The Pistons could wind up with the No. 1 overall pick for the second straight year. In Chad Ford’s Mock Draft 2.0, they’ll take Auburn freshman forward Jabari Smith with the first pick. According to Ford’s sources, Detroit GM Troy Weaver would love to pair up Cade Cunningham with Smith. Ford throws a curveball with the second pick, with the Magic selecting Purdue wing Jaden Ivey. That leaves Gonzaga big man Chet Holmgren for the taking at No. 3, where the Rockets snap him up.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Private equity firms have increasingly become a force in NBA ownership, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic notes. Private equity firms have purchased stakes in five teams, and their influence will continue to increase as the value of franchises continues to climb.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks not only takes a look at potential buyout candidates this month, he also turns his attention to the offseason, breaking down the free agent class, teams with significant cap space and significant players eligible for extensions. Regarding cap space, he notes that the Pacers and Trail Blazers have moved onto the list due to their trades. The Pistons, Magic and Spurs were already projected to have cap space.
- The Nets, Sixers and Celtics did the most to upgrade their 2021/22 rosters before the trade deadline, according to The Athletic’s Seth Partnow. The Bucks, Jazz and Suns made slight alterations that could help them in the postseason, in Partnow’s evaluation.
Chet Holmgren is very intriguing if he can add some bulk to his upper body. He can score at all 3 levels but adding muscle will give him a better chance to finish around the rim when fouled for the and 1. Defensive his game is nice
Orlando would be foolish to grab Ivey unless they have a trade in their back pocket for Anthony or Suggs. I see them snatching Holmgren to man the middle or the kid from Duke to pair up with Issac. They have a chance to become something interesting if they can put it together and not pull a Kings move where they overcrowd a position and then trade the wrong player.
Rockets hope
Jalen Green, Sengun and Jaden Ivey take them to the playoffs next season.
That wouldn’t be very smart to pick Smith & Ivey at #1/2, right?
My draft order right now would be for the top 4…
1/ Chet Holmgren
2/ Paolo Banchero
3/ Nikola Jovic
4/ Jabari Smith
I’m surprised holmgren and Banchero aren’t the clear 1-2 debate. Followed by Smith sitting at No3. They have such high ceilings and Paolo looks like he could show up in any NBA team tomorrow and get buckets. 22 draft looks good for teams with a top 5 pick.
Get buckets on any nba team – unless that nba team is Ohio State… which Banchero looked very average against and got outplayed bad by Liddell.
Pistons should go Smith if they believe hes a 3 in the NBA. Magic should go Chet or Paolo. Why would they take yet another guard? Anthony, Fultz, Suggs, Hampton?
Move Bamba if you cant get him on a reasonable 4 or 5 yr deal.
I would like to see Bamba on the Hawks for a reasonable price.
Banchero might not be the first Duke player off the board. He’s NBA ready, but he’s a 1 position PF, and there’s more athletic, more versatile, PF at the top of the draft in Smith. I think it’s Smith and Holmgren as the top 2 (and that’s the full top tier). Ivey is a wild card, with the only issue being whether he can be a full time PG. If yes, he’s right there, maybe at the top of the next tier.
1. Pistons – Jabari Smith
2. Magic – Chet Holmgren
3. OKC – Paolo Banchero
4. Pacers – Jaden Ivey
5. Rockets – Tyty Washington
6. Blazers – AJ Griffin
7. Spurs – Shaedon Sharpe
8. Kings – Benedict Mathurin
9. Knicks – Keegan Murray
10. Wizards – Johnny Davis
11. Blazers – Nikola Jovic
12. Grizzlies – Kendall Brown
13. OKC – MarJon Beauchamp
14. Hawks – Jaden Hardy
Coupley surprises. OKC will start to tank a little more for a pick whereas Rockets will play well and win games with Schroder starting and Sengun getting more minutes. Pacers get lucky in the lottery positions. Lots of teams with multiple picks (Blazers, OKC, Spurs) so I wouldn’t be surprised to see some trades especially with the depth of this draft. Some very solid SG’s and SFs you can find in the 15-30 range of this draft.
Couple sleepers in the draft, Tari Eason, Trevor Keels, Max Christie, Caleb Houstan and Jean Montero.
Cade Bey Smith Stewart looks really promising, Magic have multiple guards and a history with good young centres (Dwight and Shaq). Paolo I think suits OKC and what they have going on with Shai Giddey Dort Paolo. Ivey is a solid scoring option next to Halliburton after missing Smith and Paolo. Rockets need a young point guard cause KPJ ain’t a point to me. Blazers get the best non guard available. Spurs get a SG to replace White and fit well next to Murray. Kings get a SG to replace Heild and Haliburton. Knicks go for best player available. Wizards, Beal is leaving so they get best players available and a SG. Blazers take a risk and get a high upside PF a position they lack in. Grizzlies go for best all round player and Kyle Anderson replacement. OKC go for high upside scorer. Hawks also go for high upside SG