NBA Mock Draft 2.0

The NBA Draft is coming up on June 22, and this might be the year where the fight for the #1 pick is the most chaotic, and the race is always much more exciting when a lottery decides the team who gets the #1 pick. 

1.      San Antonio Spurs - Victor Wembanyama - France. After winning the lottery, the San Antonio Spurs will certainly take the 7’4 prodigy with guard skills. There will be some crazy trade offers thrown at the Spurs, but they won’t trade him. Wembanyama is the most highly coveted prospect since LeBron.

2.      Charlotte Hornets - Scoot Henderson - G League Ignite. These two are the established #1 and #2 overall picks. Henderson is a point guard that’s built like a linebacker, and him being a potential second coming of Derrick Rose makes him the right fit for the Hornets, who aim to stack up on their backcourt. 

3.      Portland Trailblazers- Amen Thompson - Overtime Elite. Thompson is a very well-rounded guard that has been thriving in the OT Elite league. He’s developed a very reliable three-point shot but the only concern with him is that he’s not playing against tough competition and with heckling fans, like in the NCAA, but the Blazers can’t pass up on this guy. Also, the Blazers are trying to find themselves over this next offseason, and whichever way they go, Thompson seems like a good choice. 

4.      Houston Rockets - Brandon Miller - Alabama. Many expected Brandon Miller to go as early as 3, but I think that he’s going to drop. Throughout the SEC season, Miller’s been the undisputed star of Bama’s team, leading them to the 1 seed, but he didn’t have a dominant March Madness and eventually, his team lost in Sweet Sixteen. Also, since the Rockets have a lot of guard play, Miller will be that decently-sized forward that can project them forward. 

5.      Detroit Pistons - Ausar Thompson - Overtime Elite. The second Thompson twin is next, and Ausar’s skillset is similar to Amen’s, although Amen seems a little more NBA-ready. The Pistons are on the come-up and trying to stack up on young talent. I think Ausar would be a great fit. 

6.      Orlando Magic - Jarace Walker - Houston. The Magic are a couple of years away from being scary. Like the Pistons, they are looking to stack up on talent, and what better way to do that than by drafting a big power forward? Walker has been dominating the interior the whole college basketball season, and he likely won't stop in the NBA. 

7.      Indiana Pacers - Nick Smith Jr. - Arkansas. The Pacers are in a confusing spot. They just missed out on the play-in this year, so which way do they go? Drafting Smith will help as he’ll come into the NBA as one of the best pure scorers of this draft. He’s 6’5 and only 19, with so much time to improve. Pair him with Tyrese Haliburton and the rest of the established Pacers, and it’s looking good. 

8.      Washington Wizards - Cam Whitmore - Villanova. Any position for the Wizards would be an upgrade for them, as they barely have any potable young talent with their top 3 are being 27+. So having Whitmore slide in and take a back seat for a year or so would be great for him and the team. With the remaining good players being guards in a guard-heavy draft, I think it would make sense for Whitmore to be drafted here. 

9.      Utah Jazz - Gradey Dick - Kansas. There’s a lot to like about Dick for any team as he doesn’t really interrupt a team’s play style. Dick is a tall guard/forward who shines in any part of the offense. This pick also makes a lot of sense for the Jazz, as having Dick on the bench and continuing to stack young talent on a roster that barely missed the playoffs this year. 

10.   Dallas Mavericks - Taylor Hendricks - UCF. The Mavericks are in an interesting position, as they traded away a lot to get Kyrie Irving, but now the 31-year-old’s contract is up and I don’t think it would be very wise to resign him for what would definitely be $30+ million. So, any young talent they can pair with Doncic will help their team so much. Hendricks is a tall forward that won’t interrupt Doncic, who touches the ball every possession. He can shoot the ball and rebound well, and whichever way the Mavericks go from here, Hendricks will be there to stay.