In case you missed Part 1, here it is!
Memphis Grizzlies-The Grizzlies pick is top 8 protected, so we will assume that they will keep that pick. Memphis found a good young player in Jaren Jackson Jr. last season and already has a point guard, as their franchise player in Mike Conley. They are a team who will likely want to draft the best available player on the board. If someone like Hachimura or Culver falls to the Grizzlies, it would be a very solid pick for them.
Dallas Mavericks-The Hawks have the Mavericks pick unless it lands inside of the top 5. Dallas will need some help from the lottery in order to keep their pick. If this somehow happens, Dallas will be in great shape. They already have two young stars in Doncic and Porzingis. They have been rumored to be targeting Kemba Walker and Khris Middleton in free agency. If this is what Dallas is looking to do, they should trade down and create cap space for these potential signings. If they do decide to keep their pick, they should take the best available player. Dallas also holds the 37th pick of the draft and should target a big man who maybe slides farther than expected. If a player like Daniel Gafford falls out of the first round, look for the Mavericks to trade up a few spots to get the big man from Arkansas.
Minnesota Timberwolves-The Timberwolves need a lot of help. They need a good scoring guard. They also need anybody who can play defense, as they are consistently one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. If they want to go for a point guard, they may lean towards Darius Garland. However, I believe a combo guard such as Virginia Tech’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker would be a very good fit for Minnesota. Another player who I could see them taking is KZ Okpala. Okpala likely isn’t a top 10 pick so they may be able to trade down and still snag Okpala.
Los Angeles Lakers-The Lakers are one of the most intriguing teams in the lottery. If they move up and somehow snag Zion Williamson, we will be hearing how the lottery is rigged for the next 10 years. However, they will likely stay at or around 11. I would like to see them take a chance on Bol Bol, though that is a risk and he does not necessarily help them win now, which is what the Lakers are trying to do with LeBron. I also have a weird gut feeling the Lakers may take a big name player like Keldon Johnson or Romeo Langford, these wouldn’t be bad picks, but just more of what they don’t need.
Charlotte Hornets-Everything the Hornets do is contingent on whether or not Kemba stays. Unfortunately for Charlotte the draft is before free agency, so they will not know for certain until after the NBA Draft. This being said, they probably don’t want to draft a point guard, unless they are positive Kemba is leaving, which I don’t think they do. I think they need to draft a player with great scoring ability. The Hornets lack scoring, Jeremy Lamb was their 2nd leading scorer during the 2018-19 NBA Season. Lamb, a solid player, but not good enough to be a 2nd option. If Cam Reddish falls to them, it would be a great pick. However, assuming he is taken, a player like Keldon Johnson would be a solid pick. If they want to trade down, a player like Tyler Herro would be perfect for them. Who knows, maybe Herro falls to them at the 36th pick.
Miami Heat-This will only be the Miami’s 2nd draft pick in a four year span (2016-2019). They drafted Bam Adebayo with the 14th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Miami is in a very weird spot, with too many veterans to be a bad team, but not nearly enough to be a title contender. They are a team you may say is stuck in the middle. Miami’s best bet may be taking a huge risk and trying to find a diamond in the rough. If Bol Bol is available, maybe he is the guy. If Hachimura falls down to 13th (or wherever the end of picking) I think it would be a great pick. Regardless, the Heat need to establish some sort of direction before too much longer.
Sacramento Kings-Sacramento does not have their first round pick as it was awarded to the Celtics in the Fultz/Tatum trade. They do however have 3 second round picks, if they use these wisely, they could make something out of this draft. Some players they should keep their eye on are Cameron Johnson, Talen Horton-Tucker, Jalen Lecque, Aubrey Dawkins, and Tacko Fall. Yes, I said Tacko Fall, why not? They own the 40th, 47th, and 60th pick. If Fall is still on the board when they are making the last selection of the draft (60th pick) why not take a chance and draft Fall? Fall has developed well over his four years at UCF and has shown some NBA potential.
The NBA Draft Lottery is on Tuesday May 14th, less than 2 weeks away!
NBA Mock Draft 