The SeedSing 2017 NBA Mock Draft

As I did with the NFL draft this year, I'm going to do a mock draft for the NBA draft tonight. I've waited so long because there has been a ton of movement prior to the draft and I wanted to make sure nothing else happened before I went about picking players. This is a loaded draft and I'm going on what the draft order looks like today. If stuff changes before tonight, a lot may change, but, we will have to wait and see. For the record, I think there is going to be some more crazy stuff that happens during the draft tonight, but that will not affect my mock today. Enough with the preamble, lets get to it.

1. 76ers-Markelle Fultz. This was written in stone the moment the Celtics and 76ers swapped picks. This is the best thing that the 76ers could've wished for, and it seems like, if all the guys stay healthy, a big, big if, this could be a fringe playoff team in 3 or 4 years. They will be a ton of fun to watch, especially when they add Fultz.

2. Lakers-Lonzo Ball. I've been on record saying all the talk is just talk and the Lakers, especially after trading Russell this week, are taking Ball. He has great court vision and is an exceptional passer, but I do think he will be a bust. I do not have the faith in him that other do. He is a bench player at best. 

3. Celtics-Jayson Tatum. Here is another guy that I do not think is going to be as great as some other scouts do. Yes he can create and score, but, he is a ball hog that ices out teammates. That will not mesh well with this Celtics team. He is also a very average defender. He also could not lead Duke like some thought he could. I have almost as many doubts about him as I do with Lonzo Ball. But, the Celtics seem pretty set on picking this kid.

4. Suns-DeAaron Fox. The Suns are going to snatch the top point guard, in my opinion, in the draft. Eric Bledsoe is going to be moved, and the Suns are going towards a youth movement, especially with Kentucky players. They already have Devin Booker, Tyler Ullis and Bledsoe, but Fox will take his place. He is super fast, a great defender and will learn to shoot. Fox is probably my favorite player in this draft, and if the Suns are smart, they will snap him up at 4.

5. Kings-Johnathan Issac. The Kings will miss out on the guy they wanted in Fox, so they will panic and take the long and athletic forward. They already have a lot of these guys, but that hasn't stopped them in prior drafts. I do like Issac's game though. He is a good stretch 4 that just needs to gain some weight. I think he will be a very, very poor man's KD when he is in the league. If that happens with the Kings, only time will tell. But, they will panic pick Issac a few spots too early for him.

6. Magic-Malik Monk. Monk is probably the best shooter in this draft and the Magic need shooters. They have some pieces, I like Aaron Gordon, but they don't have many good outside shooters. Monk scored 40 plus in a college game, and while he may not be an elite NBA scorer, I see a lot of Dion Waiters in him. He is the type of scorer that can go off at any time. He will be a great heat check type shooter in the league.

7. Timberwolves-Josh Jackson. This will be the guy that "falls" in the lottery. He has made some questionable decisions leading up to the draft, and I think that will make him drop 3 or 4 spots. But, I actually feel like this will be a great spot for hi. He's already a great defender, and that is what the T'Wolves need. He can become an offensive threat in the league, but he won't need to be that guy on this time right away. They already have Towns and Wiggins for that. So Jackson can be plugged in to play defense and eventually he will become some kind of offensive threat.

8. Knicks-Frank Ntilikina. Ntilikina is the big time foreign prospect in this draft. He is a tall and athletic point guard. I do not know a whole bunch about him, but I feel like this is exactly what the Knicks will do. They do need a guard, but who knows with this guy. Also, if they inexplicably trade Porzingis, I will immediately feel bad for this kid because he will have no one to play with. This kid could be good to great, but time will tell. I hope if he is taken here that he comes to the NBA right away instead of staying in France for another year or two.

9. Mavericks-Dennis Smith Jr. I really like Smith Jr. This dude is built like a linebacker and he is an all around good point guard. He can really do a lot of things, and I love the fit with the Mavs. He can become the first of any young guys that Cuban and Carlisle can build around. He plays with a tenacity like no other prospect and the guy just wants to win. I am higher on Smith Jr than others, and I think he is going to be great. This is the second best fit, behind only Fultz, in the lottery. I really, really like Smith Jr.

10. Kings-Donovan Mitchell. After missing out on Fox and panic picking Issac, the Kings will finally do something right and grab their future point guard at 10 with Mitchell. I watched this guy very closely in the tournament when Michigan faced Louisville in round 2 of the tournament. He didn't have the best game ever, but he controlled the Louisville offense, and when he was hot in the first half, he was a scoring machine. The Kings really need a point guard, and I think they will get a steal at 10 with Mitchell. He will be a long time starter in the NBA.

11. Hornets-Lauri Markkenan. This is a reach of epic proportions in my opinion. Markkenan keeps getting compared to Porzingis, and that is so unfair to Porzingis. Markkenan is not near the level that Porzingis was at this point in his career. Markkenan is soft and will get battered in the low post. Again, I watched him in the tournament, and yes, he can shoot from outside, but he was a poor rebounder, and like I said, he looked soft. He is young, so he can get tougher, but he just doesn't look to be as great as some think. He is a very poor man's Kevin Love, minus the rebounding and outlet passing prowess. I do not like Markkenan, but Michael Jordan has made poor draft choices in the past, and I thin he will do that tonight.

12. Pistons-Zach Collins. This kid should have stayed in school, but since the NBA is obsessed with "one and done" players, Collins will be taken in the late lottery. He did play well in the tournament, but he needed some more time to refine his game. The Pistons do have a center, Andre Drummond, but Collins bring that floor spacing to that offense. He is still a bit too thin, but can, and will, gain weight. He is an okay rebounder, and if he isn't pushed into early playing time, he could turn out to be a decent rotational player.

13. Nuggets-OG Anuouby. Anuouby is coming off a bad injury and may miss a lot of the year, but he is talented and the Nuggets will take a chance on him. When healthy, he is super athletic and can play some defense. The Nuggets are continuing with the youth movement, and Anuouby adds to that. There is no in between with him. He is either going to be great or going to be a journeyman. I hope he is great because he is from Missouri.

14. Heat-Luke Kennard. The Heat don't really need much, so they will draft a floor spacing guard. Kennard isn't great, but he isn't terrible. He can shoot, plays hard and will be just fine as the 8th or 9th guy off the bench. He was the best player on Duke last year, but that isn't saying much. I don't think he will be any kind of starter in the NBA, but he can shoot, and teams want guys that can shoot.

15. Trailblazers-Jarret Allen. The Trailblazers need a real center for the modern NBA, and Allen is immediately better than Meyers Leonard and Noah Vonleh. Allen can run the floor, can rebound and protect the rim. Sure, Texas wasn't that good last year, but Allen was. He can become a better Andre Drummond in my opinion. He is a bit faster and will fit in better in the modern game. He's young too, and pairing him with McCollum and Lillard could be great.

16. Bulls-Terrance Ferguson. Young, athletic and played professionally in Australia instead of wasting 6 months in college. He has already played with grown men and he did okay. The Bulls need to get some guys that can replace Jimmy Butler, I'm almost certain he will be traded, and Ferguson can come in and try to be the scorer and playmaker they will need. He is a fine young player and I do like the fact that he played professionally overseas. Brandon Jennings and Emmanuel Mudiay did the same thing, and while they are not great, they have solid pro careers. I see the same with Ferguson.

17. Bucks-Justin Jackson. The Bucks need a legit point guard, but since most are gone, they will settle for another long and athletic, defensive minded 2 guard. Jackson guarded the best layer on the other team every tournament game, and he did great. He also proved that he can create his own shot and hit the open three. He made the right choice coming back for his junior year, and he will reap the benefits by going to a very good, very young team.

18. Pacers-Justin Patton. The Pacers are about to get blown up, Paul George is all but gone, and they will rebuild around 2 young and athletic big men. They already have Myles Turner and Patton will be the next piece. He is young, athletic, can stretch the floor and rebound. They will have a good, young front court, the it will be time to rebuild their back court. Patton is raw, but so was Turner and Turner is only getting better. This pick might not make sense right now, but in a year or 2, it will look good.

19. Hawks-John Collins. Now that they have traded away Dwight Howard, and seem to be blowing it up, the Hawks will take a good, young center. Collins got so much better from his freshman to sophomore years at Wake Forest, and I see him as a day one starter with the Hawks. They are going the youth movement like a lot of other teams, and Collins is going to be very good. I love his game and I am glad he went back for another season to get better in college. He's going to be a good pro.

20. Trailblazers-TJ Leaf. Again, they need guys in the front court to get better, and just like their earlier pick of Jarret Allen, they will add another big man in TJ Leaf. He doesn't have the rebounding ability like Allen does, and Allen is a better defender, but Leaf can shoot. He was a decent knock down shooter at UCLA, and maybe that will translate to the NBA. I don't like that he left UCLA after one year, but that is what the NBA and college basketball is now. He could have gotten bigger and better, but he will still be a first round pick. These guys that get picked later in the first round are specialist that will be bench guys, and Leaf will be a big three point shooter off the bench.

21. Thunder-Ike Anigobu. The Thunder, and Russell Westbrook for that matter, need scoring everywhere, and picking this late, they will grab Anigobu. He is a power forward that can score in the post and outside, and he could possibly help out Westbrook. He can run and shoot and Westbrook needs all the help he can get, especially in the post. Steven Adams is the only viable low post option, and he is not the runner that Anigobu already is.

22. Nets-Tyler Lydon. The Nets don't matter, and neither do their picks. Lydon didn't really do much at Syracuse, but he is a big guy that can shoot, so the Nets will take a shot. They are so bad, it doesn't matter who they pick. This might be the most pointless pick of the first round, and the Nets will make it even more pointless by taking a random big.

23. Raptors-Semi Ojeleye. Ojeleye will be a younger PJ Tucker replacement. He is big, strong, a good defender, rebounder and a very good scorer. He is very underrated in my opinion, and I think he will be a great fit in Toronto. He was the man at SMU, and I think he fits in great with the Raptors. They won't be able to retain Tucker, he is going to get overpaid by someone, so Ojeleye, to me, seems like the perfect replacement.

24. Jazz-Jawun Evans. The Jazz will probably need a new point guard, so they will take Evans from Oklahoma State. He may be short, but he is a great creator and can shoot from outside. This is another guy I watched closely in the tournament, they were Michigan's first round opponent, and he was incredible. He's so fast, yet plays under control. He can step in right away and start from day one, especially if they lose George Hill.

25. Magic-Bam Adebayo. The Magic need a lot, and after taking Monk in the lottery, they will draft his college teammate late first round. Adebayo is a great, modern big man. He is a decent pick and roll player and a decent rim protector. He can rebound and he doesn't need the ball in his hands all the time. He is big and strong too. I think he will turn out to be a good, low post big man in the NBA. The Magic will bet a steal late in the first round.

26. Trailblazers-Isaish Hartenstein. Hartenstein is the big man from Germany, and the Blazers will draft and stash him. This will be their third big man, but this guy will go back to play professionally in Germany for a year or 2 before the Blazers bring him back to the NBA. He is big, but needs to develop his game. The Blazers will take a flier on him because of potential, but like I said, we won't see him for a couple years in the NBA.

27. Nets-Harry Giles. Giles needed to stay in college for one more year, at least. He may have been the top high school player last year, but he was either injured or inconsistent in his one season at Duke. He will get picked based on potential, but he is very, very raw. almost too raw. The Nets don't matter, like I said, so neither does this pick. But, Giles needs time to develop, so don't count on him to be any kind of big time player in the NBA, maybe ever.

28. Lakers-Ivan Rabb. Continuing the youth movement, the Lakers will take the other local kid, Rabb, late in the first round. He is a decent power forward that is coachable. He will hustle and try hard every night. He could have been a higher pick if he left last year, but he went back to Cal and built some muscle and added to his game. He is a very decent player and I think he can become a bench guy in years to come. He should have an okay NBA career.

29. Spurs-Caleb Swanigan. This is my favorite pick of the first round. Swaningan is a great player that tries hard and works ta his game. There is no better team than San Antonio for him. He will get the best coaching and get to learn behind some great players. He won't have to start right away and he will be put in the best NBA system. This kid deserves the best, and I love, love, love the fit with the Spurs.

30. Jazz-DJ Wilson. With the last pick, the Jazz will take the big man from Michigan. He is a bit too skinny right now, but he can rebound and shoot the three. He had a great tournament and that will be why he is taken as the last pick of the first round. He will have to sit for awhile, but in his limited minutes, he will score, run and rebound. It may take some years, but he could be the 7th or 8th guy off the bench for 10 plus years in the NBA.

There you have it, my first NBA mock draft. Like I said there will probably be some movement, but this is how I see the first round if nothing changes. This will be a fun draft and I can' wait to see where a lot of these good players end up. Enjoy the draft.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. He also spent one semester at a D 1 college like most of the players in the first round. When will his name be called?

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