for a first round pick.
14. Portland: Precious Achiuwa, PF, Memphis
I’m still not 100% sure who Achiuwa is going to be yet. Right now, a lot of people see him as a poor man’s Bam Adebayo, can play both the four and five. He’s a good rebounder and showed flashes of being a solid perimeter shooter, which there’s a market in the NBA for bigs who can shoot. He’ll be 21 when he plays his first NBA game, and if can embrace being the type of player like I said he can be, he’ll have a successful career.
15. Orlando: Aaron Nesmith, PG, Vanderbilt
I think Nesmith is a real sleeper. He shot 52%(!) from three before he went down with a foot injury at Vanderbilt, up from 33% his freshman season. He was one of the most improved players in the country before getting hurt. If he continues on his track of improving every year, he can be an explosive talent in the NBA.
16. Minnesota: Saddiq Bey, SF, Villanova
Bey has potential to be one of the top players in this draft. He might not be done growing yet, and he’s 6-8 right now. He’s a great shooter and has a playmaking ability. The biggest standout in his game, like a lot of other players in this draft, is his defense. He was put on point guards like Devon Dotson of Kansas and Kamar Baldwin of Butler, and did well with nearly every assignment. He’s the next Villanova player who can have a very productive NBA career.
17. Boston: Daniel Oturu, C, Minnesota
18. Dallas: Patrick Williams, PF, Florida State
19. Milwaukee: Theo Maledon, PG, France
20. Brooklyn: Jaden McDaniels, PF, Washington
McDaniels has great length and does things that players his size, at 6-10, shouldn’t be doing. He’s had a ton of highlight-reel plays. He’ll make you say ‘wow’ at least once or twice game when you see him, which I actually did in person back in November. However, he’s really skinny for his size and doesn’t handle contact well and turns the ball over as a result. Also, he had more red flags with far too many outbursts during games that led to technical fouls. He lost his starting spot, coming off the bench in Washington’s final 10 games. Easy to say that he’s the biggest wild card of the draft.
21. Denver: Devin Vassell, SG, Florida State
22. Philadelphia: Josh Green, SG, Arizona
23. Miami: Nico Mannion, PG, Arizona
24. Utah: Vernon Carey, PF, Duke
25. Oklahoma City: Jalen Smith, PF, Maryland
26. Boston: Jahmi’us Ramsey, SG, Texas Tech
27. New York: Xavier Tillman, PF, Michigan State
28. Toronto: Elijah Hughes, PG, Syracuse
Hughes is a talented prospect, quick with two-way abilities. He led the ACC in scoring this past season and is an overall consistent shooter. He took a high volume of shots at Syracuse this season and shoots over 80% from the free throw line. He’ll need some development though as his skills are not yet completely polished.
29. LA Lakers: Zeke Nnaji, PF, Arizona
30. Boston: Isaiah Stewart, PF, Washington
Stewart is ready to compete with NBA bigs today. What you see is what you get, 250 pounds and an elite rebounder. He’s a bit undersized at 6-9, but should be able to defend multiple positions, but that’s a bit of a question mark as he didn’t have the chance to this season with Mike Hopkins’ zone defense. He was probably hurt stock-wise due to the lack of official workouts, but can still prove himself once games get going.
Second Round:
31. Dallas: Devon Dotson, PG, Kansas
32. Charlotte: Reggie Perry, PF, Mississippi State
33. Minnesota: Tyler Bey, SF, Colorado
Bey is really underrated. He’s a good athlete, a great rebounder and has ability to playmake on defense. His shot needs a little work, but he’s really versatile, and NBA teams will appreciate that.
34. Philadelphia: Aleksej Pokusevski, C, Serbia
35. Sacramento: Cassius Winston, PG, Michigan State
Winston didn’t have a senior season that a lot of people expected him to have, which is understandable, given the sudden passing of his brother in November. However, he still put up All-American-type numbers. He was playing his best basketball when the season got cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic, but his talents should translate. He has the best basketball IQ of anyone in the draft, without a doubt. The defense is a concern, but he can be someone who has a very solid career as a second round role player.
36. Philadelphia: Leandro Bolmaro, SG, Argentina
37. Washington: Paul Reed, PF, DePaul
38. New York: Jordan Nwora, SF, Louisville
39. New Orleans: Chris Smith, SF, Stanford
40. Memphis: Immanuel Quickley, PG, Kentucky
41. San Antonio: Malachi Flynn, PG, San Diego State
42. Sacramento: Cassius Stanley, SG, Duke
43. New Orleans: Robert Woodard, SF, Mississippi State
44. Portland: Grant Riller, PG, Charleston
45. Orlando: Tre Jones, PG, Duke
Jones is a great player. He stuffs the stat sheet, is a great shooter and was a good leader on Duke this year. He has a lot of intangibles and will probably have a solid professional career.
46. Boston: Yves Pons, SF, Tennessee
47. Chicago: Payton Pritchard, PG, Oregon
48. Indiana: Isaiah Joe, SG, Arkansas
49. Philadelphia: Omer Yurtseven, C, Georgetown
50. Oklahoma City: Mamadi Diakite, PF, Virginia
51. Golden State: Killian Tillie, SF, Gonzaga
52. Golden State: Ashton Hagans, PG, Kentucky
53. Atlanta: Markus Howard, PG, Marquette
Now I’m starting to sneak some of college basketball’s best scorers in towards the end. Howard is an elite scorer, we all know that, and his ability to shoot from three was unstoppable at Marquette. He doesn’t have to be someone who gets a ton of minutes, but he can probably turn himself into a three-point specialist of sorts in the NBA.
54. Sacramento: Jay Scrubb, SG, John Logan
JUCO!!! Scrubb had initially committed to Louisville for next season but decided to head to the draft now. If picked, he’ll be the first JUCO player selected since Donta Smith was selected in the second round out of Southeastern Illinois College by Atlanta in 2004.
55. LA Clippers: Oscar Tshiebwe, PF, West Virginia
56. Charlotte: Udoka Azubuike, C, Kansas
57. Brooklyn: Myles Powell, PG, Seton Hall
I did it again. Here we have another high-level Big East scorer in Powell. Similar to Howard, developing more skills will be the key as he tries to make an NBA roster as one of the final picks in the draft.
58. Toronto: Luka Garza, C, Iowa
There’s a real chance that Garza goes back to Iowa for his senior season, but I’ll say in this scenario he does not. He was arguably the best center in the country this season, averaging over 23 PPG and almost 10 RPG. Again, I would bet that he goes back to school to try to improve his draft stock, but if he stays in the draft, he’s going to get picked late, if at all.
59. Philadelphia: Nate Hinton, SG, Houston
60. New Orleans: Skylar Mays, PG, LSU
AJ Hoops 