The first of my many NBA mock drafts to come. It’s likely to change considerably once prospects begin individual workouts and with input from scouts and GMs. The real draft is June 27.
1. Cleveland: Ben McLemore, 6-4, SG, Kansas. Go with the player with the biggest upside (and healthiest knees), figure out the rest later. Dynamic scoring potential.
2. Orlando: Nerlens Noel, 6-11, PF/C, Kentucky. Has a ways to go offensively, but possesses great length, leaping ability and timing on blocked shots. But about that ACL...
3. Washington: Otto Porter, 6-8, SF, Georgetown. Classic small forward who does everything well, particularly defend. Would be a natural alongside young backcourt.
4. Charlotte: Victor Oladipo, 6-4, SG, Indiana. Freakish athlete with a winning personality and desire to defend. Can’t shoot, though.
5. Phoenix: Anthony Bennett, 6-7, PF, UNLV. Overpowered people in post in college, but will he be able to do same in NBA? Sort of a more-skilled version of Golden State’s Carl Landry.
6. New Orleans: Alex Len, 7-0, C, Maryland. Well-rounded 7-footer who would look good next to Anthony Davis.
7. Sacramento: Trey Burke, 6-1, PG, Michigan. More of a scorer than a true point guard, but a determined winner a la Charlotte’s Kemba Walker.
8. Detroit: Shabazz Muhammad, 6-6, SF, UCLA. Slasher and scorer who possesses a decent mid-range game. Inconsistent.
9. Minnesota: C.J. McCollum, 6-3, SG, Lehigh. Classy, well-rounded, intelligent and has all the intangibles. A little undersized to play the two.
10. Portland: Cody Zeller, 7-0, C, Indiana. Athletic and fundamentally sound, but lacks aggressiveness. Could climb.
11. Philadelphia: Rudy Gobert, 7-2, France. Not real polished offensively, but should make an impact on defense right away.
12. Oklahoma City (from Toronto and Houston): Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 6-5, SG, Georgia. Solid all the way around, can bury mid-range shots and score in bunches.
13. Dallas: Kelly Olynyk, 7-0, C, Gonzaga. Sort of a younger, springier version of Chris Kaman.
14. Utah: Michael Carter-Williams, 6-5, PG, Syracuse. Heady, unselfish and great size for a point guard.
15. Milwaukee: Sergey Karasev, 6-7, SF, Russia. Gifted offensive player but awful defensively. Supposedly a bit of a knucklehead.
16. Boston: Tim Hardaway Jr., 6-6, SG, Michigan. Impressive showing at combine has stock rising. Natural scorer.
17. Atlanta: Steven Adams, 7-0, C, Pittsburgh. Athletic, large and can run court, but needs some polish.
18. Atlanta (from Houston and Brooklyn): Jamaal Franklin, 6-5, SG, San Diego State. Hails from strong program, always hustling with underrated skills.
19. Cleveland: Reggie Bullock, 6-7, SF, North Carolina. Smart and athletic enough, his biggest strength is finding ways to put the ball in the basket.
20. Chicago: Dennis Schroeder, 6-2, PG, Germany. Plays at one speed (full) and might make a nice backup to Derrick Rose.
21. Utah: Mason Plumlee, 7-0, C, Duke. Crafty, throwback pivot with great size. Can do more than just get in the way.
22. Brooklyn: Dario Saric, 6-10, SF, Croatia. Decent outside shooter who has reputation as a skilled passer for a big man. A little soft.
23. Indiana: Gorgui Dieng, 6-10, PF, Louisville. Outstanding leaper and shot-blocker who’s still learning basics on offense.
24. New York: Archie Goodwin, 6-5, SG, Kentucky. Pure shooter and player with highest upside at this point in the draft.
25. LA Clippers: Deshaun Thomas, 6-7, SF, Ohio State. Doesn’t do much other than score, but he does it pretty well.
26. Minnesota (from Memphis and Houston): Jeff Withey, 7-0, C, Kansas. Defensive-minded with great length, could make a nice backup.
27. Denver: Allen Crabbe, 6-6, SG, California. Spot-up shooter with good range. Reminds some of Cleveland’s Wayne Ellington.
28. San Antonio: Tony Mitchell, 6-9, PF, North Texas. Scrapper who can score around the basket.
29. Oklahoma City: Lucas Noguiera, 6-11, C, Brazil. Poor man’s Anderson Varejao. No relevant NBA skills but tall and plays with endless energy.
30. Phoenix (from Miami, LA Lakers and Cleveland): Glen Rice Jr., 6-6, SF, Georgia Tech. Spent last season in D-League, proved lethal from the perimeter.
Twitter: @SamAmicoFSO
