Flagrant 2’s Mock Draft 3.0: Before the Madness of March Part 2
Part 2 of our Before March Madness Mock Draft is here …. enjoy
15. Denver Nuggets
Bam Adebayo
Player Comparison: Kenneth Faried
There is a serious logjam at almost every position with this team, with Gallo, Faried, Plumlee and Jokic in the frontcourt and Murray, Mudiay, Barton and Harris in the backcourt. This team is weird and adding an additional rookie without moving any of them will be a disaster for anyone drafted at 15. In my eyes, I would take a risk and hope for the best. If you are drafting Bam then be weary of the lack of a polished offensive game and hope your team isn’t counting on him to score. When looking at Bam’s profile, the first thing that stands out when looking at him is how massive he is. Bam is a legitimate man-child and could be on the Greg Oden family tree. Bam is extremely raw on the court but drafting someone with the upside of Bam at 15 is a steal. His unique combination of strength and speed could allow him to turn into a mini-Dwight Howard. For the Nuggets, finding someone to pair with Jokic should be priority #1 and hopefully Bam is that guy. With Murray and Jokic set to be the faces of the franchise, grabbing a guy who doesn’t need plays called for him to be an impact is important for a growing franchise.
16.Detroit Pistons
Johnathan Motley
Player Comparison: Pascal Siakam
The Pistons are a weird team and one that is in need of a new identity. I love what Andre Drummond brings to the table, but he needs to find his frontcourt partner. I think adding depth to the frontcourt is the best option, even if they drafted Henry Ellenson last year. They need a guy who will do the dirty work and outwork anyone on the court. It might be a little bit of a reach but this is where Johnathan Motley comes in. As a late bloomer, Motley possesses the measurables needed to be a threat in the NBA at 6’9 with a 7’3 wingspan. His outlook is simple, Motley is primed to be a high motor big who gives teams nightmares with how much he outworks his matchup. He will never be mistaken for a dominant low post operator but Motley will give you buckets when needed. His calling card will be his interior toughness and ability to clean up the boards for easy buckets. With KCP, Stanley Johnson and Tobias Harris all relatively young and somewhat productive, grabbing an additional wing here seems awkward and reaching for a “PG” would be a mistake.
17. Chicago Bulls
Terrance Ferguson
Player Comparison: Terrence Ross
I know …. I know … I said that I usually don’t add international guys to my mock drafts until I get more information on them and they are locks for the lottery but Ferguson is different. The NBL actually allows for streaming of their games with relative ease and Ferguson has enough tape from All-Star games and mixtapes for me to gauge his value. Even though he has struggled mightily in Australia, especially in the TO department, grabbing a guy with his offensive upside is needed in Chicago. With the likes of MCW, Cannon, Rondo, Wade, Grant and Payne on the roster currently, it isn’t rocket science to figure out that the Bulls need perimeter shooting and that is what Ferguson can bring right away. I’ve said it before that I think he could develop into a DeRozan 2.0, mostly because they have similar body types but in reality, he will probably develop into a 3-&-D guy rather than an All-Star.
18.Indiana Pacers
Ivan Rabb
Player Comparison: Jared Sullinger Without the Ass and More Self-Awareness
The Pacers are a lucky team. They have a star in Paul George, who is already a Top-15 player in the league and have a potential second star in Myles Turner. The sensible thing to do is obviously build around those guys, but also not to draft a guy with too much risk. This is why Ivan Rabb is the play here. Before I get into how I think Ivan Rabb will be a viable role player in the NBA, I want to make sure everyone knows how boring it is for me to watch Rabb. Coming into the season, Rabb had the Marcus Smart-esque sophomore hype for me but he has really missed the mark on that. He is a pretty boring player to watch at this point of the season. He never took the leap I expected him to make. One area I thought that Rabb would improve was his perimeter game, but he has stuck himself in the paint for the most part. This doesn’t make him a bad prospect or show that he doesn’t have any value, instead it shows that his ceiling is a lot lower than I expected but with an even higher floor. With Turner already on the roster, the frontcourt is set with a potential star but he will need a partner on the low block and that is Rabb. He is aggressive on the boards and when necessary can space the floor from about 15 feet, which will provide more room for Turner to operate.
19. OKC Thunder
Tyler Lydon
Player Comparison: Chandler Parsons
OKC has given control to Westbrook and now it is time to build around the Hurricane Rus. How do you build around Russ? I have no idea, but you can’t have enough shooting and that is what Lydon will bring. There are a lot of great things about Lydon, but we really just need to talk about his shooting for a minute. Lydon can shoot and he looks good doing it. His shooting mechanics is scary clean for a 6’10 forward, especially one that also has sneaky impressive athlete. Lydon is a low-key one of the more fun guys to watch in college hoops this year. On defense, you would expect him to be pretty bad. I mean he looks super goofy but Lydon actually looks the part of a potential halfway decent rim protector at the next level. For a team with limited rim protection from their bigs, Lydon will bring a sigh of relief to Steven Adams. His man to man skills are questionable but that is more related to Jim Boeheim being a grumpy old man than Lydon’s lack of awareness.
20. Atlanta Hawks
Harry Giles
Player Comparison: Hopefully Not Greg Oden
Yea, I don’t want to write about this because that would suck but the Giles that we were promised might never happen. For as many setbacks as Giles as been through in the last few months, he still has shown flashes of upside during his time at Duke especially in the rebounding department. The scoring prowess and the Chris Webber 2.0 comparisons are missing, but he has shown that he is willing to battle in the trenches while giving 100% on every loose ball. This late in the draft, drafting someone with upside is key and the physical traits of Giles will be more than enough to get him drafted.
21. Orlando Magic (from Toronto Raptors)
Donovan Mitchell
Player Comparison: Norman Powell
Donovan Mitchell jumped Deng Adel early on this year as my favorite Louisville prospect and at this point it isn’t even close. Mitchell has serious 3-and-D potential, which could make him an immediate impact for the Magic. Guys like Mitchell are tough to sit, they fill a certain role and excel at it from the start. Mitchell is small for a guard, but he is built like a truck and can use leverage really well. The Normal Powell comparison is not mine, but when I first read it, I was hooked. Mitchell is a legit bowling ball that can and will grab a lot of boards over taller guys in the NBA. He has that Marcus Smart-esque edge to him but with less vision and better shooting. His ceiling might not be the highest but he has one of the better floors in the draft and should be a key asset to any team he is on. If the Magic can land Dennis Smith Jr. and Mitchell, then maybe they can win a championship before 2030.
22. Brooklyn Nets ( From Washington Wizards)
Shake Milton
Player Comparison: Archie Goodwin 2.0
Outside of his mother, I might be the biggest Shake Milton fan out there but that will change after March. Sean Marks made some serious moves this trade deadline, and now the Nets can rise from the ashes of Billy King with two picks in the 2017 draft. At this point, the Nets shouldn’t be scared to take risks and go for broke with both of their picks which is why adding a guy like Shake would be a perfect move. Milton is new to the “PG” world, but he is learning on the fly and at 6’6 it only makes him more intriguing when looking at potential. As he continues to learn the nuances of running an offense, he is casually improving his jump shot while hitting 41% from deep and averaging close to 24 points per 100 possession.
23. Portland Trail Blazers (from Denver Nuggets)
John Collins
Player Comparison: Marquese Chriss
If the Trail Blazers can somehow come out of the 2017 draft with Tatum and Collins, then I think their fans will be happy with not making the playoffs. This has been said before, but no one is as hot as Collins is this season. I am not a stats guy, but Collins is averaging 29/15 PER 40 Mins which is just absurd numbers. Outside of dunks and putbacks, Collins isn’t the purest of scorers but he does carry elite athleticism for a big man. With Lillard running the show, there should be plenty of alley-oops in the future for Collins.
24. Toronto Raptors (from LA Clippers)
OG Anunoby
Player Comparison: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 2.0
This is a potential game-changer for the Raptors. Currently, Anunoby is sidelined with an ACL injury but when healthy he is a bonafide stud and likely lottery pick. The Raptors are an interesting team in that they recently traded for Ibaka, who will be FA after this season and Lowry is up next year. So they will likely spend money on those two guys, which means grabbing young assets through the draft is KEY. Grabbing Anunoby is a move for the future since he probably won’t play until late 2017. Once he does come back, the Raptors will be getting a 6’7 ton of bricks with arms that stretch to the moon. His 7’6 wingspan is massive for anyone, but it makes him even more lethal on the wing. Best case scenario, OG is a potential Kawhi Leonard but in reality, he is probably a more offensive minded MKG. I would be worrisome on OG translating his offensive game to the NBA if he was drafted by a team like Brooklyn, but on a team that already has two All-Stars, those issues are less concerning.
25. Utah Jazz
Jarrett Allen
Player Comparison: JaVale McGee
I am not a Jarrett Allen guy, in fact, he is the winner of the Skal Labissiere award* for 2017 which is the award goes to to the guy who has the most preseason lottery hype and eventually falls drastically.He went from lottery to second round but now he is back to late first after showing signs of life the last month or so. Allen has everything you want in a young big, he is 6’10 with a frame that looks like it can add muscle pretty quickly and even better is his 7’5 wingspan. Since the start of 2017, Allen is averaging close to 16/10/2 and he isn’t even 19 yet. I don’t think he will ever be a 15 PPG scorer in the NBA, but if he is able to develop then the Jazz could be making out with a potential steal this late in the first round. Allen is the guy who could go earlier too depending on his end to the season. Adding him to a frontcourt with Gobert and his 7’8 wingspan only screams ridiculous.
26. Brooklyn Nets (from Boston Celtics)
Hamidou Diallo
Player Comparison: DeMar DeRozan
First off, there is no way Diallo ever plays a game at Kentucky and if the Nets have an opportunity to pick him then they need to. I am a guy who enjoys a good story and currently the Nets are in need of one. By drafting Diallo they get the absolutely unknown which could be either a blessing or a disaster but the Nets need to take this. Diallo is a 6’6 kid sitting on the bench at Kentucky, who is from Queens and is kind of saying “fuck you” to the NCAA. That screams Brooklyn Nets to me. If this kid played next season, he would be a lock for lottery from day one. Against lesser competition, Diallo looks like a transcendent talent who has everything needed to become a superstar. He literally glides like LaVine but some of his dunks look like he might rip the entire rim down. Unless you have seen him in person, it is tough to get a good look at Diallo, but one area that is of major concern to me is his jump shot. In highlights it looks pretty good, but I don’t chalk up to much faith in those videos. He is the Thon Maker of this year with a little Nikitina type allure in him. At 26th with no actual future, grabbing a guy like Diallo could bring life back into the Barclays.
27. Cleveland Cavaliers**
PJ Dozier
Player Comparison: Shaun Livingston
Lebron came out and said they need more playmakers, which is why grabbing a guy like Dozier is perfect for them. He is a versatile guard who can defend both spots in the backcourt while also being able to run an offense. At 6’6 with long arms, Dozier looks the part of turning into a lockdown perimeter defender. He isn’t the best shooter but he attacks and finishes pretty well around the rim. With Kyrie’s ability to hit big shots, having Dozier on the team will allow him to play off the ball more while also covering the lesser guard on defense. Adding someone with the versatility of Dozier will provide Lebron and Company an added dimension to their roster.
28. Houston Rockets***
Semi Ojeleye
Player Comparison: Jae Crowder
The Rockets don’t really need much, they are in a pretty great situation with James Harden running the show with a lot of great young role players but for a team that likes versatility, grabbing Ojeleye would be huge. He isn’t a first rounder to many, but his floor is just too high for a future title contender to pass on. In terms of value at the next level, I feel like Ojeleye will fall into that Udonis Haslem/James Posey productive role player off the bench that wins you games in the playoffs. He doesn’t have elite measurables at 6’7 and 240ish but he is built like Machamp (Pokemon reference) and knows how to use his strength/quickness to his advantage to help minimize his limited length. For someone that looks like he should be fighting in the Octagon, Ojeleye has a very smooth midrange game and loves to work out of the PnR. He will absolutely kill teams when paired with an aggressive scorer like Harden who demands a double team. When given space, he will put points on the board. He also can easily stretch it out to 3 land as well.
29. San Antonio Spurs
Justin Jackson
Player Comparison: Matt Barnes
Unless there is some foreign talent out there that I don’t know about, Justin Jackson is the epitome of a Spurs late first round draft pick. Adding him to a team that already has a megastar in Kawhi will only bring more value to Jackson. He has averaged more than 20+ MPG during his three year tenure at UNC, which means a lot of stressful matchups that went Jackson’s way a lot of times. He plays team basketball with a winning mentality that will translate to the NBA. In terms of actual skill or frame, He is a long wiry wing who looks like he has the upside on defense to guard multiple positions while banging down 3s when left open. So… another great 3-and-D guy for the Spurs like Danny Green.
30. Utah Jazz (from Golden State Warriors)
Allonzo Trier
Player Comparison: Dion Waiters
The Jazz are a lot like the Pistons and Nuggets, in that I don’t really know what they should do. On paper, they have a lot of talent at almost every position with a good combination of veterans and youth. With the addition of Allen at 25, and Exum/Lyles still developing the only real issue could be depth on the wing. They have Hayward and Hood, but adding a dynamic scorer in Trier could be huge for their depth. Ever since he came back from his weird PED suspension, Trier has been on fire and could push Arizona to the title come March. At 6’5, Trier has average height to play on the wing but his 6’6 wingspan is less than ideal. If he was a better defender then we would probably be talking about him as a mid-first round pick. His value is 100% in his offensive upside. He can take his man off the dribble and finish through traffic but more importantly, his range has improved dramatically since his first year. Along with his improved shot, Trier has really improved his playmaking ability. In 27 games last year, he had a total of 30 assists which is pitiful. In only 11 games this year, he has 28 and has cut his TOs down too.
- * Skal Labissiere award — goes to the freshman who comes with tons of hype and lottery potential then underperform
- ** So I guess LA got this in a in a trade ….. Semi makes sense for them here but they can also go after a guy like Ike Anigbogu, Jaron Blossomgame.
- *** Blazers got this pick, and it could be someone like Kyle Kuzma, Cam Oliver or Josh Hart.
