G9.
Pistons GM
- Messages
- 6,173
Welcome to the S6 NBA Top 10 Mock Draft. In this mock draft, I will utilize my draft ranking system and mock selections based on both team need and best pick available.
**Disclaimer: This entire class is kind of ass.
#1 Washington Wizards
Team Needs: C, PF, SF, SG, PG(?)
Mock Selection: PF Wayne Chism
Notable Rankings: 14th Inside, 2nd Defense, 7th Rebounding, 12th Potential
The Washington Wizards took a big step back last year after failing to compete among the best with Anthony Davis on their roster. They decided to tank it out as they hoped to acquire the leagues next big superstar. Well, they netted the #1 overall pick this year - granting them first dibs on the entire 2024 Draft Class. Surely this would net them the next superstar? Unfortunately I don't believe that is the case. Wayne Chism looks nice, but he's no R.J. Barrett, Cole Anthony, Scotty Pippen, etc. level prospect. Chism should be a great piece moving forward though. He ranks pretty high in the three most important categories for a big-man- inside, defense, and rebounding. He also sports a decently high potential and is only 19 years old heading into his first training camp. While the first overall pick wasn't unanimous as it has been in drafts past, I think GB made the right selection here with Wayne Chism.
#2 Philadelphia 76ers (from Rockets)
Team Needs: SF
Mock Selection: C Mark Williams
Notable Rankings: 3rd Inside, 35th Defense, 12th Rebounding, 6th Potential
Well, the 76ers 'lucked' into another 2nd overall pick via a draft pick that was not originally theirs. Foreman did a great job holding onto this Houston pick as it landed him a premium draft spot. The 76ers roster actually is rather well-rounded. The stated goal of Foreman's most recent trades was to build a roster that had some actual depth to it- rather than just Embiid, Beal, Harris, and some other stuff. Foreman's 76ers will enter draft night with multiple positions already covered (C, PF, SG, PG) by players that I don't expect to decline (and some should actually improve). Players such as Jaden Springer, Aleksa Uskokovic, and Jamal Mashburn Jr. are expected to contribute significantly in the backcourt for the 6ers next year. Xavier Tillman, Saba Gigiberia, and Julius Randle should be able to hold down the front-court. That leaves the 6ers with only one true team need- small forward. Unfortunately I don't see any wings worth drafting with this pick, so the 6ers should definitely draft best pick available. Best pick available here would be C Mark Williams. This would bode well moving forward for Philly anyways - as Xavier and Randle are set to combine for 50M AAV over the next few seasons. It would be wise for the 76ers to look to replace one of those expensive bigs with someone more affordable, and Mark Williams on a rookie contract would do that.
#3 Cleveland Cavaliers
Team Needs: C, PF, SG, PG
Mock Selection: PF Michael Washington
Notable Rankings: 4th Inside, 10th Defense, 4th Rebounding, 15th Potential
The Cavaliers are in a similar position as the Washington Wizards, they kind of need everything. Cleveland did just lock up SF Samuell Williamson, who I am actually rather fond of - so the 3 isn't necessarily a position of need. But this high in the draft you shouldn't be drafting for need anyways. Cleveland would be wise to select PF Michael Washington. He would bring an immediate inside scoring threat to the table that this team severely lacks. They've got a nice collection of shooters building up - Ziaire Willams, Jalen Gaffney, Jaden Harden, and Dylan Andrews - but no real inside threat. C Day'Ron Sharpe did score double digits up front last season, but his FG% leaves a lot to be desired. Michael Washington could easily be the teams best inside scorer heading into next season and would be a great big to pair up with the more balanced scorer in Samuell Williamson.
#4 New York Knicks
Team Needs: C, PF, SG, PG
Mock Selection: PF Raymar Morgan
Notable Rankings: 5th Inside, 11th Rebounding, 18th Defense, 16th Potential
Raymar would be a fantastic selection by New York here. Their only truly certain starter heading into next season is SF Christian Brown. They could do with upgrades just about everywhere else. C Cliff Omouryi has certainly exceeded expectations and put up very impressive numbers last season, but he was called upon too much to be an offensive contributor. This led to a lot of turnovers from the young center and an abysmal FG%. The Knicks would be wise to put an actual offensive threat next to Cliff so that he can focus on what he's good at - defending and grabbing those boards. Raymar Morgan would at least help to solve that problem. He's also only 18 years old with a potential that is already relatively high, making Raymar both an immediate contributor and a long-term prospect.
#5 Los Angeles Lakers
Team Needs: C, PF, SF, SG, PG
Mock Selection: PG Scottie Reynolds
Notable Rankings: 14th Outside, 9th Handles, 14th Defense
The Lakers, despite not being completely void of talent, still need to address just about every position heading forward. While they still have starting caliber players at multiple positions, it would be wise to start addressing the lack of stability at each position moving forward. The only non-expiring contracts on their roster next season are SG Gary Harris and PG Lonzo Ball- two players that.. well.. I'm sure you know what I'm getting at. Scottie - while not as immediately impressive as players such as Aiden Maheney - does have quite a bit of sneaky goodness to him. His inside scoring isn't as abysmal as some of the other point guard prospects, making him the most 'well-rounded' point guard available. His ratings may not look impressive at first glance, but he's a few short steps away from being that most well-rounded, immediate contributor that this Los Angeles Lakers squad needs.
#6 Toronto Raptors
Team Needs: SF, PG(?)
Mock Selection: SG Paul Harris
Notable Rankings: 8th Inside, 65th Outside, 6th Defense, 6th Rebounding
Paul Harris is.. well.. he's interesting. You see his ratings and you think Small Forward. Then you see his size and think, well, maybe not. Some supplemental research revealed that Paul Harris has the potential to develop into a 'muscular, explosive forward' (as he did with Syracuse). While that phrase sounds exciting, is it so exciting in FBB? Without the ability to truly scout players and discover their strengths and weaknesses it remains to be seen whether Paul is all athletics - or if he actually possesses an ability to score. Despite those looming questions he still remains a very intriguing prospect. If he can transition to the 3 and develop more-so like SF Rui Hachimura and SF Wendell Moore, he could still be a very significant contributor all over the court. The best part? Harris should be a better defender than Rui, and a better rebounder than both Rui and Moore! So if all goes well in development he could easily surpass Rui Hachimura in terms of two-way contribution- and who wouldn't love to have a player like that?
#7 Sacramento Kings
Team Needs: PF, SF, PG
Mock Selection: SF Selton Miguel
Notable Rankings: 2nd Inside, 12th Defense, 7th Potential
The Kings have addressed the positions of C and SG for at least the next few seasons. Prospects such as N'Faly Dante, Henri Adiassa, Kyree Walker, and Karim Mane are wholly expected to battle over the positions of C and SG until a starter at each is crowned. This pick... is interesting. Selton Miguel is a Small Forward. He's also only 6'5", so even if he's grown I expect he'd struggle at the 4. Remember last pick when I was saying hey look, maybe it is another Rui. Well, hey look again. Selton ranks similarly to SG Paul Harris across the board. He's also listed with 'A' potential. His outside game leaves a lot (a lot a lot) to be desired, but he can certainly develop into a dominant inside scorer and solid defender. Normally I'm a big fan of 3&D players at the 3 if I cannot acquire a superstar at that position. Miguel will never develop a strong 3pt shot, but he could develop into a top tier 2&D player. A balanced attack around N'Faly, Miguel, Kyree, and Mane might just do the trick.
#8 Portland TrailBlazers
Team Needs: C, PF, SF, SG
Mock Selection: C Lee Dort
Notable Rankings: 19th Inside, 28th Outside, 15th Defense, 1st Rebounding
Normally I'm not a huge fan of big-men who look like this. Dort comes in with C+ ratings nearly across the board. His potential is rather abysmal (ranked 70th), so it isn't like he's going to blow up across that board. Yet, I'm still intrigued by this one. Dort is ranked as the best rebounder in the draft. Anytime a player is ranked as the best in anything, you can expect him to develop into a '....' specialist. Dort is only 19 as well, so there is a slight chance that potential jumps and he's given a little more hope of long-term development. With all those C+'s and the pot he does have, he could still develop into a rotational (or starting) big for years to come. Any big man who can rock B defense B rebounding will be able to contribute significantly, and I expect Dort to develop those ratings. Let us not forget he also has C+ C+ scoring, so if those develop a little bit as well, he could be very similar to C Myles Turner. Without scouts it remains hard to tell though. Dort could be fluffed up by a lot of irrelevant ratings. Regardless, this Blazers team needs just about everything moving forward. They've found a fantastic young PG prospect in James Akinjo, but they've got to address every position around him. Dort is the best pick available here, so Portland would be wise to scoop him up.
#9 Utah Jazz
Team Needs: SG, PG
Mock Selection: PG Frankie Collins
Notable Rankings: 3rd Outside, 6th Handling, 1st Defense, 76th Potential
The Jazz kind of blundered last season. After putting together a consistent playoff making team for multiple seasons, they took a step back. In part due to Vernon Carey being held out as a starter for multiple sims, but also in part due to an abysmal backcourt. The trade for Ja Morant sounds great in your head. Ja is an amazing facilitator and this team should be a match made in heaven for him. Well, it was, to an extent. Morant averaged nearly 10 assists per game as he dished it out to C Gobert, PF Carey, and SF Rui Hachimura. The problem... his 5.2 turnovers per game. At one time Ja was averaging nearly 6 turnovers per game. A player like that simply cannot be on the court for 40 minutes per game if you expect to win a Championship. He will be preyed upon by other top Point Guards in the league. For this reason, the Jazz seriously need to address both guard positions. Picking up PG Frankie Collins would be a great place to start. He's already rather NBA-ready, rocking B C+ B- ratings in the most crucial attributes for a point guard. His potential, like Dort before him, is rather abysmal (ranked 76th!), but we've seen players such as PG Tremont Waters defy the laws of potential before.
#10 Boston Celtics
Team Needs: C, PF, SF, SG
Mock Selection: SF Matt Bouldin
Notable Rankings: 22nd Inside, 25th Outside, 16th Defense, 27th Potential
While the Celtics, like the Knicks, do have multiple top tier prospects at multiple positions (namely PF Jonathan Kuminga and SF Emoni Bates), they're still rather uncertain prospects long-term. For this reason the Celtics should still be drafting best pick available until they find the true #2 to their #1 PG Keeshawn Barthelemy. Do I think SF Matt Bouldin can develop into a #2? Eh, probably not. But he is the best pick available and will allow Boston to make some trades without leaving the 3 in their depth chart wide-open. Bouldin is 18 (a pro), is rather well rounded (a pro), and can play the 2-4 (a pro). Boston would be wise to pick him up here, stick him in the DLG for half a season, and see what he's capable of. With his well-rounded baseline and non-abysmal potential he could really develop into a solid long-term starter. This would free up Boston to ship SF Emoni Bates out - because I don't think he's it.
