MOCK DRAFT 0.5 (2024)

Shades of: Jabari Smith Jr.

Largely lost amongst the Detroit Pistons’ historic struggles this season are some flashes of brilliance, primarily from the growth of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. In addition to these two franchise cornerstones, the Pistons boast other promising pieces like Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson. The group has struggled heavily, but a lot of that struggle can be attributed to poor roster construction and management.

Simply taking the BPA here has the potential to add to their current problems, however they have an opportunity to establish a sense of normalcy and cohesion by taking Zacherrie Risacher, who I have as a top-4 prospect. Risacher projects as an elite glue guy, with shades of Jabari Smith Jr. His shooting will instantly make the game easier for other members of the Piston core, while his defensive aptitude and upside can help establish the culture Detroit are attempting to build.

Shades of: Taller Deron Williams

The San Antonio Spurs landed generational talent Victor Wembanyama in last year’s draft, and have an opportunity to build around him with two early lottery picks that both land in the top 7 in this mock. A glaring issue highlighted this year is the Spurs’ need for a franchise Point Guard. Selecting Nikola Topic, my current #1 prospect, solves that issue and would enable the Spurs to construct a team that can truly unlock Wembanyama.

Topic’s rim pressure and ability to orchestrate an offense are rare for someone so young and his ability to manipulate the defense reminds me of Deron Williams, in that he doesn’t rely on being exceptionally fast or quick but still has a knack for breaking down defenders and/or getting to the rim.

Shades of: Nic Batum / Franz Wagner

The new Washington Wizards regime has done an exceptional job moving off bad contracts, acquiring assets, and pivoting to a new direction. Building off of a successful draft last year, in which they made a splash by trading for the draft rights to Bilal Coulibaly, I have them selecting Matas Buzelis.

Buzelis was my pre-season #1 prospect, who has fallen to #4 in my most recent big board. Still firmly a tier 1 prospect, Buzelis has a tantalizing combination of size, shooting potential, on-ball shot creation, connective playmaking, and defense. Long term, Bilal and Matas could serve as the Wizards’ franchise cornerstones and their versatility should make building around them a dream.

Shades of: Jonathan Kuminga / Jalen Johnson / Patrick Williams

For the second year in a row, the Charlotte Hornets’ season has been marred by injuries to key pieces. Last year, they came away with #2 overall pick, Brandon Miller, who has been an instant contributor alongside the existing Hornets core; however, other than Miller, LaMelo, and Mark Williams, there is a lack of clarity among who will remain a Hornet going forward. With Miles Bridges’ future uncertain, taking a player with a similar player profile and skill set in Ron Holland will give them an opportunity to hit the ground running next season.

Holland can seamlessly slot into Bridges’ role, and has plenty of upside as a lockdown perimeter defender who has also flashed on-ball shot creation and playmaking. Holland is a strong weak side shot blocker and his athleticism should ensure he’s the finisher of plenty of highlight dunks, courtesy of LaMelo Ball’s passing.

Shades of: Nic Claxton with a jump shot (credit Reddit user ‘xerxesthagreat’)

Portland are stacked with high upside guards after selecting the gravity defying Shaedon Sharpe (Pick 7, 2022) and the oldest looking 19 year old since Greg Oden, Scoot Henderson (Pick 3, 2023) to go with emerging flamethrower Anfernee Simons. Portland are set in the future backcourt department but are lacking high end upside front court pieces. Enter Alex Sarr, the 7’1 Frenchman with sky high defensive talent and a tantalising offensive skill set.

Sarr fits the mold of the modern day switchable big who can also protect the rim at an elite level à la Nic Claxton. His jump shot is evolving and could be the key to unlocking his growing offensive game if defenses are forced to respect him from the perimeter. If the offense does continue to grow, Sarr has the potential to be the best player in his class and would be a perfect fit with Portland’s young core of guards.

Shades of: Taller Monta Ellis

The Memphis Grizzlies started off the season looking like the Bad Luck Bears. Not only did they miss Ja Morant, but they also suffered the losses of Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke to season long injuries as well as an extended absence for newly acquired Marcus Smart. The Grizzlies are a far better team than their record indicates, as we’ve already started to see since the return of Morant. As a result, come draft day, I highly doubt the Grizz would find themselves with the 6th pick, but for this mock, they are here and come away with a gem in Stephon Castle.

Castle could be the answer the grizzlies have been searching for on the wing, which has been a revolving door this year following the departure of Dillon Brooks. Castle, who has one of the highest upsides in the draft due to his 3-level scoring flashes, would bring the Grizzlies stability at a position that has been anything but stable. Additionally, Castle’s playmaking would allow him to thrive on a team full of offensive threats. He could be the player the Grizzlies hoped Ziaire Williams would develop into.

Shades of: Jeff Hornacek w/ All-Defense Upside

After selecting Nikola Topic with the 2nd overall pick, the San Antonio Spurs continue shoring up their backcourt by adding the dynamic Reed Sheppard, who is having a historically strong freshman season for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Sheppard is an anomaly of a player, who is putting up almost unprecedented numbers as a shooter and defender. His ability to impact the game in a variety of ways, even without being the lead ball handler, makes him a perfect addition to a team led by Victor Wembanyama and Topic. The spacing and gravity he creates on offense will allow Wemby and Topic to thrive in their respective roles, and the havoc and disruption he creates can shore up the Spurs’ point of attack defense.

Shades of: Brandon Ingram

The Thunder are in an enviable position, where they can consolidate their assets to acquire the best available players. They can do this in two ways: using draft picks to move up and select “their guys” or create a package of picks and players to capitalize on their timeline. For the sake of this mock, we have the Thunder doing the former, using Pick 11 and a future 1st to move up three spots and select Cody Williams.

Prior to getting injured, Williams was somehow exceeding the lofty expectations placed upon him, shooting a blistering 62% from the field and 60% from three. He has all of the traits OKC look for in their prospects: on-ball creation flashes, the ability to keep the ball moving within the flow of an offense, perimeter shotmaking, and size + length. His potential ceiling is among the highest of the draft and with OKC’s history of development, they should feel confident betting on Cody Williams. Oh, and being JDub’s brother is probably a perk, too.

Shades of: Michael Redd

Despite Trae Young’s best efforts, the Atlanta Hawks have struggled out of the gate. With rumors swirling around a potential DeJounte Murray trade, the Hawks might look entirely different come draft day; however, even as is, the Hawks have the talent to climb out of the hole they’ve dug themselves, especially with Jalen Johnson breaking out. If the draft were to happen today though, the Hawks would happily draft Ja’Kobe Walter, the sharpshooting guard from Baylor.

Walter’s ability to impact the game without the ball is a perfect complement to Trae Young, with Trae’s playmaking enabling Walter to find easy looks at the rim and behind the arc. Walter’s physical profile gives him upside as a defender too, allowing him to impact both ends of the court. Even if his upside is capped due to limited flashes of on-ball creation and playmaking, Walter’s floor is among the highest in a draft full of question marks.

Shades of: Brook Lopez, Poor Man’s Marc Gasol

The Rockets’ future is extremely bright thanks to an enviable core of young talent. With Ime Udoka in town, this years’ iteration of the Rockets are infinitely better than previous years, as the team finally seems to have a culture and direction. Udoka has instilled into these young Rockets the importance of defense, and adding Donovan Clingan, who projects as an elite drop coverage big with a budding perimeter shot, should help further establish their defensive identity.

Adding Clingan is not a knock on obvious franchise cornerstone Alperen Sengun by any means, but Clingan can be part of the path towards playoff contention, as he and Jabari Smith Jr would be an insane defensive pairing down low.

Shades of: Baron Davis / Steve Francis

In the midst of a bleak season, the Chicago Bulls reached a turning point thanks largely to Coby White. His growth has been astronomical and he has arguably established him as a building block for the future. With that said, picking guard Isaiah Collier may feel like a slight to White and the work he put in; however, this pick only works thanks to White’s improvements as a shooter and shot creator.

Isaiah Collier, my 6th overall prospect, stops his skid down the draft board here, and the Bulls land a steal who fits extremely well with the new Coby White and his tremendously improved catch-and-shoot prowess. Collier’s strength and ability to get to the rim blends seamlessly with Coby’s finesse and manipulation. Chicago, who could look entirely different after this year’s trade deadline, has the opportunity and the timeline to bet on Collier’s development and upside.

Shades of: Trey Murphy w/ Shot Creation Upside / Jeff Green

Following the departure of franchise cornerstone Damian Lillard, the Portland Trail Blazers have a brand new timeline, one with the opportunity to roll the dice and swing for the fences, as they did with Alexandre Sarr earlier. Coupling this new timeline with a strong recent history of developing and maximizing players should give them further confidence to take a swing on Tidjane Saluan, a 6’10” combo-forward who has recently started shooting up draft boards.

Similar to Ousmane Dieng and Bilal Coulibaly, Saluan has the traits - ball handling, shot creation, promising perimeter shotmaking - that usually land prospects in the upper tiers of draft boards. These types of prospects, however tantalising, are absolutely risky but as mentioned earlier, Portland has the ability to not only absorb that risk, but mitigate it by ensuring that his development is not rushed. If Portland is able to leave the lottery with 2 high upside front court pieces, it will be a job well done by Joe Cronin and Mike Schmitz.

Shades of: Immanuel Quickley + Darius Garland Hybrid

The Pelicans have both youth and talent at nearly every position. Drafting Jordan Hawkins last year indicates that the Pelicans are not currently keen on project players, but are more so interested in finding players who can contribute day-one and with Trey Murphy out to start the year, Hawkins did just that. While the Pelicans have a plethora of wing talent and shooters, they lack a sense of clarity at the point guard spot. With CJ McCollum another year older, the Pelicans should give themselves added flexibility in this area by adding Rob Dillingham, who is a steal at #13 if you ask me.

Dillingham’s control of the game has gone somewhat under the radar, as he has had to share the spotlight with a plethora of stars and prospects at Kentucky. Don’t let the lack of hype fool you though: Dillingham’s ability to control the offense is legitimate and he is one of the best facilitator’s in this draft. Additionally, Dillingham’s experience at Kentucky functioning and finding ways to contribute off ball could be crucial due to the ball dominant nature of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson.

Shades of: Khris Middleton / Harrison Barnes

Another team who has underperformed relative to the talent they have, the Suns find themselves at Pick #14 in this mock draft. With Beal healthy, the Kevin Durant and Devin Booker led Suns are surely destined to find themselves at the very least in a play-in spot; however, as of today, the Phoenix Suns sit with this pick. Assuming KD and Book return, the Suns cannot waste time developing projects and as a result, the Suns should invest this pick in a player who can help on opening night.

Kevin McCullar out of Kansas has earned himself a look in the lottery with his play this year. His game is extremely well-rounded, and he has also played great defensively. He could provide a spark scoring-wise when KD, Book, or Beal are resting, while his size and physical profile should allow him to find utility on defense as well. His tremendously improved outside shot makes him a threat off the catch and shoot, which he should see plenty of courtesy of KD and Book.