1.01 Pelicans: Zion Williamson, F/C, Duke
1.02 Grizzlies: Ja Morant, PG, Murray State
1.03 Knicks: RJ Barrett, F, Duke
I didn’t realize that the Knicks were considering Darius Garland so strongly here, but I think they ultimately stick with Barrett.
1.04 Pelicans: Deandre Hunter, F, Virginia
If I had to guess, I’d say the Pels trade this to Atlanta for #8 and #10. If they decide to stay here, though, Hunter would be a nice pick. He would be a great complement to Holiday/Ingram/Zion.
1.05 Cavaliers: Jarrett Culver, G, Texas Tech
Culver and Sexton would make an interesting backcourt pairing next season. I don’t have a lot of analysis for this pick – the Cavs are a bad team, Culver is a good player, it’s a match made in heaven. Moving right along.
1.06 Suns: Darius Garland, PG, Vanderbilt
As we all know, both Phoenix and Chicago are in desperate need of-term point guards. Fortunately, both Garland and White are still available for them here - the two biggest no-brainer picks in the draft besides 1.01 and 1.02.
1.07 Bulls: Coby White, PG, North Carolina
1.08 Hawks: Cam Reddish, G/F, Duke
Atlanta doesn’t have much young talent on the wing – they fix that and add Reddish here, who got overshadowed in college by his other superstar teammates.
1.09 Wizards: Sekou Doumboya, F, France
Whether the Wizards opt into a full rebuild or not, their upcoming season is probably lost due to Wall’s injury. They can afford to take a high-upside project like Doumboya who might not be ready on day 1.
1.10 Hawks: Jaxson Hayes, C, Texas
A decent comparison for Hayes is former Texas center Jarrett Allen, and the Hawks could use a player like that. They don’t need another ball-dominant player with Young, Collins, and now Reddish already on the roster. What they need from their starting C is efficient rim running and solid defense – Hayes fits the bill.
1.11 Timberwolves: PJ Washington, F, Kentucky
A stretch 4 who can space the floor and give KAT plenty of room to work is ideal for Minny. (This pick may be on the move at some point)
1.12 Hornets: Brandon Clarke, F, Gonzaga
It seems likely that Kemba takes the supermax to stay in Charlotte, in which case the Hornets could use an instant contributor who helps win games while Kemba is in his prime. Clarke is relatively old but should earn minutes from day one.
1.13 Heat: Romeo Langford, G, Indiana
No pressure kid, you’re just DWade’s replacement! Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow aren’t bad players but neither of them have any business being a team’s primary scorer. Langford could help lighten the load for those two – he could be a steal in the late lotto, as his college season was hampered by a nagging injury.
1.14 Celtics: Goga Bitadze, C, Georgia
I initially had Boston going a different direction here, but the Horford news changes things quite a bit – their most pressing need is in the frontcourt now.
1.15 Pistons: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, G, Virginia Tech
Detroit needs more playmaking from its guards, and Alexander-Walker could thrive as the third option behind Drummond and Griffin.
1.16 Magic: Nassir Little, G/F, North Carolina
With Bamba, Isaac, and now Little, Orlando has the potential to be a pretty menacing defensive team. Little was in the Barrett/Reddish tier coming out of high school and could be a great value at 16.
1.17 Hawks: Bol Bol, C, Oregon
It’s extremely hard to predict where Bol falls because opinions of him vary so much. I think he’s most likely to land on a rebuilding team that can be patient with him, so Atlanta makes sense here. Watching the Trae Young/Bol Bol PnR would be a blast.
1.18 Pacers: Tyler Herro, G, Kentucky
Herro has alligator arms but a nice shot and could be a decent scoring option for Indiana – this pick makes even more sense if they can’t keep Bogdanovic.
1.19 Spurs: Grant Williams, F, Tennessee
Raise your hand if you’ve heard this about Grant Williams:
He isn’t really an athlete, but he’s a basketball player. That’s trite as hell, but there’s no better team for
basketball players than San Antonio. He’s one of the most unique players in this draft IMO, Pop’s new Boris Diaw.
1.20 Celtics: Rui Hachimura, F, Gonzaga
Wasn’t that long ago that Rui was considered a top-10 pick. Boston got their Horford replacement at 14, now here’s their new Marcus Morris.
1.21 Thunder: Cameron Johnson, F, North Carolina
OKC once again needs to find a shooter who can give Westbrook/George some breathing room inside - that’s exactly what Johnson is. He’s a bit old, but shot 46% from deep in college and would fit nicely with the Thunder.
1.22 Celtics: Matisse Thybull, G, Washington
Thybull had some great defensive production at Washington with very little offense to go along with it. A Marcus Smart + Matisse Thybull backcourt? Let’s make that happen.
1.23 Jazz: Keldon Johnson, G/F, Kentucky
Johnson seems like a high-effort high-floor kind of guy who would fit right in with the Jazz.
1.24 76ers: Ty Jerome, G, Virginia
Philly needs someone to shoot the ball - Lord knows their PG isn’t going to do it.
1.25 Trailblazers: Dylan Windler, G/F, Belmont
Another gifted shooter here, Windler would be a nice spark plug on the Blazers’ second unit.
1.26 Cavaliers: Mfiondu Kabengele, C, Florida State
Tristan Thompson’s contract comes off the books after this season, and Cleveland doesn’t really have anyone ready to take his spot. Kabengele offers solid defense and rim protection much like TT.
1.27 Nets: Luka Samanic, F/C, Croatia
Sean Marks was formerly a Spurs executive, and he brought San Antonio’s love of international players to Brooklyn – 3 of his last 4 selections have been Euros. The Nets go back to the well here and take a long, fluid big guy with some really interesting upside.
1.28 Warriors: Kevin Porter, G, USC
Porter has enough potential that he could go a lot earlier than this, but between his suspension and lack of college production I think there’s a good chance he falls into the late first round. Whomever the Warriors take here could get a lot of playing time next season, which could help Porter develop into a reliable scoring threat behind the splash bros.
1.29 Spurs: Luguentz Dort, G, Arizona State
Another classic Spurs pick here, Dort is a high-effort high-intensity guy who can be a valuable rotation player for Pop.
1.30 Bucks: Nic Claxton, C, Georgia
Claxton could eventually turn into the kind of 3P-shooting center that worked so well for Milwaukee last season. His defensive upside and athleticism are also far better than Brook Lopez’s.
Bonus pick:
2.01 Nets: Darius Bazley, F, Princeton High School
This is a swing for the fences, but I think the Nets’ strong player development team could turn Bazley into a quality player. He’s this year’s Mitchell Robinson – would probably be going higher had he not skipped college. 6’9” forwards with fluid athleticism and ball handling skills don’t grow on trees.
Thanks man.
