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1st mock draft of the season!
« on: May 06, 2016, 02:01:30 PM »

Offline perks-a-beast

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based on how i think the lottery will play out. Will update after the actually lottery.

1. Lakers  -  Ben Simmons. SF/PF. LSU.
The league won’t let the Lakers pick fall out of the top 3 and go to the Sixers. The Lakers inherenting another superstar, directly after the retirement of Kobe Bryant, with the top pick, will be one of the “coincidences” that seems to always take place with the 1st pick The NBA wants to make Los Angeles as attractive a destination as possible. Handing arguably the best prospect of the past couple years to the Fakers will do just that. Russell/Randle/Simmons is a very intriguing young core. With the way Simmons plays with such vision at such a young age, for a guy his size, his potential is endless. Think of a 6’10 Rondo. Scary.

2. 76’ers  -  Brandon Ingram. SF. Duke.
The one clear advantage Ingram has over Simmons is shooting. Dude can straight up stroke it. That’s dangerous for a guy his size. The one knock on him is his skeleton-esc stature, but i really think that has always been an overblown concern in the NBA. Along with Simmons, Ingram is probably the only player in the draft with superstar potential. The sixers have struggled to find a new face of their franchise since A.I. left all those years ago. Ingram could be it.

3. Suns  -  Dragan Bender. PF/C. International.
People are often baffled by foreign players drafted in the lottery who come in averaging 4 points and 2 rebounds a game. Granted, Bender was a 18 year old kid on an extremely deep and competitive  team, there really isn’t too big of a sample size to justify taking him this high, in my opinion. Alot of GM’s will be blinded by the “porzingiz effect”. But honestly that guy is a basketball unicorn. While i don’t think Bender is Porzingiz, i don’t think he’s Darko either. He’s clearly ready to make an impact defensively in the NBA right now with his ability to guard inside and on the perimiter.

4. Celtics  -  Jamal Murray. SG/PG. Kentucky.
Could very well rival Buddy Hield as the best shooter in the draft. Murray, whose 3 years younger than Hield, has more upside due to his ability to play the 1 and the 2, and also being taller. Murray already has impressive composier and leadership skills for a guy that young. He was impressive playing for the Canadian national team, and even more impressive his freshman year at Kentucky, averaging 20 points, on 40% shooting from three. Murray would instantly become the best 3 point shooter on the Celtics.

5. Wolves  -  Kris Dunn. PG. Providence.
I’d be shocked if the Wolves passed on Dunn, the best player available, because they still see Ricky Rubio as their long term PG. While Dunn may not be the passer Rubio is, he’s ten times the defender and competitor. If Minny could put some shooters around the core of Dunn/Wiggins/Towns, that would be an elite team for a lot of years to come.

6. Pelicans  -  Jaylen Brown. SF. California.
If the Pelicans want to keep Anthony Davis long term, they need a major talent upgrade. Drafting Brown, who i could see going as high as 3, would be a step in the right direction. Brown is a lot more than just a walking, talking highlight reel. His natural ability to attack the basket and his physicality make him a rare prospect, and a potentially deadly wing player. I get the distinct feeling he’s not a guy who will ever master his jump shot, but even if he can shoot the long ball at 30% for his career, he will be special.

7. Nuggets  -  Buddy Hield. SG. Oklahoma.
Add Hield to the mix of Denvers young talent, and on paper that’s not a bad looking team moving forward. I especially like the idea of Hield playing in the Nuggets backcourt with Mudiay. I think they compliment each others games very nicely, like Beal/Wall. Hield may be being overrated slightly after his tourney run and praise from Kobe, but i think he will make a very nice NBA player.

8. Kings  -  Henry Ellenson. PF. Marquette.
Poor Sacramento. They’re always bad, but not bad enough. I think they gotta go best available here. Ellenson didn’t shoot the ball as well as everybody anticipated, but he did just about everything else well. As a freshman, He was essentially a double double machine in one of the toughest conferences in the country. With the Kings inevitable breakup with Cousins, they’ll have a plethora of big guys to choose from at 8.

9. Raptors  -  Domantas Sabonis. PF. Gonzaga.
There’s always one player each year whose draft status is wrongly elevated because of a good showing in the tournament. I don’t think that’s the case with Sabonis. From everything i’ve heard and seen from this kid, i believe he’s worthy of being in the top ten in this draft class. Fellow canadian Skal Labissiere will also be an option here for the Raps, but Sabonis has got the heart of a lion and that’s compelling to Toronto, whose been sorely lacking an effective PF since the departure of Chris Bosh way back when.

10. Bucks  -  Jakob Poeltl. C. Utah.
The last time the Bucks drafted a foreign center from Utah, it worked out pretty well. I see alot of Andrew Bogut in Poeltl’s game. Not as good defensively, but gets up the court hella fast for a big fella and has yet to reach his potential on the offensive end of the floor. The Bucks need some stability in the post, and Poeltl could provide just that.

11. Magic  -  Skal Labissiere. PF/C. Kentucky.
Too much potential for the Magic to pass up. Worst case is they’re getting themselves another Channing Frye. Best case Labissiere snaps out of passive/timid Jeff Green mode, gets mean, and morphs into a 20/10 machine. It really could go either way.

12. Jazz  -  Timothe Luwawu. SG/SF. International.
There’s been talk of Luwawu dropping like a fly. From what i’ve seen Luwawu has a very polished offensive game, to go along with advanced defensive instincts for a 20 year old. Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood arent exactly stellar wing defenders, so Timothe would no doubt be filling a need for the Jazz. They caught lightning in a bottle last time they drafted a frenchman, which could steer them towards trying it again.

13. Suns  -  Marquese Chriss. PF/SF. Washington.
What makes Chriss such an intriguing prospect is his ability to guard the 1-4 positions. He’s super agile which allows him to stay in front of almost anyone on the court. He was alot better offensively than anyone thought he would be his first and only year at Washington. Have heard he may move even higher up the board pending a solid combine showing.

14. Bulls  -  Furkan Korkmaz. SG/SF. International.
Korkmaz is great value for the Bulls at 14, who could very well be heading for a full on rebuild. Like Murray, Korkmaz shows great poise and composure for a guy so young. Along with knocking down the 3 ball, he facilitates for others, which makes him special. When it’s all said and done, Korkmaz could be the steal of the draft.

15. Nuggets  -  Deyonta Davis. PF/C. Michigan State.
Davis sort of came out of nowhere. Some say if he stayed at Michigan State, he’d be a top 10 pick next year, others say he shouldn’t even be a top 20 pick this year. It’s hard to look past the defensive impact he had on that Spartan team, and could potentially fit nicely next to Jokic/Nurkic for the Nuggets.

16. Celtics  -  Diamond Stone. C. Maryland.
Conditioning and athletisism seem to be a concern for Stone. But it’s hard to deny that there’s a ton of potential there. Stone made his presence felt on one of the best teams in all of college basketball as a frosh. I’m in awe that i’ve seen him fall out of the first round on a lot of mock drafts. Staying in shape and improving offensively will determine if Stone can turn into a 16/8 guy like he has the potential to.

17. Grizzlies  -  Denzel Valentine. SG. Michigan State.
The Grizzlies need shooting..and have for years. Despite Valentines limited ceiling defensively, he would give the Griz a much needed boost offensively, especially considering he may fall into the category of guys ready to contribute right away. As it looks as if the Grizzlies are headed into rebuilding mode, they need to make the most of their picks.

18. Pistons  -  Wade Baldwin III. SG. Vanderbilt.
Baldwin was one of the most intriguing guards in the SEC this past year. His absurd wingspan and quickness give him the ability to defend both guard positions very well. Many see his ceiling as an Avery Bradley type - only with better handles. Steve Blake isn’t exactly cutting it as the backup PG in motown so i look for Van Gundy to draft a guard here.

19. Nuggets  -  Demetrius Jackson. PG. Notre Dame.
Denver is in no position to pass on the best player available here. Everything about Jackson indicates he can be a solid backup PG in the NBA for years to come. There’s not really one thing in particular he does well, but does a little bit of everything on the court. I look for the Nuggets to have a really strong draft this year.

20. Pacers  -  Malik Beasley. SG. Florida State.
Look out. Beasley is one guy who could easily fly up the draft board given his shooting ability, defensive potential, and size. I could see him going as high as 14. Comparisons of Wesley Matthews comes to mind. With that said, Beasley would be tremendous value for the Pacers at 20.

21. Hawks  -  Taurean Prince. SF. Baylor.
Watching the Cavs/Hawks series, it is abundantly clear that Atlanta is missing a wing defensive stopper. Could Prince be their next DeMarre Carroll? Maybe. It also wouldn’t surprise me if Atlanta drafted a big here given Al Horfords pending free agency and their lack of depth there

22. Hornets  -  DeJounte Murray. SG/PG. Washington.
Murray strikes me as another guy who may fly up the draft boards for many of the same reasons as Beasley. While Murray doesn’t yet have the lethal shooting stroke of Beasley, He’s bigger and an all around better playmaker. The Hornets struggled a lot this year offensively while Kemba was out of the game, so Murray could help out a lot in that aspect.

23. Celtics  -  Ante Zizic. C. International.
The Celtics will have some great draft and stash options with this pick. Zizic is an impressive 19 year old whose finding success in the same league that spit out the likes Of Jusuf Nurkic, Nikola Pekovic, and Nikola Jokic. Bigs are a scarce commodity in the NBA, especially young bigs like Zizic, who shows impressive composure and competitivness for his age. The question is - is he the best big left on the board?

24. 76’ers  -  Tyler Ulis. PG. Kentucky.
Philly hasn’t really found a long term solution at the PG position. Ish Smith, T.J. McConnell, and Kendall Marshall are all nice players, but do any of them possess the upside Ulis does? Being arguably the best player on a deep Kentucky team, Ulis owes a lot of his rising draft stock to our very own Isaiah Thomas, who shows that little guys with big hearts can still have a large impact in todays NBA.

25. Clippers  -  Brice Johnson. PF. North Carolina.
Johnson blossomed into one of the best college basketball players this past year. Everything about him screams a Doc Rivers kind of player. He plays hard, knows his role, and doesn’t try to do too much on the court. He most likely won’t blow anyone away with stats on the next level, but with his basketball instincts and defensive abilities, i could see Johnson being a highly valuable bench player for years to come.

26. 76’ers  -  Caris LeVert. SG. Michigan State.
LeVert is one of the wild cards in this years draft. The two injuries he has already sustained may scare a lot of scouts away. But there is no denying that when healthy, LeVert is a highly effective playmaker and scorer who has lottery potential.

27. Raptors  -  Damian Jones. PF/C. Vanderbilt.
No one hurt their draft stock this past season as much as Jones. Going into the 15-16 season, Jones seemed like a lock as a lottery pick, but scouts failed to see the offensive progression they wanted out of Jones. With that said, i’d still be surprised if Jones fell out of the 1st round given his size and ability to cover ground on the defensive end of the floor.

28. Suns  -  Anthony Barber. PG. NC State.
Is he a PG? Is he a SG? Nobody knows for sure. But one thing that is established is that Barber can fill up the cup. Averaging 24 PPG in the ACC is not easy. As craft as Barber is, i dont think there is anyone expecting him to do that on the next level. But late in the 1st round, Barber is great value, especially for the Suns who struggled to score the ball all year.

29. Spurs  -  Guershon Yubusele. PF. International.
Yubusele is as strong as a power forward as you’ll find and has quite the unique skill set for a guy his size. A good comparison may be current Spur, Boris Diaw. While Yubusele doesn’t yet possess the passing skills of Diaw, many scouts still believe he can be a very effective big man at the next level.

30. Warriors  - Ivica Zubac. C. International.
With rumors swirling around that the Lakers are going to pay Ezeli 50 mill over 3 years, it’ makes it unlikely the Warriors can retain his services, especially considering they’re going to have to pay Harrison Barnes top dollar as well. Bogut isn’t getting any younger either, and there will be alot of good options at Center left on the board for GS to choose from. Many argue that Zubac is an even better prospect than Zizic, considering his 7’1 stature mixed with surprising agility.

Re: 1st mock draft of the season!
« Reply #1 on: May 06, 2016, 02:07:33 PM »

Offline PhoSita

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I'm pretty well set on Jamal Murray as the guy I'd take first after the clear cut top 2.


He's the only prospect in that next tier of the draft that combines age-related-upside and proven on-court ability.  He's a natural scorer and shooter with solid physical tools.  Not as productive as Hield, but he had a really good season as a freshman.  Hield wasn't anywhere close to Murray at the same age.


I'm going to need some serious convincing that Bender or Brown are better long term bets than Murray.  I think I'd be more comfortable with Hield, Dunn, or Poeltl than either of them, to be honest.
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Re: 1st mock draft of the season!
« Reply #2 on: May 06, 2016, 02:18:02 PM »

Offline Quetzalcoatl

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Why are we picking 4th if you're going in order? The Nets were awful fair and square

Re: 1st mock draft of the season!
« Reply #3 on: May 06, 2016, 02:32:25 PM »

Offline Evantime34

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That looks pretty good, I probably would prefer Valentine and Baldwin to Stone, but the idea of adding two guards with the first two picks isn't my favorite.

With the way your board comes out I could see the C's trading up to grab Davis or Chriss. Murray and Davis/Chriss would be a great draft (provided we don't get a top 2 pick).
DKC:  Rockets
CB Draft: Memphis Grizz
Players: Klay Thompson, Jabari Parker, Aaron Gordon
Next 3 picks: 4.14, 4.15, 4.19

Re: 1st mock draft of the season!
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2016, 02:37:21 PM »

Offline alldaboston

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Why are we picking 4th if you're going in order? The Nets were awful fair and square


He's going by how he thinks the lottery will play out
I could very well see the Hawks... starting Taurean Prince at the 3, who is already better than Crowder, imo.

you vs. the guy she tells you not to worry about

Re: 1st mock draft of the season!
« Reply #5 on: May 06, 2016, 02:45:49 PM »

Offline Smart457

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I'm pretty well set on Jamal Murray as the guy I'd take first after the clear cut top 2.


He's the only prospect in that next tier of the draft that combines age-related-upside and proven on-court ability.  He's a natural scorer and shooter with solid physical tools.  Not as productive as Hield, but he had a really good season as a freshman.  Hield wasn't anywhere close to Murray at the same age.


I'm going to need some serious convincing that Bender or Brown are better long term bets than Murray.  I think I'd be more comfortable with Hield, Dunn, or Poeltl than either of them, to be honest.
I'm still uncertain on how good Murray can be. He doesn't have explosive speed or in game leaping ability that impresses me.

Best case for Murray would be Klay Thompson or Brandon Roy so I guess he's still worth gambling on.

Re: 1st mock draft of the season!
« Reply #6 on: May 06, 2016, 02:47:57 PM »

Offline alldaboston

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I'm pretty well set on Jamal Murray as the guy I'd take first after the clear cut top 2.


He's the only prospect in that next tier of the draft that combines age-related-upside and proven on-court ability.  He's a natural scorer and shooter with solid physical tools.  Not as productive as Hield, but he had a really good season as a freshman.  Hield wasn't anywhere close to Murray at the same age.


I'm going to need some serious convincing that Bender or Brown are better long term bets than Murray.  I think I'd be more comfortable with Hield, Dunn, or Poeltl than either of them, to be honest.
I 100% agree with this. Murray is a scoring talent. We need scoring. He could become a solid 20ppg scorer in this league. He's talented. I would take him over anyone else at 3 if we keep the pick
I could very well see the Hawks... starting Taurean Prince at the 3, who is already better than Crowder, imo.

you vs. the guy she tells you not to worry about

Re: 1st mock draft of the season!
« Reply #7 on: May 06, 2016, 02:56:03 PM »

Offline Tr1boy

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Diamond stone ?  No offense but seriously

He has key anti "CBS" pref.   Lack of a good motor, conditioning

He can play with a chip on his shoulders and though not explosive , can "bully" baskets in.   Good strength. But too many other key things lacking

Murray Zizic , I can totally see be picked.

Love to see the team move up from 16 and grab Sabonis  at 9

Re: 1st mock draft of the season!
« Reply #8 on: May 06, 2016, 02:56:09 PM »

Offline boscel33

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Murray, oh yeah, another guard because we haven't drafted one in recent history.....

IMO, this is dreadful if it plays out like this. 
"There's sharks and minnows in this world. If you don't know which you are, you ain't a shark."

Re: 1st mock draft of the season!
« Reply #9 on: May 06, 2016, 03:09:54 PM »

Offline rondohondo

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Murray, oh yeah, another guard because we haven't drafted one in recent history.....

IMO, this is dreadful if it plays out like this.

The kid avg 20 ppg on 40% from 3 as a fresh at Kentucky . What is wrong with that?

You don't just draft because of need this high up in the lottery. You take the best talent available . He either becomes a piece in a trade , or maybe makes Bradley expendable and available to be traded to upgrade our big man rotation .

He can play both on and off the ball which would fit well with IT and Smart as well.

Re: 1st mock draft of the season!
« Reply #10 on: May 06, 2016, 03:10:14 PM »

Offline A Future of Stevens

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Diamond stone ?  No offense but seriously

He has key anti "CBS" pref.   Lack of a good motor, conditioning

He can play with a chip on his shoulders and though not explosive , can "bully" baskets in.   Good strength. But too many other key things lacking

Murray Zizic , I can totally see be picked.

Love to see the team move up from 16 and grab Sabonis  at 9

Barring a trade, if we walked away from this draft with Murray and sabonis, I'd be a happy camper. Maybe a euro stash or 2 in the second. Would be a great draft.
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Re: 1st mock draft of the season!
« Reply #11 on: May 06, 2016, 03:26:50 PM »

Offline Smart457

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Murray, oh yeah, another guard because we haven't drafted one in recent history.....

IMO, this is dreadful if it plays out like this.
I use to think like that but are we overly happy with Smart and AB? They are certainly nice pieces but if we get lucky and someone like Murray becomes an all star, Smart and AB quickly become trade bait.

Re: 1st mock draft of the season!
« Reply #12 on: May 06, 2016, 03:35:01 PM »

Offline knuckleballer

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I'm pretty well set on Jamal Murray as the guy I'd take first after the clear cut top 2.


He's the only prospect in that next tier of the draft that combines age-related-upside and proven on-court ability.  He's a natural scorer and shooter with solid physical tools.  Not as productive as Hield, but he had a really good season as a freshman.  Hield wasn't anywhere close to Murray at the same age.


I'm going to need some serious convincing that Bender or Brown are better long term bets than Murray.  I think I'd be more comfortable with Hield, Dunn, or Poeltl than either of them, to be honest.

I totally agree.  He's my guy after the top two.  He got off to a slow start which hurt his overall numbers, but he was one of the top few players in college last year.  The game looked like it slowed  for him, like he was in total command on the court.

 Hield was slightly better last year, but it was close.  Murray was a better ball handler and passer and was a better shooter than Hield was as a junior.  I wouldn't project him to be a regular all star, but I think he has a high floor and will be a very good player.

Re: 1st mock draft of the season!
« Reply #13 on: May 06, 2016, 03:37:05 PM »

Offline Tr1boy

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Diamond stone ?  No offense but seriously

He has key anti "CBS" pref.   Lack of a good motor, conditioning

He can play with a chip on his shoulders and though not explosive , can "bully" baskets in.   Good strength. But too many other key things lacking

Murray Zizic , I can totally see be picked.

Love to see the team move up from 16 and grab Sabonis  at 9

Barring a trade, if we walked away from this draft with Murray and sabonis, I'd be a happy camper. Maybe a euro stash or 2 in the second. Would be a great draft.

Murray, Sabonis, Hart, zizic , finney-smith or Ellis

Lose young, I'm indifferent of keeping Hunter . two guys that have mainly shooting to help them stick around , can't shoot

Re: 1st mock draft of the season!
« Reply #14 on: May 06, 2016, 03:57:31 PM »

Offline boscel33

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Murray, oh yeah, another guard because we haven't drafted one in recent history.....

IMO, this is dreadful if it plays out like this.

The kid avg 20 ppg on 40% from 3 as a fresh at Kentucky . What is wrong with that?

You don't just draft because of need this high up in the lottery. You take the best talent available . He either becomes a piece in a trade , or maybe makes Bradley expendable and available to be traded to upgrade our big man rotation .

He can play both on and off the ball which would fit well with IT and Smart as well.

can't always go by stats, rj hunter averaged 21 ppg and 36% from three as a frosh. 

in order to trade, there has to be value.  if the c's have a glut, then teams might underbid knowing that.  if murray is selected, that leaves us with murray, bradley, hunter. rozier, smart, thomas, holland, turner (fa), young.  turner and young are also listed as forwards. 

think if murray is their guy, then trades hopefully will be made prior to the pick.
"There's sharks and minnows in this world. If you don't know which you are, you ain't a shark."