June 04, 2015
For some reason, I have the chorus from “Macho Man” stuck in my head but replaced the title with “Mock Draft.” Now maybe you do, too. Despite the two terms not having the same number of syllables, it still kind of works. Anyway, onto the good stuff!
I’m only going to include the lottery teams in the fun this time around, but future installments very well could go for the whole first round.
I feel pretty strongly that Karl-Anthony Towns should be the top pick, and he very well could be. There’s still a lot of buzz from legitimate sources that Flip Saunders prefers Okafor, though. Until that speculation stops, I’ll keep Okafor in the top spot. You’ve gotta prove me wrong, Flip.
If Okafor does indeed go first overall, this one is a no-brainer. The Lakers’ tortured fanbase *finally* gets what they want after all of these long years of suffering, and Towns gets what he wants as well. Us cold-weather cities normally have to stick together, but I can’t begrudge anyone for wanting to live in Southern California.
If Karl-Anthony Towns is determined to get to Lakers, it'll be interesting to see how agreeable his camp will be to meeting with Minnesota.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) May 20, 2015
Saving more extended thoughts on this selection for a post dropping on Monday in which Russell’s merits are weighed, but just remember that Andrew Wiggins was D’Angelo Russell at this time last year. As obvious as this pick might seem, nothing is etched in stone here.
Report: Knicks 'Enamored' With Trey Lyles, Could Draft Him No. 4 http://t.co/8aJbiauaeR pic.twitter.com/JdvJLcqlCH
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) May 31, 2015
They’re not drafting Lyles fourth, at least for their sake I hope they’re not. But when a report like this comes out (from Twitter legend and Around the Horn contributor Frank “Frankie Ice” Isola, to boot), you have to slot Lyles here in the mock draft. Those are the rules.
Magic GM Rob Hennigan’s recent draft history (Elfrid Payton, Aaron Gordon, Victor Oladipo) suggests that he’s willing to overlook some shooting deficiency as long as you’re a great athlete. Here’s a player that has a little bit of both shooting and athleticism.
If you were creating the ideal player to pair up in the frontcourt with Boogie Cousins, Cauley-Stein would be pretty close to what you came up with. Cousins could slide over the power forward while his fellow Kentucky product can block shots, take all of the tough defensive assignments, and get out of his way on offense.
The Knicks’ shocking selection of Lyles really turned this whole thing on its head, and I don’t think Mudiay would last this long. There are a bunch of reports that Ty Lawson is being shopped, so drafting a taller point guard who could eventually replace him makes some sense.
Again, this would be really nice value for Detroit at this spot. For my very little money, Winslow was the best player on the floor from start to finish of the NCAA Tournament. Even if Detroit has another trying season, this is the type of competitive young player you want to try and build with.
Porzingis is a guy who some classify as a boom-or-bust prospect, and I would feel extremely comfortable making that gamble at 9 if I were Michael Jordan. By the way, that’s not the first time “Michael Jordan” and “gamble” were used in a sentence together, and it won’t be the last.
Even if Dwyane Wade and the Heat settle their differences, this team needs some more athleticism on the wing in the worst way. Johnson can certainly provide that for them, which is one reason they were probably better off missing the playoffs and retaining their pick for another year.
I’ll be interested to see how Kaminsky fares in the NBA, but the one thing we already know is he can shoot the ball from deep. Shooting and skill is a big deal in the league today. Landing a guy who is a legitimate “Stretch 5” is something that very well might intrigue Larry Bird.
Absolutely love this team, and think they’re primed to crack the playoffs in the extremely difficult Western Conference next year. Having the ability to run out a Burks-Booker-Hayward-Favors-Gobert lineup would be a lot of fun, so let’s have the shooting guard land here.
Turner is very talented, but he was inconsistent throughout his freshman year at Texas. At this point, I don’t think Phoenix would pass up on a skilled 7-footer.
Payne is probably the player I’ve heard the least about in the whole draft class, which isn’t always necessarily a bad thing. Damian Lillard was that guy three years ago, and he turned out great. In fact, I knew more about current Sixers point guard Isaiah “Lil’ Sip” Canaan when he was running the show for the Racers a few years ago.
Chad Ford reported that many GMs believe the Thunder already have made a promise to Payne if he falls to this spot. A good shooter, he’s a guy that could fit nicely off the ball between Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
Oof, the pick swap in the Joe Johnson trade really came back to bite the Nets. For Atlanta, Hollis-Jefferson is the reward for Danny Ferry’s shrewd maneuvering back in the 2012 offseason. While Mike Budenholzer usually values shooting even more than I do, Hollis-Jefferson is another body they can potentially throw at LeBron James in a playoff series, among other things.
Oubre reminds me a little bit of James Young, a player the Celtics picked last year. Unfortunately, we won't be treated to the Bill Simmons seal of approval this time around:
Local hero and athletic wing that fits into the Bucks’ “switch everything with long athletes” defensive philosophy? Sure, why not.
If Winslow was the best player in the tournament from start to finish, Jones took over the reins in the Final Four. Houston already has a deep roster, but outside of Pablo Prigioni’s amazing Game 7 against the Clippers, I didn’t love their point guard depth in the playoffs after Patrick Beverly went down with an injury.
The Wiz could go a lot of directions with this pick, but Portis’ defense and rebounding might be too much to pass up if he falls to this spot. Washington has an older frontline, and the Arkansas forward could give them a jolt of energy off the bench every night starting next season.
20. Toronto Raptors: Kevon Looney, UCLA
21. Dallas Mavericks: Jerian Grant, Notre Dame
22. Chicago Bulls: Justin Anderson, Virginia
23. Portland Trail Blazers: Montrezl Harrell, Louisville
24. Cleveland Cavaliers: Rashad Vaughn, UNLV
25. Memphis Grizzlies: R.J. Hunter, Georgia State
26. San Antonio Spurs: Delon Wright, Utah
27. Los Angeles Lakers: Robert Upshaw, Washington
28. Boston Celtics: Christian Wood, UNLV
29. Brooklyn Nets: Chris McCullough, Syracuse
30. Golden State Warriors: Jarell Martin, LSU
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
