NBA SIMS LEAGUE
NSL Insider - Mock Draft: 1st Roundby bandrsn10, updated on Friday, July 08 2022, 06:19 pm EST First Round Final Mock Draft 1) OKC Thunder � Paolo Banchero I know nothing, first and foremost. Last I heard from wiz when asked who he�s leaning �I have no idea.� I would have to think he�d be happy with either Paolo or Chet at this spot given their summer league performances. Banchero gives the Thunder an offensive spark plug that can slide in with Ant and be productive immediately. 2) San Antonio Spurs � Chet Holmgren Spurs taking the unicorn of the draft to quickly retool makes a lot of sense here. His play in the SL really showed that he can make an impact against pro players. Yes, there are questions about his body and strength against bigger centers but it�s not like he�ll be going up against Embiid 82 games a season. I�m eager to see this one play out. 3) Utah Jazz � Jabari Smith Jr The surprise of the NBA draft was seeing Smith fall to #3. That very well might happen here (if not sliding further). Described as a 6�10� Ray Allen, Smith shows a prowess from shooting from deep while also providing rim protection down low. Another capable prospect but could Utah be looking elsewhere? 4) Indiana Pacers � Jaden Ivey This might be the fastest pick of the draft. Spud will be running this card up to the table and walking arm in arm with Ivey if he�s available at 4. The Purdue product stays home. An explosive athlete, Ivey can go end to end in a heartbeat. Will an NBA system allow him to open up a bit more? 5) LA Lakers � Ben Mathurin The PAC 12 Player of the Year lands here at #5. Paired with Cade, this selection gives the growing Lakers a duo that could be quite potent in a couple of years. 6) Phoenix Suns � Keegan Murray The ultra productive Murray falls to #6 for laddas and his Suns. All he did was light up the Big 10 night after night. Is he Marvin Bagley all over again or something more? 7) Portland Trailblazers � Shaedon Sharpe Why do the world champions have a top 10 pick? Come on people! Savvy trade by the GM however. With this pick, they take what might be the biggest question mark after Chet. Is Sharpe the next great guard or is he a bust? With no college tape to show for himself, this is a very risky pick. 8) New York Knicks � Dyson Daniels The retooled Knicks look to add what might be the best defensive wing in the draft in Daniels. He�s worked hard in the draft preparation to work on his 3pt shot as seen on Twitter from multiple teams� workouts. This is a very high ceiling selection. 9) Miami Heat � Jalen Duren The centers that appear to be highly coveted will start to drop now. This is a very popular pick for the Heat despite Duren going lower in the NBA draft. Pete loves big, tall players and Duren fits the bill. If you�ve seen this guy play, he can bounce out of the building. He could probably also lift the building if he wanted to. The Heat get their guy. 10) Minnesota Timberwolves � Mark Williams And just like that, the next center falls. I really think these guys are going to be gone quick. I know the Wolves acquired Turner but you can never have enough bigs. Williams is your more traditional center that might be limited in 2k but he might surprise some people. To me, he looked deceptively quick. Great at finishing lobs. Could he be Ethan�s next great draft find? No pressure! 11) Boston Celtics � Johnny Davis The Celtics select the sharpshooting Badger, Johnny Davis with the 11th pick. Some consider him the most improved player in the country. Very athletic, Davis will slot in nicely with Garland and KPJ. 12) Boston Celtics � Jeremy Sochan The rare back-to-back picks for the Celtics have also netted them Jeremy Sochan, the Polish Baylor Bear. He�s a versatile forward that will remind many of Kelly Oubre, or maybe it�s just the hair. 13) LA Lakers � AJ Griffin The Lakers are back on the board and select AJ Griffin out of Duke. Is it a reach here? Is he Cam Reddish 2.0? When healthy, Griffin might be the most lethal shooter in this draft. Key word: healthy. He had nagging injuries where he missed his last two years of HS for the most part. If he can get his body right, he could be a really solid player. 14) New Orleans Pelicans - Jalen Williams The pre-draft darling that rose up many boards, Jalen Williams is the pick at 14. Hailing from Santa Clara, Williams impressed many in his interviews as well as the Combine workout. He�s a junior so he�s a little older but that might not be a bad thing. Sometimes I wonder if we put too much emphasis on age. I digress, Williams led his team in scoring and very efficiently I might add. 15) Dallas Mavericks - Tari Eason Tari Eason is the newest Maverick and will give fans hope that he�s Paul George 2.0. He�s a fierce defender but also was a big contributor on the offensive end for the Tigers of LSU. He�s not a refined product yet but there�s plenty there to work with. This is a pick to watch. 16) Orlango Magic - Ousmane Dieng Dieng comes equipped with great size for his position at 6�10� and shows glimpses of his potential. He played in the NBL and is raw but we�ve seen raw players succeed before. 17) LA Clippers � Ochai Agbaji The National Champion senior out of Kansas has come off the board. He�s a threat to score at any time and that helped lead to his Big XII Player of the Year and First-Team All-American honors. That�s a lot of accolades heading to TinselTown. 18) Indiana Pacers � Nikola Jovic I think this is the area in the first round where we start to see summer league influence the draft. Besides having a HOF caliber name, the young Serbian lit up his first SL game and that got some GMs talking. He�s a big wing that can score from anywhere on the floor. I think a few teams are salivating to select this kid. 19) New Orleans Pelicans � Walker Kessler The �other� big man from Auburn, Walker Kessler, is ripped from the board by the Pelicans. This is the part of the draft where traits really stand out to evaluators. What�s going to set someone apart? How about 4.6 blocks per game? Besides his defensive prowess, he does provide some scoring down low, especially on catch and finishes at the rim. Anyone else want to see Ja or PG throwing it up to this kid? 20) Denver Nuggets � Patrick Baldwin Jr PBJ might have had the roughest freshman seasons in recent memory (and Emoni Bates was around this year too!). He made the choice to play for his dad at Milwaukee as one of the highest rated recruits in the nation. Well, that didn�t turn out so well. He was injured quite a bit. He�s a very strong jump shooter forward. I think the reason he gets taken a little early is 1) his fit with the NBA Warriors and 2) if healthy, is he the next (healthy) Michael Porter Jr.? 21) Minnesota Timberwolves � Malaki Branham The prototypical sized SG, Malaki is the newest member of the Timberwolves. He got better and better as the season progressed and scouts noticed. He�s not super explosive but the word I see thrown around a lot is smooth. He�s always in control as well. Great pick here. 22) LA Clippers � Dalen Terry Ben Mathurin�s running mate in Arizona, Dalen Terry is BIG. He�s not the greatest scorer but he didn�t need to be. He did a little bit of everything and helped on both ends of the floor. Those guys are always welcome in the league. 23) Cleveland Cavaliers � Jake LaRavia This kid was in my backyard and I never heard about him until this year. He improved throughout college and transferred to Wake Forest where he broke out with a very productive season. All-ACC 2nd team is nothing to overlook. He�s not the biggest forward but has great strength. 24) Washington Wizards � MarJon Beauchamp This is an upside pick. He showed great defensive potential for the G League Ignite last season after bouncing around multiple schools throughout high school. I�ve heard this kid described as the hardest worker in the draft and he will work his tail off to get better. You want that kind of dog on your team. 25) Detroit Pistons � Christian Braun The other National Champion out of Kansas has been selected and is going to Detroit. A 2-way forward, Braun was an unselfish player who did everything he could to help his team win. He�s not the biggest player but is a very strong athlete who can bounce. 26) Charlotte Hornets � David Roddy A surprise pick of the first round, Colorado State�s David Roddy comes off the board. He�s got a very unique body. He�s a 255 pound guard. That didn�t slow him down though. He scored 20 ppg and was the Mountain West Player of the Year. This is another one to watch for. 27) Minnesota Timberwolves � Wendell Moore Jr Another member of the stellar Duke team from last year, Moore took a big leap from his sophomore season, improving as both a shooter and a passer. A big and strong forward, what more can you ask for at this point in the draft? 28) Milwaukee Bucks � TyTy Washington Jr. The Kentucky product has his warts but he certainly has some impressive attributes. He broke John Wall�s single game assist record with 17. Known more as a scoring guard than a true point guard, these kind of games are always nice to see. 29) Miami Heat � Peyton Watson An interesting player, Watson out of UCLA is very athletic and showed some defensive potential but he was lacking on the offensive end. He might need some time to grow. 30) Memphis Grizzlies � Blake Wesley Wesley is another player who has some room to grow. A long, athletic guard who has some wheels and can improve as a scorer. |
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