For weeks, I’ve liked Ben Simmons – Brandon Ingram – Jaylen Brown to go 1, 2, 3 to the Sixers, Lakers and Celtics. Of course, that will all be thrown out of whack when there’s movement at the top in the NBA Draft Lottery – which is this Tuesday. Things rarely stay the same up top. The Lakers moved up two spots and the Knicks fell two spots last year. The Cavs moved up eight spots two years ago to get to No. 1. The Wizards moved up five spots to get to No. 3 in 2013. We’re about to get some concreteanswers here soon, but nonetheless,we’re mocking:
The only big change in the mock this week is that I now like the Suns to takeDragan Bender at No. 4. Alex Len needs some help in the Phoenix frontcourt and Bender would complement him nicely. The Timberwolves seem like a prime candidate to make a trade at No. 5, but if they stay put look for them to land Buddy Hield. The Wolves are in an odd spot because they’ve got a strong starting lineup on paper and seemingly have every position covered. The odds on that entire starting five growing up together are impossibly slim though. 1. Philadelphia 76ers:Ben Simmons, PF, LSU
2. Los Angeles Lakers:Brandon Ingram, SF, Duke
3. Boston Celtics:Jaylen Brown, SG/SF, California
4. Phoenix Suns:Dragan Bender, PF, Croatia
5. Minnesota Timberwolves:Buddy Hield, SG, Oklahoma
6. New Orleans Pelicans:Kris Dunn, PG, Providence
7. Denver Nuggets:Domantas Sabonis, PF/C, Gonzaga
8. Sacramento Kings:Jamal Murray, PG/SG, Kentucky
9. Toronto Raptors:Malik Beasley, SG, Florida State
10. Milwaukee Bucks:Caris LeVert, SG, Michigan
11. Orlando Magic:JakobPoeltl, CB, Utah
12. Utah Jazz:Skal Labissierre, PF/C, Kentucky
13. Phoenix Suns:Deyonta Davis, PF/C, Michigan State
14. Chicago Bulls:Dejounte Murray, PG/SG, Washington
15. Denver Nuggets:Henry Ellenson, PF/C, Marquette
16. Boston Celtics:Furkan Korkmaz, SG, Turkey
17. Memphis Grizzlies:Brice Johnson, PF, North Carolina
18. Detroit Pistons:GuerschonYabusele, PF, France
19. Denver Nuggets:Stephen Zimmerman, PF/C, UNLV
20. Indiana Pacers:Daniel Hamilton, SG/SF, UConn
21. Atlanta Hawks:Malachi Richardson, SG, Syracuse
22. Charlotte Hornets:Diamond Stone, C, Maryland
23. Boston Celtics:Marquese Chriss, PF, Washington
24. Philadelphia 76ers:Denzel Valentine, SG/SF, Michigan State
25. Los Angeles Clippers:Taurean Prince, SF, Baylor
26. Philadelphia 76ers:AJ Hammons, C, Purdue
27. Toronto Raptors:TimotheLuwawu, SG/SF, France
28. Phoenix Suns:Damian Jones, C, Vanderbilt
29. San Antonio Spurs:CheickDiallo, PF/C, Kansas
30. Golden State Warriors:Tyler Ullis, PG, Kentucky
Second Round
31. Boston Celtics:Thon Maker, PF/C, Australia
32. Los Angeles Lakers:Anthony Barber, PG, NC State
33. Los Angeles Clippers:Michael Gbinije, SG/SF, Syracuse
34. Phoenix Suns:Demetrius Jackson, PG, Notre Dame
35. Boston Celtics:DeAndre Bembry, SF, St. Joseph’s
36. Milwaukee Bucks:Wade Baldwin, PG/SG, Vanderbilt
37. Houston Rockets:Joel Bolomboy, PF, Weber State
38. Milwaukee Bucks:Juan Hernangomez, PF, Spain
39. New Orleans Pelicans:Melo Trimble, PG, Maryland
40. New Orleans Pelicans:James Webb, SF/PF, Boise State
41. Orlando Magic:Ante Zizic, C, Croatia
42. Utah Jazz:Patrick McCaw, SG, UNLV
43. Houston Rockets:Ron Baker, SG, Wichita State
44. Atlanta Hawks:Tyrone Wallace, PG/SG, California
45. Boston Celtics:Gary Payton II, Oregon State
46. Dallas Mavericks:Wayne Selden, SG, Kansas
47. Orlando Magic:Malcolm Brogdon, SG, Virginia
48. Chicago Bulls:Jaron Blossomgame, SF, Clemson
49. Detroit Pistons:Perry Ellis, PF, Kansas
50. Indiana Pacers:Isaiah Cousins, PG/SG, Oklahoma
51. Boston Celtics:Josh Hart, SG, Villanova
52. Utah Jazz:Ben Bentil, PF, Providence
53. Denver Nuggets:Zach Auguste, PF, Notre Dame
54. Atlanta Hawks:Isaia Cordinier, SG, France
55. Brooklyn Nets:RadeZagorac, SG/SF, Serbia
56. Denver Nuggets:Damion Lee, SG, Louisville
57. Memphis Grizzlies:Zhou Qi, C, China
58. Boston Celtics:Petr Cornelie, PF/C, France
59. Sacramento Kings:Danuel House, SG/SF, Texas A&M
60. Utah Jazz:Pascal Siakam, PF, New Mexico State