NBA Top 10 Mock Draft: March
March Madness is upon us. We are about to see players fly up draft boards and fall down others. This will all be based on their performances in possibly one good or bad game in the tourney. I watched more college basketball in the last week than I ever have, excluding the Madness. The conference tournaments were a chance to get to see players playing under a little more pressure than the regular season but not with the whole world watching. Some players really showed up which has had an effect on my latest mock draft. Like the previous mock drafts I have done, I will only be predicting the first 10 picks for the 2014 draft. My mock is based on teamneeds – not just who the best players are. This allows me to consider the team assets and needs as well as the players’ talent. No teams fell out of the bottom 10 in the last month though only the top 3 teams stayed in the same order. So let’s get to it:
1st [1st] Milwaukee Bucks 13-54 – The Bucks held on to the top spot for a 4th month in a row; however, their first round pick is starting to become questionable with the fall of the 76ers. For the first time since my inaugural mock the Bucks are not taking Joel Embiid. I still love his potential, however, if we don’t learn from history we are destined to repeat it. You don’t draft big man with an injury history which Embiid is developing. The Bucks take the suddenly offensive Andrew Wiggins SF (Kansas). His two way game is just too good to pass up.
2nd [2nd] Philadelphia 76ers 15-52 – The 76ers had 15 wins when I did the February mock draft and their win total remains unchanged. They are currently in the midst of a 21-game losing streak. They have two building blocks on the roster now at point guard and centre so taking a small forward would be ideal. Jabari Parker SF (Duke) makes the most sense and would be the safest pick at two. Parker has a similar mold to Carmelo Anthony which fits into the system that the 76ers are now employing under coach Brett Brown perfectly; score, score, and score more.
3rd [3rd] Orlando Magic 19-48 – The Magic stayed in the 3rd spot for the third month in a row. Nikola Vucevic is a good enough young centre for them not to take a chance on Embiid with this pick either. Their most pressing need has not changed from either of the last two mock drafts so they should still stick with Dante Exum PG (Australia).
4th [6th] Boston Celtics 22-46 – Boston has moved into the 4th spot in the draft and may now be getting the steal of the draft. I had them taking Marcus Smart in the last mock thinking that they are keen on securing a replacement for Rondo. I feel this is more important than ever. Rondo has lost them games with key mistakes and, on top of the on the court issues, the whole missing a game for his 28th birthday party fiasco was insanely selfish. On a side note, Danny Ainge has really undercut rookie Brad Steven’s authority with how he has dealt with Rondo this year. This could all be in the distant future if they end up with Joel Embiid C (Kansas). Embiid has all the tools to be the Tim Duncan or Kevin Durant they missed out on the last two time they tanked out a season. Of course the questions remains, can he stay healthy?
5th [7th] Utah Jazz 22-46 – The best two players available at this point happen to play the same positions that the Jazz’s best young players play: power forward and point guard. Last month I had them taking Gary Harris SG (Michigan State) and I see no reason for them to go elsewhere. Burke needs a running mate that can take some of the scoring burden off of him as he seems to be trying to do too much at this point. This is the highest I have had Harris going in any of the four mock drafts to this point.
6th [5th] Los Angles Lakers 22-44 – The Lakers moved down a spot but like a few teams before them they will be taking the same player as the last mock. Julius Randle PF (Kentucky) is playing better of late which has lead to Kentucky also improving. I have been hearing that his game is a lot more versatile than Calipari has allowed him to show. His range is out to the three point line and he has a much better handle. Even though I think that it’s impossible for Mike D’Antoni to remain the Laker’s coach, Randle would fit well into his system if he were still around.
7th [4th] Sacramento Kings 23-44 – The Kings were the big movers from a month ago moving from 4th to 7th. This move cost them Julius Randle who is pretty close to a sure NBA player. Luckily for them, they have a lot of holes to fill on their roster. As good as Isiah Thomas has played this year he is not your prototypical NBA point guard. The best player on the board is Marcus Smart PG (Oklahoma State) who, since returning from his suspension, has lead his team on a charge into the NCAA tournament. He is more of a point guard and ultimately they still have Thomas on board if Smart busts.
8th [10th] Detroit Pistons 25-41 – The Pistons are a mess at this point. Joe Dumars is in all likelihood resigning or being forced out after the season. He will be leaving the next GM with one avenue to get better, the draft, since he locked a ton of money into Jennings and Smith. This team has two elite defensive players in Josh Smith and Andre Drummond. It would make the most sense for them to draft a player that can score and shoot the ball. A shooting guard would seem to be the best fit; however, there are no pure shooters in the draft at this position. I could see them going a little off the board and have them taking Naismith favourite Doug McDermott SF (Creighton). He will struggle to defend at the NBA but has big guys to make up for it.
9th [8th] Cleveland Cavaliers 26-41 – Every thing I said a month ago about the Cavs still rings true. I still don’t see Deng resigning or Lebron coming back. Kyrie Irving’s season might be over after a biceps injury last night. He is looking more and more like a player that a team might not be able rely on long term even if there is no questioning his skill set. This opens up the possibility that they could take a point guard. Zach LaVine PG/SG (UCLA) would give them a little security in terms of Irving and his durability. It also allows Irving to play more off the ball as a scorer. They could then deal Dion Waiters, which seems to make sense, since there has been multiple reports that Irving and Waiters don’t get along.
10th [9th] Denver Nuggets via New York 27-40 – The Nuggets hate seeing the Knicks on a six game winning streak like they are on now although as we all know by now, this draft is deep. It may not have the top end talent that most thought going into the start of the NCAA but at the 10th pick the Nuggets may end up with a real good building block. Noah Vonleh PF (Indiana) is a highly skilled 6’10: kid that could play small or power forward in the NBA because of his developing range and handle.
Not drafted this time around:
Rodney Hood SF (Duke)
Aaron Gordon PF (Arizona)
Check back on the 18th of next month for my next mock draft top 10.
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