Prefacing this one last time that I have no first-hand knowledge of who will be drafting whom. What I've done is scoured the interwebs and read about as many mock drafts as I could by people who have done them and done them well for a long time, read up on the rumors and rumblings from around the league by people in the know, briefly chatted with a couple of guys at work who really know this stuff, and then included my own intuition to make my final picks. This is not scientific by any means.
Again, I should also note that I have not mocked any trades that have not yet been made. I hate it when other mock drafts do this, so I refuse to do it myself. So without further ado, here are some Keck Thoughts on the NBA Draft.
KECK THOUGHTS NBA Mock Draft 3.0
1.) MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: Karl-Anthony Towns, C/PF, Kentucky
Minnesota President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Flip Saunders has been publicly saying they will take the Best Player Available, even going so far as to say the Portland Trailblazers and Houston Rockets missed out on Michael Jordan in 1983 because they drafted for need instead of just taking the best player. Towns is the best player in this draft and he's the right pick here. (Previous pick: Karl-Anthony Towns)
2.) LOS ANGELES LAKERS: D'Angelo Russell, PG, Ohio State Call me a believer. Just as the draft is about to begin I'm buying the rumblings that the Lakers believe they can get one of the big frontcourt free agents this year, whether it's Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge or Greg Monroe. Because of that they're leaning towards taking the best point guard in the draft, hoping he's the next James Harden. (Previous pick: Jahlil Okafor)
3.) PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke
With Russell gone in this scenario, I think Sam Hinkie takes what he probably deems the best player available despite having drafted Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid the last two years. Taking Okafor allows them to trade him later, and it's insurance if Embiid's foot injury is worse than originally expected. (Previous pick: D'Angelo Russell)
4.) NEW YORK KNICKS: Mario Hezonja, SG/SF, Croatia New York is the true wild card of the draft, as I've mentioned before. It's no secret that Phil Jackson really, really, really wants to trade down so he can take someone like Frank Kaminsky, Willie Cauley-Stein or Trey Lyles and pick up a veteran to add to his squad. Since I'm not mocking trades, if New York stays at #4 I think they take Hezonja for a couple of reasons. 1.) He might be the best player available at this point. 2.) He could certainly fit a need on a talent-starved team. 3.) He could be excellent trade bait with teams behind them such as Sacramento and Detroit. (Previous pick: D'Angelo Russell)
5.) ORLANDO MAGIC: Kristaps Porzingis, C/PF, Latvia Some in the league are saying the bloom on Porzingis' rose has started to fade a bit, but I still think this is his floor. Magic GM Rob Hannigan has been said to covet Porzingis for a while, and even though reports are saying the Latvian product had a disappointing workout with the team recently, I'm not putting too much stock in a last second workout. Porzingis fills multiple needs for the Magic. He's my pick here. (Previous pick: Willie Cauley-Stein)
6.) SACRAMENTO KINGS: Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, Congo
I still think Sacramento covets Hezonja, but he's not available at this point in my mock. Instead I think they'll be happy to take Mudiay and pair him up with Darren Collison in the backcourt. Mudiay could certainly play off the ball to start, or he can be a pretty good backup to Collison as he learns how to play in the NBA after playing last year in a professional league in China. (Previous pick: Mario Hezonja)
7.) DENVER NUGGETS: Justise Winslow, SF, Duke
As the draft draws nearer there are more and more people saying Winslow hasn't been very impressive in team workouts, and in some cases seemed like he didn't even want to be there. I'm not sure how much stock to put in that, if any, but I think he'd be too good a player for Denver to pass up. He's the exact kind of defensive wing that new head coach Mike Malone likes to have and he's probably the best player available at this point. (Previous pick: Emmanuel Mudiay)
8.) DETROIT PISTONS: Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona
With Hezonja and Winslow off the board and me not mocking trades, I think Detroit goes with Johnson to help fill their need at small forward instead of taking Kentucky shooting guard Devin Booker. Johnson has an NBA-ready body and could be a very good bench piece to play behind whomever Detroit signs in free agency, with the possibility of eventually becoming a Ron Artest type of player if he can improve his shooting range and ability to finish at the rim. Booker would be the other choice here because he fits Stan Van Gundy's desire to have as many shooters as possible, but Johnson is the better blend of BPA and need. (Previous pick: Justise Winslow)
9.) CHARLOTTE HORNETS: Frank Kaminsky, C/PF, Wisconsin The Hornets have been pretty active in the days leading up to the draft, including trading last year's 1st round pick Noah Vonleh (who they drafted with the pick they received from Detroit in the ill-fated Ben Gordon trade) and Gerald Henderson to Portland for Nicolas Batum. Batum is a small forward, which leaves them still needing a power forward, and word is Michael Jordan has fallen in love with Kaminsky. So he's the choice for Charlotte here.
10.) MIAMI HEAT: Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky
The Heat could go in a number of directions at this point in the draft with lots of players in the same tier of talent available, and since I'm not mocking trades I think they go with the best shooter in the draft in Booker. He'll turn 19 right around the start of the season and he's being compared favorably to Golden State's Klay Thompson as far as shooting ability. I could also see a scenario where Booker and Stanley Johnson are flipped, but for now I'm going with this as Miami's choice.
As it stands right now, that's how I think the first ten picks of the 2015 NBA Draft will go down, barring any trades. I'm expecting this to be my final mock draft version, but if I have time this evening before the draft and I hear/see anything that makes me really re-evaluate my mock, I might post another update.
For what it's worth, should Towns, Okafor and Russell go in the top 3 in any order, I do think there's a very good chance the Pistons might trade up with the Knicks so Detroit can draft Hezonja and the Knicks can take Kaminsky or another center they like. Makes too much sense not to happen, in my opinion.
For what it's worth, should Towns, Okafor and Russell go in the top 3 in any order, I do think there's a very good chance the Pistons might trade up with the Knicks so Detroit can draft Hezonja and the Knicks can take Kaminsky or another center they like. Makes too much sense not to happen, in my opinion.
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