NBA Mock Draft: Post Lottery Edition 1.0
By Jacob Rude
With the draft lottery dropping the huge surprise of the Cavaliers leaping to the #1 pick, all bets are off now. Here’s a quick look at a mock draft now that the lottery is set.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers select Joel Embiid, C, Kansas
They win the lottery and win big, literally. Embiid is an instant impact big man, if healthy
2. Milwaukee Bucks select Andrew Wiggins, G/F, Kansas
The Bucks only slip one spot, and still get arguably the best player in the draft. Wiggins will be the biggest star in decades for the Bucks.
3. Philadelphia 76ers select Jabari Parker, G/F, Duke
The 76ers lost 26 games and, fair or not, are rewarded with Jabari, possibly the most NBA-ready prospect.
4. Orlando Magic select Dante Exum, G, Australia
While they experimented with Victor Oladipo at point guard last year, Exum is far more natural and can’t be passed up here.
5. Utah Jazz select Noah Vonleh, F/C, Indiana
The Jazz are big man central and Vonleh’s stock will rise the more teams bring him in and see his potential.
6. Boston Celtics select Aaron Gordon, F, Arizona
The Celtics reportedly like Aaron Gordon and he could be a great mate for Rajon Rondo to throw lobs to.
7. LA Lakers select Marcus Smart, G, Oklahoma State
The Lakers lost out, falling one spot. However, they get one of the best defensive players in the draft, certainly in terms of perimeter defenders, filling their biggest weakness from last year.
8. Sacramento Kings select Julius Randle, F, Kentucky
The Kings have been looking for someone to pair with DeMarcus Cousins for years, and Randle fits wonderfully. This duo could become the next Marc Gaso-Zach Randolph.
9. Charlotte Bobcats select Dario Saric, F, Croatia
The biggest winners of the draft are the Bobcats, who snuck into the draft through the backdoor. They’ll take the 2nd best international player here to replace Josh McRoberts.
10. Philadelphia 76ers select Gary Harris, G, Michigan
Their second pick of the top 10, the 76ers find a back court mate for Michael Carter-Williams, giving them a great core of MCW-Harris-Parker.
11. Denver Nuggets select Nik Stauskas, G, Michigan
The Nuggets benefit from James Dolan incompetence and slip into the lottery. Stauskas will fit their up-tempo offense and provide another scorer.
12. Orlando Magic select Adreian Payne, F, Michigan State
The Magic’s 2nd pick in the lottery will address their biggest weakness at power forward, taking Payne, whose draft stock flew up during the latter part of the season.
13. Minnesota Timberwolves select James Young, G/F, Kentucky
The Timberwolves may have multiple draft picks in the lottery before the draft takes place, but for now, they’ll add another scorer in James Young to help their shooting woes.
14. Phoenix Suns select Rodney Hood, G/F, Duke
The Suns add one of the most underrated prospects in the draft and one of the best pure scorers in Rodney Hood, who will fit nicely in Phoenix.