Barstool NBA Mock Draft: Post Lottery Edition
Now that we know the draft order, as crazy as it could have been with possible trades and swaps, it’s now time to truly speculate who goes where in the NBA Draft. It’s a timeless tradition, although it becomes a little tougher to do with college players given an extended amount of time to test the waters. It’s one of the more intriguing drafts for me due to the players involved. I think it’s a deep draft in the sense of there will be a lot of quality rotational players, which is all you sometimes hope to hit on with this thing. There is a clear top-8 in this draft and even within that group there are some tiers.
This mock is based strictly on hypothetical no trades, even though there are always a good handful of trades on draft night, they are typically impossible to predict. No, I don’t think you’ll see the Celtics move the No. 1 pick for a Jimmy Butler situation. This is also not who I think is a better player/prospect either, but who fits the team need the best, something we see a lot of teams doing instead of just going best player available. Yes, this is a complete crapshoot, but it’s something to debate, which is fun.
1. Boston Celtics – Markelle Fultz (Washington)
As I said in the blog yesterday, he has to go No. 1 with the Celtics picking here. He’s the best player available, it lets the Celtics determine their future with Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and even Marcus Smart. Do you let someone eventually walk? Do you max Isaiah? You get at least a year to see Fultz play and learn the Brad Stevens system before you have to make that decision. Fultz can step in and play either on or off the ball and has a pretty absurd wingspan at 7’0″.
2. Los Angeles Lakers – Lonzo Ball (UCLA)
This is a no-brainer, especially after Magic Johnson gushed about Ball for the first half of the year. Personally, I’m excited to watch LaVar Ball and Magic work together as well as see how the Lakers handle D’Angelo Russell. You can move Russell off the ball and Ball is used to playing in that sort of situation, when he pushed Alford to the wing this past season. By bringing in Ball, you do have your future to build around with him, Randle and Ingram (assuming Ingram develops after a disappointing rookie one).
3. Philadelphia 76ers – Malik Monk (Kentucky)
What the Sixers do will determine the next six picks or so. There’s a couple holes and different ways they can go. They’ll look at guys like Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum and even a De’Aaron Fox to fill the point guard hole. However, they need spacing, especially if they are set on playing Ben Simmons at the point guard spot. If that’s true, this is a great fit for both Monk and the Sixers. You can ‘hide’ Monk defensively while also letting him play off the ball and space the floor. We saw what he’s capable of when he gets going with his shot.
4. Phoenix Suns – Josh Jackson (Kansas)
The Suns already have two high-usage guards in Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker and tried to bolster the frontcourt with last year’s draft. This year, they need to take a wing and they’ll have their choice between Jackson and Tatum here. While Tatum is the better scorer, I think you see them go Jackson as they believe in his shooting the last half of the season and ability to defend and rebound. He’s also better without the ball than Tatum as Tatum is a high-usage guy as well.
5. Sacramento Kings – De’Aaron Fox (Kentucky)
The Kings will have another interesting scenario to choose from here. They need help at the point guard spot and on the wing, especially if Rudy Gay isn’t there. Do they go after a Jonathan Isaac to fill in on the wing? Personally, I think you see them take best player available and now gives them a point guard who can push the tempo, which plays perfectly to the style of guys like Willie Cauley-Stein and Buddy Hield. There’s a young core that can build in Sacramento and Fox can be the point guard of the future.
6. Orlando Magic – Jayson Tatum (Duke)
Tatum might be one of the three bet players in this draft as most of these guys are interchangeable. However, Orlando needs a go-to scorer as they simply don’t have that. Aaron Gordon and Terrence Ross aren’t giving you that on the wing. Tatum will do just that. You can play him at the three with Gordon at the four and Vucevic at the five and he immediately becomes your best offensive weapon.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves – Jonathan Isaac (Florida State)
The Wolves need help either at the shooting guard spot or at the stretch four spot. That’s where they go with this pick. You slide Karl-Anthony Towns to the center spot and assuming LaVine comes back healthy you roll out a five of Rubio-LaVine-Wiggins-Isaac-Towns, which is pretty long, athletic and can defend. Isaac was a strong weakside rim protector this past season at Florida State and throw him in Thibs scheme, you may see this team lead the league in blocks.
8. New York Knicks – Dennis Smith Jr. (NC State)
The goddamn Knicks. They just had to win game 82 huh? There’s no question the Knicks need a lot of help, but most notably a point guard. Derrick Rose wasn’t the answer. Jerian Grant apparently wasn’t the answer. Jose Calderon was pretty damn worthless. Just take the best player at that spot between Smith and Ntilikina. Smith is a guy who can turn into an All-Star as he’s that good. Just please don’t run the triangle with him as he was excellent in the pick-and-roll game.
9. Dallas Mavericks – Lauri Markannen (Arizona)
No, this pick isn’t because Lauri is a 7’0″ European who can shoot the hell out of the ball – something the Mavs are familiar with. It’s best player available and Lauri fills a need here. The Mavs need help at the power forward and point guard spot and they’ll get that with Lauri. He’s a guy that you can plug in right away and stretch the floor, the question is can he develop into a better defender.
10. Sacramento Kings – OG Anunoby (Indiana)
Here’s where the Kings reach for the first time. Zach Collins is best player available here, but with the Kings loading up on bigs the last couple of years, they’ll go with a wing. Anunoby obviously is coming off an ACL tear, but he was viewed as a likely top-10 pick before that. If doctors clear him and don’t see any pauses in his rehab, the Kings can take Anunoby and turn into a team that pushes the tempo with him, Fox, Hield and Cauley-Stein.
11. Charlotte Hornets – Zach Collins (Gonzaga)
The Hornets simply were not a good rebounding team last year. Zach Collins can step in and fix that almost right away. Collins is skilled enough to step away from the basket and play both the four or five spot, while protecting the rim. He’s an excellent shot blocker that can provide helpside defense and give Kemba Walker another scoring option to play with.
12. Detroit Pistons – Justin Jackson (UNC)
If the Pistons could move Reggie Jackson, Ntilikina falling here would be an automatic take. However, with a ton of money committed to him that doesn’t look like the case. The Pistons need help shooting the ball and that’s where Justin Jackson comes into play. He’s coming off a year in which he made 105 threes and can immediately help a team who ranked 26th in 3-point shooting. He also proved to be a decent defender in the NCAA Tournament guarding the likes of Malik Monk and Nigel Williams-Goss.
13. Denver Nuggets – Frank Ntilikina (France)
Someone has to fall from their original mock position and in this case it’s Ntilikina, who could fall depending what the Kings and Knicks do with their picks in the top-10. For Denver, Emmanuel Mudiay hasn’t looked that impressive which leaves Jamal Murray as a guy who can play both guard spots. He’s a decent defender that can step in right away and play either on or off the ball. Right away you have your backcourt of the future with two guys who are good shooters.
14. Miami Heat – Donovan Mitchell (Louisville)
Do you trust Dion Waiters for an entire season? That’s why the Heat take Donovan Mitchell here. He’s a guy who showed this year he’s a capable shooter and has always been a terrific defender. You can slide him in next to Dragic or Johnson and let him run off the ball. He’s an elite athlete with a 6’10” wingspan that will fit it nicely with Spo’s system.
15. Portland Trail Blazers – John Collins (Wake Forest)
The Blazers are obviously set in the backcourt and need help with the frontcourt and wing spots. John Collins is a guy who was the ultimate breakout star as a sophomore in college basketball. He made a legit push for ACC Player of the Year and most notably just shot 16-of-25 from three in a workout. If that shot comes true, he’ll easily be a top-10 player in this draft. He’s not strong defensively, but he’ll crash the offensive glass and finish at the rim, giving Lillard and McCollum space to work.
16. Chicago Bulls – Jarrett Allen (Texas)
The Bulls need a lot of help, but when you look at the contracts, there simply aren’t any bigs on the roster besides Bobby Portis and Robin Lopez for next season. Allen is a guy who will come in, be a defensive presence and help with rebounding. He can get up and down the court, if Hoiberg wants to play fast, but as Big Cat has taught me, the Bulls will automatically fuck this up, because that’s what GarPax does. Allen has a 7’5″ wingspan and will be an excellent shot blocker.
17. Milwaukee Bucks – Justin Patton (Creighton)
With Jabari Parker battling another injury, look for the Bucks to go with a big here. Patton fits what the Bucks like. Long, tall and a bunch of upside. It’s how they typically draft guys. Patton did show a little bit of range this past season at Creighton and while he’s not a great rebounder, he provides athleticism from the four spot and can play alongside Greg Monroe. He’s not going to sit in the post offensively, but rather beat you with lobs or cutting to the basket. With guys like Giannis and Brogdon on the roster, look for that to happen a lot.
18. Indiana Pacers – Luke Kennard (Duke)
The Pacers will have a lot of options here at No. 18. They can go wing with Kennard or Ferguson or they could take a guy like TJ Leaf, since they need some help in the frontcourt. However, with Jeff Teague not under contract, Kennard is a guy that can play either guard spot. He’s a great passer and an excellent shooter, pairing him with a guy like Paul George (maybe even just for a year) could help him develop.
19. Atlanta Hawks – TJ Leaf (UCLA)
There’s a chance the Hawks may only have seven guys under contract once free agency starts, including losing Paul Millsap. Leaf is a guy that can step in and immediately contribute on the offensive side of the ball. He’s an excellent stretch player, especially in the small ball era. We saw what Millsap/Horford did in that type of role in Atlanta and Leaf has enough skill offensively to contribute that way.
20. Portland Trail Blazers – Terrence Ferugson (Australia)
Ferguson is the type of guy who can come in and provide defense and shooting, in the prototypical 3-and-D wing you hear about. He’d give Portland another option shooting the ball and can come in and guard a couple different positions. The Blazers contracts are kind of weird as almost everyone is still under contract next season. Ferguson has a year of professional ball under his belt already and can be one of the guys who is the 16th man alternating between D-League and NBA.
21. Oklahoma City Thunder – DJ Wilson (Michigan)
The Thunder need help scoring the ball. Andre Roberson is a good defender, but we saw what happens when teams dare him to beat them. It didn’t work out too hot. Getting a guy who can play on the wing, stretch the floor and get his own bucket will be huge for OKC. That’s what Wilson can do. On top of that he’s going to fly up some charts with his 6’10” frame and ability to handle the ball.
22. Brooklyn Nets – Hamidou Diallo (Kentucky, kind of)
The Nets simply don’t have any assets, but they can make one here. Diallo is 50/50 in terms of staying in the draft or going back to Kentucky for what would be his real freshman year there. He’s projected as a lottery pick next year, so why not take him here when you don’t have a lottery pick? What’s wrong with taking a guy, who is an absolute freak athletically 12 spots behind where he’s projected to go in a year. The Nets need to get creative with their picks and this is one way to do that.
23. Toronto Raptors – Ike Anigbogu (UCLA)
The Raptors need help protecting the rim. If Kyle Lowry stays in Toronto, they obviously have the backcourt covered, but need help in the frontcourt and that’s where a ‘project’ like Anigobgu can come into play. He graded out with a ridiculous 7’6″ wingspan at the combine and averaged 12.4 rebounds per-40 minutes while at UCLA. He also put up 3.7 blocks per-40, giving Toronto that rim protection they need.
24. Utah Jazz – Rodions Kurcus (Barcelona)
The Jazz will need wing help, especially if Hayward leaves for free agency (although I’d bet he stays in Utah). Joe Johnson will be in his last year of a contract and Joe Ingles is a free agent this summer, it makes sense for the Jazz to go with a wing over another point guard. The 19-year old Latvian is likely a draft-and-stash guy for a year, but it lets Utah develop and see what happens with Hayward.
25. Orlando Magic – Jawun Evans (Oklahoma State)
The Magic get their wing help early with Tatum, now they’ll get guard help with Evans. Unlike Elfrid Payton, Evans is a decent shooter coming out of Oklahoma State and could potentially push for the starting job with the Magic. He’s excellent in the pick-and-roll game, which would give Vucevic the ability to come out and get buckets rolling to the rim. On top of that it gives the Magic another guy who can go get his own bucket, again, something they are currently lacking.
26. Portland Trail Blazers – Ivan Rabb (Cal)
The third first round pick for the Blazers, they take another big to help with the front court. With a draft like this you just hope to hit with 2 out of the 3, so taking another PF/C to go with John Collins isn’t the worst idea. Rabb is a guy who is very mobile and can get up and down the court, but is a traditional post player. He needs to put on a little bit more weight so he doesn’t get thrown around in the post.
27. Brooklyn Nets – Harry Giles (Duke)
Similar to the theory with the Diallo pick, the Nets should take the risk with Giles. They aren’t going to be good next year. They aren’t going to be good the year after next. They need to roll the dice with prospects like this, especially later in the first round and hope they hit. For Giles it’s all about how healthy he is and what the doctors have to say. He did measure well, coming in at 6’10” and has a nice touch with his jumper. We’ve seen what he’s capable of when he’s healthy (hint: he would have been the clear No. 1) question is can he get remotely close to that again.
28. Los Angeles Lakers – Isaiah Hartenstein (Zalgris – Lithuania)
The Lakers can take Hartenstein and decide what they want to do with him as he does need to improve offensively in the halfcourt. If they do play him this year, he’s a guy that will come in and rebound right away and does have decent size. You can play him alongside Julius Randle and try to dominate the glass between those two. If he can get up and down the court, pairing him with Lonzo Ball and Randle passing the ball, you can have some success.
29. San Antonio Spurs – Bam Adebayo (Kentucky)
This is going to be such a Spurs pick. They’ll take Bam or Swanigan here and they’ll be a solid rotational player for 12 years. The bigs for the Spurs need some help. Pau isn’t getting any younger. LaMarcus Aldridge looks like it hurts when he moves. David Lee isn’t the answer. By getting Bam you get a strong defensive player that can get up and down the court. You have now young players at the point spot (Murray), wing (Kawhi) and post (Bam) to let Pop work with.
30. Utah Jazz – Jordan Bell (Oregon)
Jordan Bell was perhaps the biggest winner at the combine last week in Chicago. Couple that with what he did in the NCAA Tournament and he’s someone people are starting to get more interested in. He was in my eyes the best defensive player in the country last season and is an excellent rebounder. He’s the exact type of big you want to come off the bench and can provide rim protection when Gobert needs a breather.