NBA Mock Draft: Round 1, Vol. 2

With the draft quickly approaching and multiple rumors about the top prospects swirling around the league, let’s take a look at my second attempt at a mock draft.

1. Boston Celtics – Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington: Unless Danny Ainge trades the pick, this is going to happen. Fultz is the consensus number one pick and has the potential to be an elite scoring point guard in the NBA.
2. Los Angeles Lakers – Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas: Reports have been saying that the Lakers guaranteed Josh Jackson the second overall pick. I would take that with a grain of salt, but other reports out of LA have said that the team wasn’t blown away by Lonzo Ball and he showed up to his workout “out of shape.” We’ll see what happens, but I would not be surprised to see LA pass up on Lonzo, given this information and him carrying his father as baggage.
3. TRADE – 76ers acquire the 4th overall pick, Eric Bledsoe; Suns acquire the 3rd overall pick (Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA), Lakers ’18 pick: This probably won’t happen, but it would be a pretty interesting concept. The Suns trade up to acquire a true playmaking point guard in Lonzo and pair him up with their young stud shooting guard Devin Booker. It could create an electric backcourt situation in Phoenix.
4. Philidelphia 76ers – Jayson Tatum, SF, Duke: Philly now has the rights to Eric Bledsoe, so their starting point guard job is locked up. With the 4th overall pick, they take Jayson Tatum, who is one of the most NBA-ready prospects in this draft. They could roll out with a starting lineup of Bledsoe, Covington, Tatum, Simmons, and Embiid with Saric coming off the bench on opening night. I think that combo wins enough games to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference if they stay healthy.
5. Sacramento Kings – De’Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky: The Kings love De’Aaron Fox, and desperately need a point guard who can run the offense in Sac-Town. At five, Fox makes the most sense here considering they can address other areas of need a few picks later at ten.
6. Orlando Magic – Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky: With the trade of Victor Oladipo last year creating a huge hole at shooting guard for the Magic, why not take arguably the most electric scoring shooting guard in the draft? Monk seemed to score at ease for Kentucky last year, and I feel like his style of game is what the NBA is turning into.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves – Jonathan Isaac, SF/PF, Florida State: This is the spot that makes the most sense for Isaac. He could go as high as five to the Kings, but I can’t see him falling past Minnesota. The Timberwolves could roll out with him playing anywhere from the 3 position to the 5 given his height and length. He also has the tools to become a great defender in the NBA.
8. New York Knicks – Dennis Smith, PG, NC State: Derrick Rose out, DSJ in. Smith has the most bounce out of all of the point guard prospects in this draft and would be able to fill a huge void for the Knicks, who haven’t had a good point guard since ‘nam. This is a deep draft for point guards, and DSJ at 8 would be a steal for NY.
9. Dallas Mavericks – Frank Ntilkina, PG, France: Much like the Knicks, the Mavs also need a point guard. This is why Ntilkina should be the pick here. He is an unproven talent, but at 18 years old, has the potential to grow into an elite defensive player in the NBA given his length.
10. Sacramento Kings – Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona: Personally, I’m not very high on Lauri Markkanen. I feel like I’ve seen the stretch power forward who can’t really play defense not pan out too many times. But he could be different. His ceiling to me is a Ryan Anderson type player, which isn’t the worst. His height and ability to shoot are what will take him off the board at 10.
11. Charlotte Hornets – Donovan Mitchell, SG, Louisville: Mitchell has been compared to Avery Bradley by a ton of NBA scouts. Given his height and the way he plays defense, I can see why. But what Mitchell has that Bradley doesn’t is some freakish athleticism. He could be a steal this late in the lottery.
12. Detroit Pistons – Zach Collins, PF, Gonzaga: Some minutes at PF/C seem to be opening up in Detroit, seeing how they want to trade Andre Drummond for some reason. Collins is not the same type of player as Drummond, but he would be a good fit for a team trying to rebuild. He has the potential to be the type of stretch big that the new NBA covets. His sample size is small (19 mins. his freshman year), but I think the best is yet to come for him.
13. Denver Nuggets – OG Anunoby, SF/PF, Indiana: I don’t know much about OG besides the fact that he is a great defender. He is coming off a torn ACL, but his size and ability to defend should guarantee him to be a lottery pick. The Nuggets could also potentially be losing Wilson Chandler and Danillo Gallinari this off-season in free agency, so grabbing some insurance at the 3/4 position would be a good idea.
14. Miami Heat – Justin Jackson, SF, North Carolina: Jackson is another guy I’m not too high on. UNC hasn’t been producing the best NBA talent as of late, but for some reason, NBA GM’s feel comfortable taking guys who have been coached by Roy Williams. I’m not trying to put Jackson in that category, but it’s hard not to. His age added to the fact that he isn’t “really great” at one specific thing are what steers me away from him this early. But he won’t slip out of the lottery, and this pick makes the most sense for Miami given who is left on the board.
15. Portland Trail Blazers – Jarrett Allen, C, Texas
16. Chicago Bulls – John Collins, PF, Wake Forest
17. Milwaukee Bucks – Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA
18. Indiana Pacers – Luke Kennard, SG, Duke
19. Atlanta Hawks – Justin Patton, C, Creighton
20. Portland Trail Blazers – Harry Giles, C, Duke
21. Oklahoma City Thunder – D.J. Wilson, SF, Michigan 
22. Brooklyn Nets – Terrance Ferguson, SG, Adelaide
23. Toronto Raptors – Jawun Evans, PG, Oklahoma State
24. Utah Jazz – Tyler Lydon, PF, Syracuse
25. Orlando Magic – TJ Leaf, PF, UCLA
26. Portland Trail Blazers – Isaiah Hartenstein, PF, Germany
27. Brooklyn Nets – Semi Ojeleye, F, SMU
28. Los Angeles Lakers – Josh Hart, SG, Villanova
29. San Antonio Spurs – Anzejs Pasecniks, C, Latvia
30. Utah Jazz – Derrick White, SG, Colorado

Written By: Nick Cherico (@NickCherico2)