Todd Salem 2017 NBA Mock Draft – 10 June 2017
June 11, 2017 · Todd Salem
1. Markelle Fultz 2. Lonzo Ball 3. Dennis Smith 4. Josh Jackson 5. Frank Ntilikina
| Round 1 | |||||
| 1 |  |
Boston | Markelle Fultz | PG | Washington |
| Unless Boston finds a trade partner that nets it one of the better players in the league, there is no question who this pick will be. | |||||
| 2 |  |
Los Angeles Lakers | Lonzo Ball | PG | UCLA |
| This is a perfect fit between player, team, need, skill level, and obnoxious parental figure. There would be no funnier outcome than the Lakers passing on Ball, but it seems highly unlikely. | |||||
| 3 |  |
Philadelphia | Dennis Smith | PG | North Carolina State |
| This is the trickiest spot in the draft. Philadelphia needs a point guard and outside shooters. Smith is probably the third-best combination of those skills in the draft. It just so happens that the first two picks are one and two in that regard. | |||||
| 4 |  |
Phoenix | Josh Jackson | SF | Kansas |
| Jackson’s shooting mechanics need work, but everything else feels NBA-ready. The Suns are too uncertain to be drafting for need. They just grab who they feel is the best player available. | |||||
| 5 |  |
Sacramento | Frank Ntilikina | PG | International |
| Kings fans may revolt in the streets after this selection, but it is just because they aren’t familiar with Ntilikina. He is a special point guard prospect in a loaded PG draft. He may not have the ceiling of some of his peers here, but a refined shot could make him All-Star caliber. | |||||
| 6 |  |
Orlando | Malik Monk | SG | Kentucky |
| Monk is probably the best shooter in this draft class. His game is yet to be rounded out from there, but Orlando desperately needs shooting. If Monk can play some combo guard and show defensive acumen, all the better for the Magic. | |||||
| 7 |  |
Minnesota | Jayson Tatum | SF | Duke |
|
Unless Minnesota wants to grab yet another point guard, finding a complementary piece to its two stars is the objective here. Tatum does not project as a star in his own right, but he probably has one of the highest floors of anyone atop the NBA Draft. |
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| 8 |  |
New York | De’Aaron Fox | PG | Kentucky |
| Fox is generating a lot of buzz, with some projections having him as high as the third overall pick. That seems extreme for a man who can’t shoot. Everything else is at a premium, though, with Fox. He’s the point guard version of Josh Jackson. | |||||
| 9 |  |
Dallas | Zack Collins | C | Gonzaga |
| The Mavericks love centers, and Collins may be the very best in this draft when all is said and done. There isn’t much tape on him yet, considering he was just a bench player for Gonzaga, but the ceiling is sky high. | |||||
| 10 | |
Sacramento | Jonathan Isaac | SF | Florida State |
| It would be quite a boon for the Kings if Isaac trickled down to the 10th pick. He isn’t an offensive weapon; at least not yet. But he should be able to defend, play with energy, and punish small wings from the get go. | |||||
| 11 |  |
Charlotte | TJ Leaf | PF | UCLA |
| Charlotte needs to find some scoring punch alongside Kemba Walker. Leaf is a great athlete and shooter for his size. If he builds up strength, he could become a force on both ends. | |||||
| 12 |  |
Detroit | Lauri Markkanen | PF | Arizona |
| If Malik Monk is not the best shooter in this class, it could be the 7-footer Markkanen. It remains to be seen how the Pistons would best utilize him with Andre Drummond around, but he is too potent to pass up. | |||||
| 13 |  |
Denver | Justin Jackson | SF | North Carolina |
| Jackson really broke out in his final year in Chapel Hill. He showed a good outside shot and developed one of the best interior games in the country. He can defend multiple positions to boot. | |||||
| 14 |  |
Miami | Luke Kennard | SG | Duke |
| Rather than any number of his Duke teammates, it was Kennard who became the Blue Devils’ best player, at least through most of last season. He may be pigeonholed into being a spot-up shooter from the beginning, but that still has value. | |||||
| 15 |  |
Portland | OG Anunoby | SF | Indiana |
| This is probably overdrafting Anunoby a bit, but Portland so desperately needs quality wing defenders and strong perimeter players. His versatility could also allow the Blazers to slide him all over the lineup, assuming his shot comes along on the offensive side. | |||||
| 16 |  |
Chicago | Edrice Adebayo | PF | Kentucky |
| The Bulls need to get younger, stronger, and more athletic. Adebayo checks all of those boxes. He doesn’t possess an intricate offensive skill set, but that could develop after he escapes the crowded offense of Kentucky. | |||||
| 17 |  |
Milwaukee | Isaiah Hartenstein | PF | International |
| Hartenstein is a big, strong boy with lots of room to grow. He isn’t the prototypical international stretch five people have come to expect, though his outside game can still develop. | |||||
| 18 |  |
Indiana | Jarrett Allen | C | Texas |
| Allen was so heavily under the radar during his only year at Texas, it was a bit surprising to see him enter the draft. He also needs to add weight and strength to his frame. But Allen is a very skilled player, and it will be hard to see him drop outside the top 20. | |||||
| 19 |  |
Atlanta | Johnathan Motely | PF | Baylor |
| Motley anchored both the offense and defense at Baylor, though it’s mostly the latter that should immediately translate to the NBA. He is too thin to bang inside from day one, but as he grows, he can become an asset in the paint on both ends. | |||||
| 20 | |
Portland | Terrance Ferguson | SG | International |
| Ferguson was supposed to attend Arizona before playing overseas. He is an athletic wing who could slot alongside the prolific guards of Portland. With their mid first-round picks, the Blazers really need to come away with at least one starting-caliber wing. | |||||
| 21 |  |
Oklahoma City | Tyler Lydon | PF | Syracuse |
| Lydon is everything Oklahoma City wanted Doug McDermott to be on offense, but he should be a more useful player on the defensive end as well. His stock dropped with a return to school this past year, but that doesn’t hurt his future ceiling. | |||||
| 22 |  |
Brooklyn | Justin Patton | C | Creighton |
| With their first of a few picks, the Nets don’t need to even think about 2017-18 contributors. It’s all about finding the best future players. Patton fits the bill as an athletic 7-footer. | |||||
| 23 |  |
Toronto | Ivan Rabb | PF | California |
| Rabb would have been much better off had he left school a year ago. As it stands, teams were unimpressed with his improvement at Cal. That doesn’t mean he can’t grow into an NBA player, though. Toronto may find itself with minutes available at the power forward spot for Rabb to claim. | |||||
| 24 |  |
Utah | John Collins | PF | Wake Forest |
| The Utah frontcourt could look much different next season. Collins would be an excellent offensive big alongside Rudy Gobert. He needs to work on fouling less and being on the floor more, but that comes with experience. | |||||
| 25 | |
Orlando | Donovan Mitchell | SG | Louisville |
| This feels a bit low for Mitchell, but the Magic will surely be happy if he drops. He is a talented guard on both ends, which is something Orlando doesn’t exactly have in spades at this point. | |||||
| 26 | |
Portland | Harry Giles | PF | Duke |
| If the Blazers address their wings earlier in the draft, they would be free to take a chance on Giles. His stock plummeted between his senior year of high school and his only year in college. He still needs to prove he is healthy and can physically get back to where he was when he was the top high school prospect in the country. | |||||
| 27 | |
Brooklyn | Edmond Sumner | SG | Xavier |
| If anyone should be taking chances like this, it’s Brooklyn. Maybe Sumner won’t be recovered, but what do the Nets have to play for this coming season anyway? His future should be bright. That is all they care about. | |||||
| 28 | |
Los Angeles Lakers | Kyle Kuzma | PF | Utah |
| The Lakers, assuming they take a guard at two, have a low-ceiling front court. Kuzma could change that with his knockdown shooting and offensive repertoire. His combine performances have shown an offensive game with all the makings. | |||||
| 29 |  |
San Antonio | Semi Ojeleye | SF | SMU |
| The Spurs could see major roster turnover this season. Fortunately, Ojeleye can fit into pretty much any roster construction. He is a powerful forward who can play inside or out. He can defend multiple positions and has the athleticism to stick in an offense that relies on movement. | |||||
| 30 | |
Utah | Dillon Brooks | PF | Oregon |
| Brooks would hardly be a Gordon Hayward replacement if the latter leaves in free agency, but there are similarities between how they each played in college. Hayward has since exploded into an NBA star, but Brooks has a similar best-case scenario if his future plays out that way. | |||||
| Round 2 | |||||
| 31 | |
Atlanta | Kostja Mushidi | SG | International |
| 32 | |
Phoenix | PJ Dozier | PG | South Carolina |
| 33 | |
Orlando | Caleb Swanigan | PF | Purdue |
| 34 | |
Sacramento | Jaron Blossomgame | SF | Clemson |
| 35 | |
Orlando | V.J. Beachem | SF | Notre Dame |
| 36 | |
Philadelphia | Rodions Kurucs | SF | International |
| 37 | |
Boston | Blaz Mesicek | SG | International |
| 38 | |
Chicago | Kobi Simmons | PG | Arizona |
| 39 | |
Philadelphia | Dwayne Bacon | SF | Florida State |
| 40 |  |
New Orleans | Jawun Evans | PG | Oklahoma State |
| 41 | |
Charlotte | Josh Hart | SG | Villanova |
| 42 | |
Utah | Tyler Dorsey | SG | Oregon |
| 43 |  |
Houston | Melo Tremble | PG | Maryland |
| 44 | |
New York | Nigel Hayes | PF | Wisconsin |
| 45 | |
Houston | Tony Bradley | C | North Carolina |
| 46 | |
Philadelphia | Chris Boucher | PF | Oregon |
| 47 | |
Indiana | Sidarius Thornwell | SG | South Carolina |
| 48 | |
Milwaukee | Jabari Bird | SG | California |
| 49 | |
Denver | Nigel Williams-Goss | PG | Gonzaga |
| 50 | |
Philadelphia | Monte Morris | PG | Iowa State |
| 51 | |
Denver | Alec Peters | SF | Valparaiso |
| 52 |  |
Washington | D.J. Wilson | PF | Michigan |
| 53 | |
Boston | Ike Anigbogu | C | UCLA |
| 54 | |
Phoenix | Eric Mika | PF | BYU |
| 55 | |
Utah | Anzejs Pasecniks | C | International |
| 56 | |
Boston | Jordan Bell | F | Oregon |
| 57 | |
Brooklyn | Alpha Kaba | PF | International |
| 58 | |
New York | Luke Kornet | PF | Vanderbilt |
| 59 | |
San Antonio | Austin Nichols | PF | Virginia |
| 60 | |
Atlanta | Thomas Bryant | C | Indiana |
| Harry Giles |
