The “early entry” deadline has officially passed for American players, and with the assumption that Luka Doncic will make the transition to the NBA, this should be my final mock draft.(Hopefully) A number of notable names made their big decisions at the deadline including, Villanova’s Donte DiVincenzo and Omari Spellman , Maryland’s Kevin Huerter and Kentucky’s Jarred Vanderbilt, who all decided to stay in the draft. As guys like Jontay Porter and P.J. Washington decided to return to school.
Brief Explanation: Phoenix has been saying that they will pick DeAndre Ayton, I am not sure if that is a “smokescreen” or if they are really planning to pick Ayton. I personally believe both Ayton and Doncic would be great picks for Phoenix at #1. If Phoenix opts to not choose Luka Doncic, I would say there is a high possibility that he falls as far as #4 or #5 in the draft, for a number of reasons. Workout performances will dictate a large amount of the picks in the 2018 NBA Draft(per usual), but especially in the lottery. The Kings roster does not exactly fit Luka Doncic, with De’Aaron Fox being the biggest “roadblock”, thus the Kings will have some thinking to do. (Many reports have the Kings leaning towards a frontcourt player at #2)
Random Anecdotes
Discovering that Zhaire Smith is actually only 6'4" may decrease his draft stock.
Donte DiVincenzo looks like a surefire top 20–30 pick.
I really enjoy Elie Okobo’s game; don’t be surprised if he sneaks up on draft night.
There are SEVERAL similarly talented, wing/guard players in the 30–45 range, which could result in, once again, workout performance and individual character ultimately deciding those picks.
The Clippers want to move up and they have the means to do so with a varying range of assets and the #12 and #13 picks in the 2018 draft.
The Boston Celtics have been rumored to have aspirations of trading into the lottery to get a big man. (pssst. If it involves Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, it is not happening.)
At the beginning of the 2017–18 NCAA season, I would have had Michael Porter Jr. as a top 3 pick in the draft. Injury concerns and athleticism/positional concerns have him falling back several spots. Will MPJ make us all look stupid?
I’m intrigued by the number of draft picks (6) the Philadelphia 76ers have in this draft. They will probably target a high-impact wing player such as Mikal or Miles Bridges at 10 and then look to grab as many shooters as possible with their other selections (Kevin Huerter, Grayson Allen, Landry Shamet etc..). Trading up is also in play if they are targeting someone specific.
This draft will be key in the rebuilding of the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks own three first round draft picks (3,19,30) and an early second (33). Taurean Prince and John Collins are the only two players who I believe will be on this team in 3 years. They have tons of freedom in this draft, and should look to draft the best avaliable player at every pick. As long as they can get at least 2 rotational players in this draft, they should be on the path to becoming a playoff contender sometime in about 3–5 years (excluding free agents).
- Phoenix Suns-C DeAndre Ayton- Arizona
- Sacramento Kings- C Marvin Bagley III- Duke
- Atlanta Hawks- C Jaren Jackson Jr.-Duke
- Memphis Grizzlies- G/F Luka Doncic- Slovenia/Real Madrid
- Dallas Mavericks- C Mohamed Bamba- Texas
- Orlando Magic- G Trae Young- Oklahoma
- Chicago Bulls- F Michael Porter Jr.- Missouri
- Cleveland Cavaliers (Via BKN)- C Wendell Carter Jr.- Duke
- New York Knicks- F Kevin Knox- Kentucky
- Philadelphia 76ers (Via LAL)- F Miles Bridges- Michigan State
- Charlotte Hornets- G/F Mikal Bridges- Villanova
- Los Angeles Clippers (Via DET)- G Collin Sexton- Alabama
- Los Angeles Clippers- G/F Zhaire Smith- Texas Tech
- Denver Nuggets- G Lonnie Walker IV- Miami
- Washington Wizards- C Robert Williams- Texas A&M
- Phoenix Suns (Via MIA)- G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander- Kentucky
- Milwaukee Bucks-G Troy Brown Jr.- Oregon
- San Antonio Spurs- F Keita Bates-Diop- Ohio State
- Atlanta Hawks (Via MIN)- G Anfernee Simons- USA/IMG Academy
- Minnesota Timberwolves (Via OKC)-G/F Jacob Evans- Cincinatti
- Utah Jazz- G Donte DiVincenzo- Villanova
- Chicago Bulls (Via NO)- F/G Chandler Hutchinson-Boise State
- Indiana Pacers- G Aaron Holiday- UCLA
- Portland Trail Blazers- G Khyri Thomas- Creighton
- Los Angeles Lakers (Via CLE)- G Elie Okobo- France/Pau-Lacq-Orthez
- Philadelphia 76ers- G Kevin Huerter-Maryland
- Boston Celtics- G Grayson Allen-Duke
- Golden State Warriors- G Landry Shamet- Wichita State
- Brooklyn Nets- G Shake Milton- SMU
- Atlanta Hawks (Via HOU)- F Dzanan Musa- Bosnia
2nd Round — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — - Phoenix Suns-G Jalen Brunson- Villanova
- Memphis Grizzlies-F/G Isaac Bonga- Germany
- Atlanta Hawks-G/F Melvin Frazier- Tulane
- Dallas Mavericks- G Rawle Alkins- Arizona
- Orlando Magic-C Mitchell Robinson- USA
- Sacramento Kings- G Josh Okogie- Georgia Tech
- New York Knicks (Via CHI)- G Jerome Robinson- Boston College
- Philadelhpia 76ers (Via BKN)- C Chemezie Metu- USC
- Philadelphia 76ers (Via NYK)- G Hamidou Diallo- Kentucky
- Brooklyn Nets (Via LAL)-F Omari Spellman- Villanova
- Orlando Magic (Via CHA)- G Bruce Brown Jr.- Miami
- Detroit Pistons- G De’Anthony Melton-USC
- Denver Nuggets (Via LAC)- F Justin Jackson-Maryland
- Washington Wizards -G Tony Carr-Penn State
- Brooklyn Nets (Via MIL)-F Rodions Kurucs- Latvia
- Houston Rockets (Via MIA)- F Ray Spalding- Louisville
- Los Angeles Lakers (Via DEN)- G Gary Trent Jr.- Duke
- Minnesota Timberwolves- G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk- Kansas
- San Antonio Spurs- G Devonte’ Graham-Kansas
- Indiana Pacers-F Jarred Vanderbilt- Kentucky
- New Orleans Pelicans-G Devon Hall- Virginia
- Utah Jazz- C Moritz Wagner- Michigan
- Oklahoma City Thunder-G Trevon Duval- Duke
- Dallas Mavericks (Via POR)- G Jevon Carter- West Virginia
- Charlotte Hornets (Via CLE)-F Kevin Hervey- Texas Arlington
- Philadelphia 76ers- F Kenrich Williams-TCU
- Oklahoma City Thunder (Via BOS)- F Alize Johnson- Missouri State
- Denver Nuggets (Via GSW)- C Goga Bitadze-Georgia
- Phoenix Suns (Via TOR)- G/F George King- Colorado
- Philadelphia 76ers (Via HOU)- C Matur Maker- Australia
SHOUTOUTS: Korleone Young(Wichita East), Robert Swift (Bakersfield HS), Ndudi Ebi (Westbury Christian)
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