This will be my first mock draft. Of course we know this will change because the NBA draft hasn�t happened yet and our draft is deeply affected by what happens in the real draft. I don�t see the NSL draft happening soon because we aren�t close to crowning a champion yet. We are still in the middle of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals. So once the NBA draft happens, we�ll have a week or two to analyze where these guys actually get drafted and what team contexts they end up in so that we can adjust our boards. Also, lots of trades will happen. So you can already bet the board will look very different two weeks from now. So here goes:

 

1. LA Lakers � Cade Cunningham � No brainer here. Jason is already talking like Cade is his already. Some could argue that Mobley was a better floor raiser than Cade was this year, and they both were on very bad teams. But Justin isn�t going to overthink this and go with the guy that everyone had at the top of their board.

 

2. Atlanta � Jalen Green � I think Mobley, Suggs, and Green all have star potential here. I see Ben going with Green out of positional need. Not just for his own personal team needs, but for the league overall. The league just covets players who can play both SG and SF, who can also score, and isn�t a liability on defense.

 

3. Milwaukee � Jalen Suggs � Suggs may not be in the same tier as Cade or Mobley, but he can be really good in 2K. Badwolf knows. He had Westbrook. He knows what an athletic finishing PG with great defensive skills can do. He�s not a world class athlete like Westbrook or De�Aaron Fox is, but he is still an above average athlete. Plus Badwolf is already shopping Killian. So that is a good clue that he is taking Suggs.

 

4. Orlando � Evan Mobley � I think the talent really drops off after Mobley. So Gav should probably take Mobley here. I think Mobley�s upside is pretty close up there with Cade�s, but it will take some time as he needs time for his body to fill out. And it�s a bit harder to build around bigs which was why I didn�t see Atlanta or Milwaukee taking him.

 

5. Minnesota � Jonathan Kuminga � Here is where the draft really starts. There�s no more sure fire stars. At this point, we�re just betting on guys and praying they become stars. Kuminga is only missing one thing, and that is touch. If he can improve his touch, he can become a star.

 

6. Utah � Scottie Barnes � Scottie Barnes has really favorable measurements, and is almost a similar level of playmaker as Cade. But what makes Cade special is that defenders have to respect the threat of the shot, which Scottie doesn�t have. But this is still a good bet. The hope is that he becomes Pascal Siakam, because the defense is definitely there. But if he doesn�t become a passable shooter, then he�s just some variant of Draymond Green.

 

 

7. Boston � Josh Giddey � Toby generally goes for the sexy picks. And Giddey is the sexiest pick here. He�s not Zac Efron, but he�s pretty damn close. He has very favorable measurements and he�s an elite playmaker. He�s got really nice touch around the rim when he�s not getting bumped around. He�s 6�8 and he�s still growing. He has a pretty big frame to fill out too. He�s going to be really fuckin strong. And he�s going to make Cole Anthony look better. Think the only thing he�s missing right now is shooting, but the touch is certainly there.

 

8. Cleveland � James Bouknight � Dylan could use a PG. Better yet, he could use guards in general. But more importantly, he needs scorers. Bouknight is not a PG, but he is a guard and definitely fills the scorer need and he has star upside. Currently, Davion is higher ranked, but I think Dylan goes with the younger guy.

 

9. Minnesota (from BKN) � Moses Moody � Ethan could use another SF. Moody is more of a SG, but you could still play him as an SF. And he has more star power than Franz Wagner. He�s an unathletic sharpshooter, but some think that he�ll unlock a lot of athleticism as his body fills out.

 

10. Atlanta (from OKC) � Davion Mitchell � Ben continues to fill out his roster of Green, Reddish, Deandre, and Jaxson with a point guard. Davion is an ultra-athletic defensive prospect who can also score. Some might say he�s the best defender in the class. The main knock on him is his age. And he does have a bit of tunnel vision.

 

11. Boston (from PHO) � Alperen Sengun � Toby continues to go with the sexy picks here by selecting the Turkish League MVP, Alperen Sengun. Some people have compared him to Jusuf Nurkic. I personally think he�s Richaun Holmes with passing.

 

12. Denver (from MIA) � Ziaire Williams � Digga generally goes for guys with star potential and favorable measurements. Ziaire is a 6�10 SF who has fallen in the rankings due to his poor college performance. I can see Digga overlooking his college performance and betting on the high school stuff. Ziaire will probably fall even lower in the real draft, but Digga isn�t afraid to reach. I�ve seen him reach 12 slots before to get Dejounte Murray.

 

13. LA Clippers (from SAC) � Keon Johnson � I think Andrew could use an SG here. Keon Johnson is an uber athlete with a very underrated mid-range pull up game. He�s a defensive on-ball pest because he plays really fuckin hard.

 

14. Golden State � Usman Garuba � Titles had problems at the PF position this year, and Garuba is the best defender in the class. He�ll have problems on offense as a rookie, but he�ll be ready as a defender. He also has a very underrated short roll passing game kind of like Jordan Bell. He guarded Kevin Durant in the France vs USA exhibition game.

 

 

15. Toronto � Chris Duarte � I see Jesse taking Duarte here as an NBA ready sharpshooter to fill out his bench. Duarte is also an underrated passer. I guess you could say he�s Kevin Huerter, but he�s two years older.

 

16. Minnesota (from HOU) � Kai Jones � Kai isn�t really a basketball player. He�s more of a track star who just happens to be 7 foot. If he learns the game, he can be very lethal. Plus he plays really fuckin hard. This is kind of a Jaxson Hayes type of pick except Jaxson was a football player with an outlier catch radius. I can see Ethan betting on this.

 

17. Toronto (from PHI) � Sharife Cooper � Jesse doesn�t really have a backup PG. So I have him taking the best PG on the board. He�s a good playmaker and a good finisher at the rim. The issue with him is he�s only 5�11.

 

18. Memphis � Jaden Springer � Rootsey loves defense. Springer is pretty much Marcus Smart with less passing instincts.

 

 

19. Chicago � Jalen Johnson � Jalen Johnson is a 6�9 PF who can rebound and push the ball in transition and finish. I can see Merencio taking Jalen here because he reminds him of Julius Randle. Randle was a lot bigger at this stage. But Jalen has the frame to fill out. There are character concerns because he switched high schools twice, quit on IMG Academy, and then quit on Duke.

 

20. Denver � Nah�shon Hyland � I can�t remember why Digga couldn�t keep Immanuel Quickley last year, but Hyland is his second chance. Hyland is pretty much a variant of Immanuel Quickley, but with longer range. He can hit shots from far behind the line. Some might call this �Dame Range.�

 

21. Atlanta (from IND) � Jared Butler � Ben could use another PG. Especially one with more playmaking. His game reminds me of Monte Morris. He has the best ball handle in the class. But his lack of burst and short wingspan will keep him as a backup PG.

 

22. LA Clippers � Cam Thomas � I think Andrew probably wants a bench scorer here. Cam Thomas is a score-first Jordan Clarkson type of gunner. He�s a 3 level scorer, great at drawing fouls, and a tough shot maker. He�ll just need to improve his shot selection.

 

23. Dallas � Franz Wagner � I think Franz has fallen enough at this point. He�s ranked really high on a lot of boards, but he doesn�t have any star upside. He�s just a really good role player. Which is really nice, but that�s not what GMs in our league are looking for. They want stars. Which is why Franz fallen so low in our league. But after falling 15 slots, you can�t help but take the value here.

 

 

24. Utah (from WAS) � Cory Kispert � Kispert is another guy who has fallen so far. But just like Wagner, he doesn�t have star upside. After falling 10 slots, Jason has got to take him here. He projects to be a Joe Harris style sharpshooter.

 

25. New Orleans � Isaiah Jackson � Seems like a guy Leeroy would like. He�s Nerlens Noel essentially.

 

26. Atlanta (from NYK) � Trey Murphy � Trey Murphy is 6�8 wing with plus wingspan. His calling card is defense and shooting threes. Kind of like Dorian Finney-Smith, but he�s a better shooter than Dorian and slightly less of a defender. I think he ends up getting drafted higher in the NBA. And getting him at this point will be value.

 

27. Atlanta (from CHA) � Ayo Dosunmu � I got Ben finishing out his roster with a jumbo 6�5 point guard in Ayo Dosunmu. He can guard positions 1 to 3. He has great mid-range creation and he�s great at attacking the rim and finishing.

 

28. Miami (from DET) � JT Thor � This is the most Pete pick. JT Thor is Thon Maker essentially. Maybe a little bit smaller. To compare, Thon Maker is 7�0 with a 7�3 wingspan. Thor is 6�10 with a 7�1 wingspan. He�s a better shooter than Thon Maker and probably a better shot blocker too. Basketball is still new to him, but he was gifted with great touch.

 

29. San Antonio � Josh Primo � Primo is a 6�6 wing with shooting. He�s the youngest player in the class. I figure Nelso bets on the upside here.

 

30. New York (from POR) � Neemias Queta � Smokey is trying to win games. I see him taking the 7 footer that can rebound, dunk, and defend. This is essentially a Udoka Azuibuike type of pick.