High-upside guard falls to Sixers in our latest 1st-round mock draft
Now that we’re less than a month away from the Nov. 18 NBA draft, we’re taking a crack at another first-round mock draft in this especially unpredictable year. In addition to pick No. 21, the Sixers have four second-round selections (Nos. 34, 36, 49 and 58). Expect to see some first-round trades, but we’ll avoid any deals in this mock.
The 6-foot-7 Ball has special natural talents as a passer and ball handler. His jumper and defensive effort are major questions, but it’s enticing to think about what he could become if he keeps improving and sharpens his impressive tools.
Edwards is shifty, powerful and hard to handle in transition. He didn’t shoot well from three-point range in his one college season (29.4 percent), but that was largely a product of his issues with shot selection. While Edwards is not an intuitive fit next to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, it seems unlikely he’ll slip from the top three because of his scoring ability.
Charlotte has a few potential pieces of a young core, including Devonte’ Graham, Miles Bridges and PJ Washington, but no true center of the future. Wiseman, who only played three games at Memphis before being ruled ineligible, would assume that role as an athletic, rim-protecting big man.
There are some similarities in frame, movement and skill set between Avdija and Dario Saric. The 19-year-old Israeli is a versatile playmaker who looks to have recently made improvements with his shot. His pass-first style could complement Coby White well.
The Cavs have had the NBA’s worst-rated defense the past two seasons. They’ve taken Darius Garland, Dylan Windler and Collin Sexton in the last two drafts and could certainly use an outstanding wing defender like Okoro.
Okongwu led the Pac-12 in player efficiency rating as a freshman and averaged 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. Atlanta already has a crowded frontcourt but Okongwu’s screening and rolling prowess would be attractive here.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor thinks there are shades of D’Angelo Russell and Manu Ginobili in Hayes. He’s an advanced pick-and-roll player who’d have ample ball handling responsibilities in Detroit.
In two seasons at Iowa State, Halliburton made 42.6 percent of his threes with unusual, upright mechanics. Halliburton is an excellent passer, forces a lot of turnovers and would represent good value at No. 8.
The Naismith College Player of the Year, Toppin will turn 23 years old early next season. If they take him at this spot, the Wizards would be hoping that his scoring and above-the-rim athleticism translate to the NBA right away.
Phoenix grabs another shooter in the first round after taking Cameron Johnson with the 11th pick last year. Vassell is currently on the skinny side for an NBA wing but has the skills to fill a 3-and-D role.
Back-to-back Florida State products is not out of the question. Williams didn’t amass incredible statistics as a sixth man his freshman season (9.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game) but showed promise on both sides of the ball.
Before suffering a stress fracture in his right foot, Nesmith converted a ludicrous 52.2 percent of his threes over 14 games his sophomore year. He’s effective coming off screens and can also reset and find space to fire when defenders fly past him.
Maxey’s a high-energy, charismatic 19-year-old and a strong on-ball defender. This is the same pick where the Heat took fellow Kentucky product Tyler Herro last year.
With a league-high three first-round picks, the Celtics could go in a lot of different directions here. Lewis is a rapid ball handler who could fill scoring and playmaking voids off Boston’s bench.
Bey could be a solid addition to a Magic bench that, like most aspects of the team, was middling the last two seasons. Depending on how things shake out in free agency, he might be able to build a case to start soon enough.
Portland has no frontcourt depth under contract for next season behind Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins. The 6-foot-9 Achiuwa is an excellent athlete and rebounder who’s drawn comparisons to Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, who also had Smith at No. 17 in his latest mock draft, reports that the Maryland sophomore’s probable range is rising. The Timberwolves would be a decent fit for Smith, a stretch four at the NBA level, especially if they take Ball. He averaged 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks his sophomore year, shooting 36.8 percent from three-point range.
Pokuševski moves, passes and shoots like someone much shorter than 7 feet tall. We have Dallas as the team investing in the skinny 18-year-old and hoping he realizes his potential.
Bane said last month he spoke to the Nets “very early on in the (pre-draft) process” and mentioned he studies Joe Harris’ game. Whether or not the Nets retain Harris in free agency, Bane is a sharpshooting, mature role player who should interest them, as well as a lot of playoff teams like the Sixers in this range.
If he falls to No. 20, Anthony would be a nice pick for the Heat. Miami will presumably want a lead guard, and Anthony should benefit from having far less of a burden on him than he did with a mediocre UNC team.
A former five-star recruit who had a somewhat rocky season in the NBL, Hampton would feed into new head coach Doc Rivers’ goal of increasing the Sixers’ pace. The fit isn’t perfect — you’d prefer for the speedy, 6-foot-5 Hampton to be more consistent defensively and a better shooter (see draft profile). It’s the type of pick the Sixers, with two early second-rounders, can afford to make.
Hampton’s professional experience, albeit just 15 games, should give him a small advantage over the typical 19-year-old, too. As of last month, Hampton told reporters he hadn’t interviewed with the Sixers but liked the idea of playing alongside Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle.
Green’s a high-level wing defender who likes to play in transition. Denver also might consider a backup for Nikola Jokic, though there don’t appear to be many great center options in this area of the draft.
The 6-foot-7 Bolmaro is a flashy passer who’s under contract with Barcelona through 2023 but could opt out of that deal and head to the NBA. He recently dished out a career-best 10 assists.
The Bucks have no young point guards and they’ve led the Eastern Conference in three-point attempts the past two years. Terry, a sweet-shooting guard who made 40.8 percent of his threes and has been focused on gaining weight, would make sense.
McDaniels’ game isn’t too refined, but the Thunder can bank on the 6-foot-10 forward’s potential as the team builds around young players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley and Luguentz Dort post-Billy Donovan.
While Robert Williams had some encouraging moments for the Celtics during the playoffs, we figure Boston would consider a backup big man in the draft. Stewart doesn’t have the sleek appearance or outside jumper of the modern NBA center, but he's a very good rebounder and was highly productive in college, averaging 17.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks.
We don’t know yet which young players the Knicks will keep long-term, so we’ll assume they’ll be searching for the best player available. It’s debatable whether Winston would fit that description at No. 27, but he proved he’s one of the draft’s best pick-and-roll playmakers over an accomplished four years at Michigan State.
A regular rotation player in France’s top league the past two seasons, Maledon might just have the well-rounded game and professionalism to help the champions early in his NBA career.
Tillman won the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year award for his junior season and also averaged a double-double. He’s a smart player who could immediately slot into Toronto’s rotation given the team’s lack of frontcourt depth.
Boston wraps up the first round with a second point guard in Jones, the ACC’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. He could perhaps take some difficult defensive assignments off Kemba Walker’s plate.
