The ping pong balls fell in line for the Orlando Magic, who moved up one spot in the draft and secured the first pick. After digesting the results here is our first look at a lottery mock draft.
#1 Orlando Magic: Chet Holmgren
The Magic are in need of a superstar and the first pick could land them just that. While they have bolstered their guard depth with Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, RJ Hampton, Markelle Fultz and Gary Harris their is much more to be desired in the front court. An instant starter Holmgren will should give them positive results on both ends of the floor. He can be your offensive focal point and your cornerstone rim protector, surround him with solid pick and roll guards and you could finally have a real offense in Oralndo. Even though there have been some questions about his “NBA body” his skill at his size is going to be too much to miss out on.
#2 Oklahoma City Thunder: Paolo Banchero
Oklahoma City has an array of holes to fill and it starts in their front court. To help solidify their starting five the Thunder select Banchero with the second pick. A natural power forward with an ever evolving skillset, Banchero should help bring some much needed consistency to the ever changing Thunder. With both SGA and Giddey manning the back court, size is going to help take their team to the next level.
#3 Houston Rockets: Jadey Ivey
This in our opinion is going to be the first shock of the draft and make the Sacramento Kings decision much easier. Ivey has continued to rise on draft boards through out the year. His skillset and explosiveness has been compared to Ja Morant and while player comps may sometimes get out of hand, if they circulate in the media long enough it means teams are buying in. The Rockets have always ran small one through three, Eric Gordon is 6-3 and is their first listed shooting guard. With Gordon aging out, Ivey will be paired with Green and Porter Jr. to round out a three headed monster of high ceiling guards. Shooting is going to be a question here but the idea you have secured your back court for the next decade in the last two drafts pushes them to lean Ivey.
#4 Sacramento Kings: Jabari Smith
The Kings can’t mess this up. Jabari Smith was, at one point, a real option to be the first pick. As the dust continues to settle it looks like he will be a top four pick but not first overall. With Ivey off the board, Sacramento doesn’t have to weigh the future of Fox in the time allotted to submit your selection. Selecting Smith addresses a need at the three and puts together a rising core of Smith, Mitchell and Fox.
#5 Detroit Pistons: Shaedon Sharpe
The biggest mystery in the NBA Draft is Sharpe. After reclassifying and sitting out this season at Kentucky, in preparation to lead the Wildcats in 2023, Sharpe declared for the draft at the end of the season. The 6-5 shooting guard is only 18 years old and had an extremely impressive high school career. It is hard to gauge the immediat impact Sharpe will have at the next level after missing the season but if his pro-day is any indication, he looks to be NBA ready. This draft is about finding the missing pieces and Sharpe looks to pair nicely next to the young talent in Detroit. Bringing in Sharpe, Cunningham, Stewart, Bey and Hayes in the last three drafts is certainly a youth movement.
#6 Indiana Pacers: Keegan Murray
Indiana has more than a few needs to address in the coming years but with Tyrese Haliburton as their only franchise cornerstone they need to get him multi-talented help as soon as possible. What better way to do that than providing 23.5/8.7/1.5 with a steal and two blocks per game in Keegan Murray? While Murray isn’t going to replicate these numbers in year one, his year over year improvement at Iowa combined with his size and willingness to play both sides of the ball is exactly what Indiana needs. It is hard to see Murray falling anywhere past here.
#7 Portland Trail Blazers: Dyson Daniels
Daniels is certainly a bit of a shock here with Griffin and Mathurin on the board but the Blazers are looking to fill multiple holes and Daniels could be a one stop solution. First they lack depth at guard which Daniels can immediately address. Running Simons and Lillard on the first unit is ideal but then handing the second unit keys to Simons never seemed to be as effective on tired legs. With Daniels commanding the second unit, acting as a primary distributer, he should help elevate the players around him. Placing Simons in the two spot on both units is going to help his energy levels late in the game since he won’t be carrying the load when Lillard is off the court. Standing at 6-8 Daniels can guard at least one through three and showed defensive upside in the G-League. Surrounding Daniels with shooters and a solid PNR big should provide immediate results. If Portland deployed a point forward lineup you could see Lillard and Simons playing off ball with Daniels at the three. A swiss army knife is something Portland needs and Daniels provides just that.
#8 New Orleans Pelicans (via LAL): AJ Griffin
Griffin is one of the best shooters in the draft. His size and wingspan could make him one of the top two way players in the league if he reaches his development ceiling. The Pelicans are trending in the right direction and could benefit from either Griffin or Mathurin here. Drafting at #8 puts them in a bit of a guard lull. NOLA isn’t high enough to draft Ivey but would be reaching to select TyTy Washington. Griffin is the safe pick here as smooth shooting wing players are always in high demand. Griffin would compete for the starting role against Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III.
#9 San Antonio Spurs: Bennedict Mathurin
The rich get richer. One of the best franchises over the past decade has seen a surprising lull in success over recent years but they have still found top talent. A fringe playoff team this year, selecting Mathurin should get them back into the hunt to avoid the play in. Mathurin is one of our favorite players in the draft. His year over year improvement at Arizona, size and finishing ability to name a few strengths makes him a perfect development piece for San Antonio. After selecting Josh Primo last year, who most likely will find himself splitting time between the main roster and G-League. Mathurin would have a chance to steal minutes from Primo and get into the top of the rotation during his rookie year.
#10 Washington Wizards: Jeremy Sochan
Someone is going to need the crystal ball to nail the Wizards pick. A team that has almost as many questions as they do players, it is hard to land on only one player that fits a need with the team. Using the process of elimination we decided Sochan makes the most sense. Since the arrival of Kristaps Porzingis and the presence of Bradley Beal, Washington wants to get them help instead of finding their successors. Trying to find the right fit at small forward with an aging KCP should be the direction they end up heading. Deni Avdija is player that does a lot right but seems to have his ceiling capped at a high rotation player. Outside of Avdija, Washington doesn’t have a real starter to elevate. With the arrival of Sochan, who has shown he has all the talent and play style to fit into an NBA system, the Wizards try to address a need before dealing with the looming elephant in the room.
#11 New York Knicks: Johnny Davis
The Knicks need guards and even though Davis will most likely spend time in the G-League, unless Thibs has a shocking change of philosophy, he should be tagged as the rotation player to replace Burks/Walker/Fournier during the Knicks youth movement. Davis would benefit from immediate action because he is dynamic enough to handle the pace of the NBA but is probably going to find most of his time after the deadline. Knicks fans should be excited about this pick going forward.
#12 Oklahoma City Thunder (via LAC): Jalen Duren
Oklahoma City has addressed both front court positions in the span of twelve picks. Pairing Duren with Banchero is going to be havoc for other teams. Both top prospects, Duren’s slide isn’t from lack of ability. He was supposed to be a top five pick this year and was a top five recruit in his class. He is physically imposing, can score the basketball in the paint and is a solid rebounder. The Thunder will go home happy basically building out their starting five going forward. SGA, Giddey, Dort, Banchero and Duren feels like a video game lineup come to life.
#13 Charlotte Hornets: Mark Williams
Mark Williams is an extremely athletic big man who would fit perfectly in the pick and roll with Lamelo Ball. Currently starting Mason Plumlee, the Hornets need to fill a hole at the center position and Williams can be an instant contributor on both ends. Outside of 15 feet Williams isn’t the most gifted offensive player but that isn’t his job on the floor. Filing the lane in transition, playing inside/above the rim and protecting the paint are three areas that Williams can address. If not in the starting role Williams will find a way to positively impact the game.
#14 Cleveland Cavaliers: Ochai Agbaji
Cleveland should have made the playoff this year but were instead bounced in the playin by the Brooklyn Nets. A team that made major strides to become a playoff team again could use additional shooting off their bench to help fill the void when their starters are off the floor. After addressing their front court through a series of trades, draft picks and free agents, the Cavaliers select Ochai Agbaji at #14. Agbaji was one of the best stories in college basketball ending his senior season with a championship. The Kansas guard had a chance to come out last year and be selected in the second round but instead bet on himself to improve. Not only did he do so but he became one of the best three point shooters in college basketball. With Okoro, Stevens and Rondo giving you little production from behind the arc Agbaji will be a welcomed addition to the back court. He will need to fight for minutes but after the failure of Dylan Windler, a sharpshooter has to be the pick here.