DeAndre Ayton is the top pick in ESPN Jonathan Givony’s latest mock draft heading into the draft lottery on Tuesday. Givony has the Arizona center going to the Suns, Euro guard Luka Doncic being snapped up by the Grizzlies at No. 2 and Duke big man Marvin Bagley III heading to the Mavericks at No. 3. Naturally, the deck could be shuffled after Tuesday’s results. Michigan State big man Jaren Jackson Jr. (Hawks) and Texas center Mohamed Bamba (Magic) round out the Top 5.
In other draft-related developments:
- North Carolina combo guard Theo Pinson will participate in the draft combine in Chicago, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Pinson is ranked the No. 89 prospect on Givony’s latest Top 100. Louisville’s power forward Ray Spalding has also been invited, Charania reports in a separate tweet. Spalding is currently ranked No. 58 by Givony.
- Western Carolina junior forward Mike Amius has hired an agent and will remain in the draft, Jeff Goodman of ESPN tweets. He averaged 12.7 PPG and 5.6 RPG last season. He is not among Givony’s Top 100 prospects.
- Oregon State forward Drew Eubanks has signed with agent James Dunleavy and ISE Worldwide, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal tweets. The junior averaged 13.2 PPG and 6.8 RPG for the Beavers last season.
- The Suns will send Josh Jackson and the Kings will be represented by De’Aaron Fox at the draft lottery on Tuesday, Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report relays. The Nuggets’ Jamal Murray and the Pistons’ Luke Kennard are the other current players who will represent their teams in Chicago. The full list of representatives can be found in Conway’s story.
I will go on record, like last year, Michael Porter Jr. will be the best player of this draft.
I think Porter will be the biggest bust of the draft. People can imagine almost any situation happening and everyone still has the possibility of being right. That’s the great thing about the draft.
Doncic will be as so so player. Decent.
Bamba will be a bust. He can’t score and they’ll expect him to dominate on defense. He’ll be so so on defense because of his length but he lacks strength big time.
Doncic and Bamba are going to be the worst lottery picks this year. RIP Memphis.
Agree w/Gary, but if Doncic is soso, it will look like a bust. In a few years though, the team will sync with him and he will be key.
He can tell his Euro friends he is playing in California even though it’s Sacto… sorry
Doncic is clearly going to be the biggest bust. A shooter with no lift on his shot. Works against LA Fitness level guys out there, not against NBA players. Porter could have went right from high school to the Pros and would have been #1 pick over Markelle Fultz.
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, two of the top 5 shooters in NBA history have little lift on their shot. And calling EuroLeague players LA Fitness level shows your lack of basketball knowledge
Klay Thompson is 6- 7 and doesn’t need a lot of lift going against guards.
But more importantly Thompson and Curry have two of the quickest releases in the game. They don’t set up and shoot the ball, just a quick catch and release in a Split Second.
Having the green light at all times helps with these two guys as well. Thompson can go 0- 7 and he’s not going to get yanked because in the second half he’ll go for six for six. That helps with the quick release.
OJ Mayo could have went right from HS to the pros too. Doesn’t mean he still can’t bust.
I did a double take when I read that last bullet point. I thought it said the Suns were sending Josh Jackson to the Kings. hehe
I think the Mavs take Bamba at 3 if that’s where they pick
Donnie is a better Scout of talent than that.
I hope if Dallas go in 3 they should go for Bagley he is such a better player than Bamba, There is more to defence in a center & Bagley will be a beast. Mo Bamba will be a deffensive beast, but this doesn’t win rings, for what I have seen Bagley style is similar to Tim Duncan.
Be careful with that Duke big Duncan comp. Jahilil Okafor last held that comp. But yes Bags over Bamba anyday.