Post-lottery NBA mock draft

[Stephan Bobb]

Post-lottery NBA mock draft

By Jonathan Givony, DraftExpress.com, special assignment for Yahoo! Sports May 18, 12:55 am E

First round

 

 

1 Cleveland Cavaliers
(from Los Angeles Clippers)
Kyrie Irving PG
19 years old; 6'2"; 185 lbs
Duke, freshman
The lottery couldn't have gone any better for the second-worst team in the NBA this past season, as the Cavs have the ability to add the best player in the draft in Kyrie Irving and still select another top prospect just three picks later. Irving fills the biggest need Cleveland has and gives it a marquee player to build around on and off the court in the wake of LeBron James'(notes) departure. It seems to be a near-certainty that Irving will be the pick here.

 

2 Minnesota Timberwolves
Derrick Williams PF
19 years old; 6'8"; 235 lbs
Arizona, sophomore
Williams plays the same position as Minnesota's two best players - Kevin Love(notes) and Michael Beasley(notes). But the worst team in the NBA record-wise at 17-65 must continue to gather all the talent it can, regardless of position. The T'wolves' front office indicates that it'll be very active in trade discussions, which surely will include this pick. It will be a busy summer in Minnesota for embattled GM David Kahn.

 

3 Utah Jazz
Kemba Walker PG
21 years old; 6'0"; 180 lbs
Connecticut, junior
The Jazz need a point guard in a major way, preferably one who can play alongside incumbent Devin Harris(notes). They'll have a choice between Walker and Brandon Knight, a tough decision that won't come for some time. Drafting the biggest winner in college basketball is a good idea for a team that desperately needs to find a new identity after losing the two biggest personalities on their team in coach Jerry Sloan and franchise player Deron Williams(notes).

 

4 Cleveland Cavaliers
Jonas Valanciunas C
19 years old; 6'11"; 240 lbs
Lietuvos Rytas (Lithuania)
Picking the best big man on the board makes sense. Valanciunas brings the type of consistent intensity and toughness the team could sorely use, and would form a lethal threat on the pick-and-roll with their No. 1 overall pick, Kyrie Irving.

 

 

5 Toronto Raptors
Brandon Knight PG
18 years old; 6'3"; 170 lbs
Kentucky, freshman
Jose Calderdon, Toronto's starting point guard, will be on the wrong side of 30 when the 2011-2012 season tips off, indicating that it's probably time to think about the future. Drafting a player like Knight is a good idea considering that he can play both on and off the ball, and has major upside to grow as the team's potential franchise player.

 

6 Washington Wizards
Jan Vesely SF
21 years old; 6'11"; 240 lbs.
KK Partizan Belgrade, International
Picking the best athlete on the board makes sense. Vesely would be a terrific weapon in an up-tempo offense alongside last year's No. 1 overall pick, John Wall(notes).

 

7 Sacramento Kings
Bismack Biyombo PF/C
18 years old; 6'9"; 240 lbs
Baloncesto Fuenlabrada (Spain)
Pairing the long, tough and super athletic Biyombo alongside DeMarcus Cousins(notes) makes perfect sense for the Kings. He does all the things Cousins doesn't want to do, and competes with a motor that the team could have used this season.

 

8 Detroit Pistons
Enes Kanter C
18 years old; 6'10"; 250 lbs
Kentucky
This is likely the furthest Kanter would slide, due to a combination of not playing competitively the past two years and not working out for anyone outside of one-on-zeros. While not particularly athletic, Kanter's strong frame and solid skills should fit in well into Pistons' frontcourt.

 

9 Charlotte Bobcats
Donatas Motiejunas PF/C
20 years old; 7'0"; 215 lbs
Benetton Treviso (Italy)
The Bobcats ranked as one of the worst offensive teams in the NBA last season and have a toothless frontcourt. Drafting the ultra-skilled Motiejunas, with his ability to score both inside and out, makes plenty of sense here, despite his defensive shortcomings.

 

10 Milwaukee Bucks
Marcus Morris PF
21 years old; 6'9"; 225 lbs
Kansas, junior
Milwaukee ranked as the worst offensive team in the NBA last season, largely due to its inability to get good looks around the rim. Picking the most effective post-up threat in college basketball this past season would go a long ways. Morris' toughness, polish and experience would fit in very well on a Scott Skiles-coached team looking to improve immediately.

 

11 Golden State Warriors
Kawhi Leonard SF
19 years old; 6'7"; 225 lbs
San Diego State, sophomore
The worst rebounding team in the NBA needs to get tougher and more athletic in a major way. Picking Leonard would help quite a bit, especially considering how weak the team is at small forward.

 

12 Utah Jazz
Alec Burks SG
19 years old; 6'6"; 200 lbs
Colorado, sophomore
Utah has a glaring hole at shooting guard, which will only get worse with C.J. Miles(notes) approaching free agency and Raja Bell(notes) turning 35 later this year. Adding an athletic, creative ball-handler like Burks to the mix would be a good fit.

 

13 Phoenix Suns
Markieff Morris PF
21 years old; 6'10"; 235 lbs
Kansas, junior
Phoenix ranked as one of the worst defensive and rebounding teams in the NBA this past season. It need to make an upgrade at power forward, where the Suns play the likes of Hakim Warrick(notes) and Channing Frye(notes). Morris is a solid shot-blocker and rebounder who comes ready to play right away.

 

14 Houston Rockets
Tobias Harris SF/PF
18 years old; 6'8"; 210 lbs
Tennessee, freshman
Houston's biggest need appears to be small forward, especially after trading Shane Battier(notes), who acted as the Rockets' starter for most of the year. Tobias Harris will remind some of Battier with his outstanding work ethic, basketball IQ and demeanor. He's a bit stuck between positions at the moment, but he's got plenty of upside.

 

15 Indiana Pacers
Klay Thompson SG/SF
21 years old; 6'6"; 187 lbs
Washington State, junior
Indiana has solid young players at every position, meaning this pick could very well be available if the right piece became available. In lieu of a trade, acquiring some additional depth on the wing makes some sense, especially considering that Mike Dunleavy is a free agent and Brandon Rush(notes) has not yet proven himself to be a consistent contributor.

 

16 Philadelphia 76ers
Tristan Thompson PF
20 years old; 6'8"; 235 lbs
Texas, freshman
With Elton Brand(notes) past his prime and Thaddeus Young(notes) entering restricted free agency, power forward appears to be the biggest position of need for the 76ers. Thompson could give the Sixers some added toughness and athleticism, which would surely please head coach Doug Collins.

 

17 New York Knicks
Kenneth Faried PF
21 years old; 6'8"; 225 lbs
Morehead State, senior
With the likes of Amar'e Stoudemire(notes), Carmelo Anthony(notes) and Chauncey Billups(notes) on the roster, there aren't many shots to go around. But the Knicks lack toughness, rebounding and energy, something Kenneth Faried provides. He would be able to step in and get playing time right away for Mike D'Antoni's squad, and is a good fit in his up-tempo system.

 

18 Washington Wizards (From Atlanta Hawks)
Jordan Hamilton SG/SF
20 years old; 6'7"; 210 lbs
Texas, sophomore
The Wizards are painfully thin on the wing, making Jordan Hamilton's scoring prowess very attractive. He can play the two in a big lineup with Wall and Vesely or slide over to the 3 when the Wizards go small with Vesely at the 4.

 

19 Charlotte Bobcats (From New Orleans Hornets)
Chris Singleton SF
21 years old; 6'8"; 210 lbs
Florida State, junior
While Stephen Jackson(notes) has two more years left on his contract, it may be time to start thinking about the future considering the fact that he's 33 years old and the team failed to make the playoffs this season. Singleton is one of the best athletes in the draft and would be able to defend his position from Day 1.

 

20 Minnesota Timberwolves (From Memphis Grizzlies)
Jimmer Fredette PG
22 years old; 6'2"; 195 lbs
BYU, senior
This would be a disappointing fall for the darling of college basketball, and will ultimately depend heavily on his performance in private workouts, particularly in his ability to defend one-on-one. Minnesota was the second-youngest team in the NBA, so another rookie is probably the last thing the T'wolves need. Look for this pick to be shopped. If it's not moved, Fredette is one of the most experienced players in the draft and would give the team a solid backup plan if Ricky Rubio(notes) stays in Europe.

 

21 Portland Trailblazers
Lucas Nogueira C
18 years old; 7'0"; 225 lbs
MMT Estudiantes (Spain)
At this stage in the draft, teams tend to forget about needs, especially considering the shallowness of the pool of remaining prospects. The focus shifts to long-term upside. Arguably no big man in the draft has as much potential as 7-foot athletic Brazilian Lucas "Bebe" Nogueira, something that could be attractive to Portland's front office considering Marcus Camby's(notes) age and Greg Oden's(notes) injury history.

 

22 Denver Nuggets
Reggie Jackson PG
21 years old; 6'3"; 208 lbs
Boston College, junior
Denver's biggest need is likely at the 4, but with no interesting power forward prospect on the board, the Nuggets will likely seek the best available player. Pairing the super long and highly efficient Reggie Jackson alongside Ty Lawson(notes), Raymond Felton(notes) and Arron Afflalo(notes) in Denver's backcourt could make sense, especially long-term.

 

23 Houston Rockets (From Orlando Magic)
Davis Bertans SF
18 years old; 6'10"; 210 lbs
Union Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia)
With the second of their two first-round picks, the Rockets could draft a young prospect they can stash in Europe for another year or two. Bertans is more concerned with the franchise that selects him than being drafted very high, and would likely stay in the draft on June 13^th (the official early entry withdrawal deadline) if given assurances he'd be picked by a strong development team such as Houston.

 

24 Oklahoma City Thunder
Kyle Singler SF/PF
23 years old; 6'9"; 210 lbs
Duke, senior
Oklahoma City's only real "need" at the moment is for a combo forward in the Jeff Green(notes) mold who can give Kevin Durant(notes) a few moments to catch his breath on the bench. While this can surely be addressed in free agency, drafting a polished and experienced senior like Singler makes plenty of sense. He can space the floor at both the 3 and the 4, will compete defensively and on the glass, and won't need a great deal of schooling to make the transition to the NBA considering his pedigree.

 

25 Boston Celtics
Travis Leslie SF
21 years old; 6'4"; 202 lbs
Georgia, junior
The Celtics missed the toughness and athleticism of Tony Allen(notes) on the wing in the playoffs this spring. There's no better athlete in this draft than Travis Leslie, and having a bunch of pros like Kevin Garnett(notes), Ray Allen(notes) and Paul Pierce(notes) show him the ropes could go a long way in accelerating his development.

 

26 Dallas Mavericks
Tyler Honeycutt SF
20 years old; 6'8"; 200 lbs
UCLA, sophomore
The Mavs have done a good job of stockpiling younger prospects such as Rodrigue Beaubois(notes) and Dominique Jones(notes) to their core of veterans. They'll have a chance to continue that process by looking to address a potential need at small forward. Honeycutt isn't ready to see major playing time in the NBA, but has considerable upside and can develop with playing time on the Mavericks' D-League team, the Texas Legends.

 

27 New Jersey Nets (From Los Angeles Lakers)
Josh Selby SG
20 years old; 6'1"; 180 lbs
Kansas, freshman
Outside of Deron Williams, the Nets really don't have a player who can consistently create his own shot from the perimeter. Selby, while undersized, could help in that regard. He's a major scoring talent who doesn't possess a great deal of experience, but has plenty of upside.

 

28 Chicago Bulls (From Miami Heat)
Justin Harper PF
21 years old; 6'10"; 225 lbs
Richmond, senior
While shooting guard may be the biggest position of need on this roster, the options available here don't appear attractive. Picking up a floor spacing power forward like Harper makes sense here, as none of Chicago's big men are very dangerous from the perimeter.

 

29 San Antonio Spurs
Darius Morris PG/SG
20 years old; 6'4"; 190 lbs
Michigan, sophomore
Point guard may not be the biggest position of need for San Antonio at the moment, but considering that Tony Parker(notes) is already 29 years old, it may become one down the road. Morris fits into San Antonio's culture extremely well considering his outstanding background, and as the most prolific passer in this draft class as a point guard, surely has upside. The coaching staff will need to work overtime with Morris on his perimeter shooting for him to get playing time in the near future, but they have their D-League team at their disposal and shouldn't be in any rush considering where they're picking him.

 

30 Chicago Bulls
Nolan Smith PG/SG
22 years old; 6'3"; 185 lbs
Duke, senior
The Bulls have shown an affinity throughout the years for acquiring proven players from strong college programs, something we saw with the likes of Luol Deng(notes), Ben Gordon(notes), Joakim Noah(notes), Chris Duhon(notes), Kirk Hinrich(notes) and others. Here they have an opportunity to add another former Duke player to their roster in Nolan Smith, an experienced and high character guard who can defend multiple positions and play both on or off the ball.