Final 2017 NBA Mock Draft, first round

By Kurt HelinJun 15, 2017, 8:31 AM EDT

We’re just one week away from the 2017 NBA Draft.

So NBC’s Rob Dauster of CollegeBasketballTalk and myself put together our second — and final — mock draft of the first round. We hashed it out during a podcast, which you can listen to below (or find in all the usual podcast locations). Right now we feel confident about the first five falling this way, after that, it gets interesting (and, of course, there will be the unexpected trade on draft night).

Here’s how we see the first round going:

1. Boston Celtics: Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington. if there’s one certainty in this draft, it’s that the Celtics will draft Fultz No. 1. He can knock down threes, finish above the rim, play in transition, he’s strong on the pick-and-roll, hits midrange pull-ups, and great size for his position. The only questions are defense and how far he can lead a team.

2. Los Angeles Lakers: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA. We’ve all heard the rumors, and Ball has not pulled away as a clear second pick, but the Lakers likely pick him here. He has the gift of incredible court vision and passing, which he puts to use well, in transition. His shot is funky but it goes in consistently. The only questions are about him as a defender, and running slowed-down halfcourt offense.

3. Philadephia 76ers: Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas. He has the potential to become one of the better wing players in the league. Jackson has all the physical tools for a wing, he’s a strong defender who could become lock-down guy, great motor, but needs to improve his shooting (his form needs to be reworked, it’s all over the place).

4. Phoenix Suns: De’Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky. He is moving up the boards and would make a great long-term fit next to Devin Booker. Fox has good size, great speed and athleticism, plus he’s strong defender and could be elite on that end. His shot needs a lot of work.

5. Sacramento Kings: Jayson Tatum, Duke.: The rebuilding Kings need a guy to get them buckets, that makes this the pick. Phenomenal isolation scorer, he can face guys up or post up smaller players. Is he a small ball four, and where does he fit in Kings’ front line remains to be seen. That said, if he ends up on Kings he could get ROY with the numbers he’ll put up.

6. Orlando Magic: Jonathan Isaac, PF, Florida State. This is a smart gamble by a team in need of a star. Isaac is maybe the best athlete in the draft, he’s long and has all the physical tools you want in a modern NBA big man, and he is already a strong defender with elite potential. However, he is incredibly raw on offense. Can Frank Vogel and the Magic develop him?

7. Minnesota Timberwolves: Lauri Markkanen, PF/C, Arizona. Picture his as a backup to Karl-Anthony Towns who may also be able to play with him and help with floor spacing. Markkanen is a 7-footer who shot 42.3% from three, and not just spot-ups. Needs to be better defensively.

8. New York Knicks: Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky. This would be a great get for the Knicks and would be a hit with the fan base. Monk just knows how to score, and he can get red hot for stretches. The question is what else can he do? Is he a future sixth man in the Jamal Crawford/Lou Williams mold?

9. Dallas Mavericks: Dennis Smith Jr., PG, N.C. State. He’s a strong playmaker, he doesn’t turn the ball over much, he’s strong in the open court, but had an up and down season where he didn’t seem consistently interested in defense.

10. Sacramento Kings: Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga. This is the pick the Kings got from the Pelicans in the DeMarcus Cousins trade, and with it they get go big. Collins had performances on big stage of NCAA Tournament, he can make threes, score in the post, blocks shots, and can rebound. He came off bench at Gonzaga and is still a work in progress, but if they can develop him the Kings may have something.

11. Charlotte Hornets: Frank Ntilikina, PG, France. He’s a tall, 6’5″ point guard who is a strong two-way player, someone with a lot of offensive potential. He can develop for a couple years behind Kemba Walker then take over (like Atlanta did with Dennis Schroeder).

12. Detroit Pistons: Donovan Mitchell, guard, Louisville. Mitchel is an incredible athlete who knows how to use that to defend (the 6’10” wingspan helps there, too). He can create his own shot but and will work off the ball, but his offensive game needs development. That said, he and Kantavious Caldwell-Pope could form a strong defensive pairing in Detroit.

13. Denver Nuggets: Luke Kennard, SG, Duke. Efficient offensively, he can shoot, work off the ball, even get buckets in the pick-and-roll — you can see how he fits with Nikola Jokic. Real questions defensively (the area where Denver was weak last season).

14. Miami Heat: John Collins, C, Wake Forest. A bit of a late bloomer (young for his grade,), he’s got good size at 6’11” and was an incredibly efficient scorer around the basket. He’s got to develop his game to do more at the NBA level — space the floor better with his shot, defend, rebound — but the potential is there.

15. Portland Trail Blazers: O.G. Anunoby, SF, Indiana. He has impressive physical tools for an NBA wing — 6’8″, athletic — who is already a good defender and can become elite on that end of the court (something Portland needs). He’s got a lot of work to do on the offensive end to better take advantage of that athleticism, he’s got to develop a more consistent shot from three, but lots of potential here.

16. Chicago Bulls: Justin Jackson, SG, North Carolina. Can shoot the three, and when he gets in the lane has a fantastic floater. That said, not great at creating his own shot. He has good size, but his defense has been inconsistent and needs to improve.

17. Milwaukee Bucks: Harry Giles, C, Duke. He’s had a series of knee injuries which have robbed him of some athleticism and development time. Is he finally healthy, or is he forever diminished (and if so how much)? This is a role of the dice for the Bucks (who like to take those risks), but if he’s healthy and can get back closer to his old self, and if the Bucks can develop him, this would be a steal.

18. Indiana Pacers:. Jarrett Allen, C, Texas. Not a position of need, but too much potential to pass up at this point. Allen has great size — 6’11” with 7’6″ wingspan — and he’s a tremendous athlete. He could develop into Clint Capella-style NBA big, but he’s got a lot of work to put in to get there.

19. Atlanta Hawks: Justin Patton, C, Creighton. He’s got a lot of potential, it just needs to be developed by the right team. Patton is a 7-footer with length, he can shoot from the outside a little however he needs shots created for him, and defensive tools need work.

20. Portland Trail Blazers: Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA. He’s got good size — 6’10” with long arms, he’s very strong — and is quick off the floor, which helps with rebounding and shot blocking, but the rest of his game needs polish.

21. Oklahoma City Thunder: Semi Ojeleye, PF, SMU. Played as a stretch four last season and showed he has range as a shooter, but he’s undersized for that role in the NBA. Can he play the three? The Thunder will have to see where he fits, but he’s got a great build and looks like a guy who can play at the NBA level.

22. Brooklyn Nets: T.J. Leaf, UCLA. He has great size at 6’10”, and is a fluid athlete who excelled in transition (with Ball feeding him the rock), and can shoot the three. He will get an opportunity to develop on the court in Brooklyn and show those transition skills next to Jeremy Lin, but needs to get stronger and round out his game.

23. Toronto Raptors: Terrance Ferguson, SG, Australia. A 6’6″ wing with insane athleticism, he’s shown to be good spot up shooter but still has work to do on both ends. Chose to play in Australia rather than college last season, which might have helped his development. He could get time off the bench in Toronto.

24. Utah Jazz: Bam Adebayo, PF, Kentucky. He’s going to play the four mostly at the NBA level but he has the athleticism to defend on the perimeter. He has a lot of work to do on his shot if he’s going to get consistent minutes. That said, not many places better to go to develop your game than Utah under Quin Snyder.

25. Orlando Magic: Anzejs Pasecniks, C (played in Spain) . He’s a 7’2” center who played well and was very efficient last season in the second best league in the world. He moves well for a big man which makes him dangerous as the roll man. He’s got work to do on his outside shot, but there is potential there. He’s a bit raw but this could be steal this low.

26. Portland Trail Blazers: Jordan Bell, PF, Oregon. Long Beach’s own, the 6’9” power forward helped his cause at the combine by standing out defensively in 5-on-5 work, plus testing well athletically. His strength and energy lets him guard positions 3-5. He’s fantastic in transition and can finish lobs and plays around the rim, but is otherwise limited offensively.

27. Brooklyn Nets: D.J. Wilson, PF, Michigan. An intriguing stretch-four because there are stretches where he’s awesome, but he’s also very inconsistent. He’s 6’10” and has perimeter skills, plus defensively he can protect the rim (however he’s not much of a rebounder).Wilson is a late bloomer who battled injuries, how much can he improve?

28. Los Angeles Lakers: Tyler Lydon, PF, Syracuse. He can shoot the three and was a good rim protector (albeit in the Syracuse zone). Was a good stretch four in college but is undersized for that at the next level, still he could play that role off the bench in Los Angeles behind Julius Randle.

29. San Antonio Spurs:. Isaiah Hartenstein, PF/C, (played in Lithuania). Great size at 7’1″ and a solid athlete who can do a little bit of everything. He has to develop but this is the kind of guy the Spurs draft, keep under wraps for couple seasons, then suddenly he starts looking really good in key minutes for them

30. Utah Jazz: Derrick White, guard, Colorado. A great story, he was offered no D1 and just one D2 scholarships, but grew five inches in college and last year was an All Pac-12 player. He’s a good shooter, a solid playmaker, plus can defend at the NBA level. Could quickly become solid rotation player.

Miami thrives in adversity. How will Denver respond to adversity in Game 3?

By Kurt HelinJun 6, 2023, 6:48 PM EDT

MIAMI —We know how the Miami Heat handle adversity. Their ability to deal with it is why we’re still watching them play.

“We faced a lot of adversity during the season,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after his team evened the NBA Finals at 1-1. “We handled it the right way where you are not making excuses about it, the injuries, the changes lineups. Because of all that adversity and the 57 close games that happened, due to a lot of that, it hardened us. It steeled us and we developed some grit, which is what we all want.”

The question heading into Sunday is how will the Nuggets handle adversity? Denver was the No. 1 seed for most of the season, has been up in every series 2-0 entering Game 3, and only lost three games in the West playoffs. While Denver has faced challenges during the season it had a very different path to this point than Miami.

“What I know about our group is for years now we’ve handled adversity very well,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “I have no doubt that tomorrow night will be a much more disciplined, urgent team for 48 minutes.”

“Discipline” was one of the buzzwords around the Nuggets on Tuesday, heading into Game 3. The Heat players sounded like themselves, focused but a little looser, a little more comfortable at home in a familiar environment.

“This is who we are,” Kevin Love said. “Obviously when it’s time to get down to business, our focus is all the way there during our prep, during our film session… But when we’re working we still like to have fun and keep it loose. It keeps us loose out there on the court starting the game and throughout 48 minutes. But it’s not without intention and the willingness to do whatever it takes.”

A change in tone was more evident among the Nuggets. To a man they talked about urgency, discipline and communication.

The Nuggets also had a straightforward, honest film session out of Game 2.

“I showed 17 clips this morning,” Malone said. “Every clip was a discipline clip, if you will, where our discipline, whether it was game plan, whether it was personnel, whether it was defending without fouling, whatever it may be, 17 clips added up to over 40 points in Game 2.

“That, to me, is staggering. What we can do better is just be a lot more disciplined in terms of the game plan, who I’m guarding. Most of that stems from communication.”

Actually, the Nuggets may need to watch their communication during the game.

“We probably could communicate a little bit better and also just be more aware of the actions they are running,” Michael Porter Jr. said. “But also they are playing off of our coverages, they are hearing what we are communicating to each other and they’re doing the opposite. If we say ‘switch,’ they are slipping out for open threes and if we don’t say ‘switch,’ they are actually going to set the screen.

“So they do a really good job of playing off of what our game plan is. So that’s what this film session was about this morning, fixing that. So hopefully they won’t get as many open shots.”

Malone called out his players after Game 2, although he was quick to say it was more them calling themselves out.

Denver has been challenged, by their coach and Miami. How will it respond to this adversity?

“Yeah, we’re probably going to see tomorrow, are we going to respond well or not,” Nikola Jokić said. “That’s the answer.”

Coach, front office updates from around NBA: Fizdale headed to Suns bench

By Kurt HelinJun 6, 2023, 10:48 AM EDT

Things continue to move and settle around the NBA as teams find coaches (well, except Toronto) and some front office personnel move around. Here is the latest around the league.

• Former Grizzlies and Knicks head coach David Fizdale, an associate general manager with the Jazz last season, is returning to the bench as an assistant on Frank Vogel’s staff in Phoenix, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Fizdale and Vogel are tight, remember Fizdale was in the bubble on Vogel’s staff when the Lakers won a ring. Give new owner Mat Ishbia credit for spending, he made Kevin Young the highest-paid assistant coach in the league to stay with the team and has now hired a former head coach to be a top assistant. That’s a lot of coaching firepower, now the Suns just need to fill out the roster with some firepower around Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

• If you want to become a general manager in the NBA, the best way is to be an assistant GM for Sam Presti in Oklahoma City. Apparently. Presti has had five different assistant GMs under him and now all five have gone on to be general managers elsewhere.

The latest is Will Dawkins, who will be the GM and No. 2 in the power structure in Washington under new team president (and former Clippers GM) Michael Winger, reports Josh Robbins and David Aldridge of The Athletic.

The Washington Wizards will hire OKC executive Will Dawkins as their No. 2 executive, a league source tells @davidlaldridgedc and me.

— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) June 5, 2023

Also in the front office in Washington is former Hawks GM Travis Schlenk. That’s a lot of brain power and good hires. The question remains how much freedom owner Ted Leonsis — a guy who demanded his team do whatever it took just to make the playoffs every year — will give Winger, Dawkins and company. The team has big decisions this summer with Kyle Kuzma as a free agent and Kristaps Porzingis expected to opt out.

• The Milwaukee Bucks finally made the hiring of Adrian Griffin as their head coach official.

“Adrian is a widely-respected coach and former player, who brings great leadership and experience to our team,” Bucks General Manager Jon Horst said in a statement. “His championship-level coaching pedigree, character, basketball acumen and ability to connect with and develop players make him the ideal choice to lead our team. He has earned this opportunity.”

Heat’s Tyler Herro officially out for Game 3, return this series unclear

By Kurt HelinJun 6, 2023, 9:37 AM EDT

MIAMI — Game 3 was the target for a Tyler Herro return to the Heat.

It is not happening. Herro is officially listed as out for Game 3 on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, coach Eric Spoelstra said Herro was day-to-day and “has not been cleared yet” to play, although he would go through a workout with contact before a decision was made. That decision was to sit him at least another game.

Herro has been wearing bucket hats on the sidelines since his devastating hand injury against the Bucks, but he’s been working out with the team and going through practices for more than a week preparing for his return. However, he may not make it back this series.

On Monday, both Ros Gold-Onwude — the former WNBA player turned quality analyst for ESPN — and veteran Heat beat reporter Ira Winderman cautioned against expecting a Herro return.

Reporting from #NBAFinals: I spoke with Tyler Herro ahead his Game 2 pregame routine and he told me he experiences both soreness and swelling in the right hand after shooting and he can feel the soreness when he’s making a “follow through” shooting motion. He also shared his…

— Ros Gold-Onwude (@ROSGO21) June 5, 2023

A party familiar with process had told me over weekend that Tyler was not playing in this series. But that was just one of many familiar with situation, not enough to make it anything definitive. Just pointing out such sentiment is out there from those familiar with the process. https://t.co/qvJzm1D08I

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) June 5, 2023

If there is pain and swelling, can the Heat put him out there? This is the Finals, but this is also a 23-year-old under a long contract, and if there is a heightened risk of further injury Miami may need to protect the player from himself.

If Herro returns later in the series, expect him to come off the bench in a very limited role. It’s a huge ask to take someone who has not played in an NBA game since basically tax day (April 16 was his last game) and throw him into the highest level of basketball anywhere in the world. Spoelstra may give him a four- or five-minute run just as a test (the ideal situation would be minutes at the end of a blowout game either way, but we may not get one of those this series).

On the surface, you can say Herro would be what the Heat need — a 20.1 point-a-game scorer this season with the best handles on the team, able to create his own shot or shoot over the top of the defense (37.8% from 3 this season). Dig a little deeper, however, and that fit is not as smooth in this series. On offense, he can be a ball-stopper at points against a Nuggets team the Heat want to keep in motion. The bigger concern is on defense, where he is a clear target (and because of that Spoelstra can’t play him with Duncan Robinson, even in the minutes Jokić sits). This might have been a tough series for a healthy Herro.

If he can play and come off the bench for short runs, he could boost the Heat offense this series.

Just don’t be so sure he’s ready to go.

Silver says NBA won’t mind if Wembanyama’s debut comes in Sacramento, not Las Vegas

Associated PressJun 6, 2023, 8:16 AM EDT

OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE/AFP via Getty Images

DENVER (AP) — Victor Wembanyama’s next couple of weeks are now set: He’ll be playing in the French league finals starting this weekend, and then the San Antonio Spurs will almost certainly make him the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on June 22.

And if that means the French star’s summer league debut comes in Sacramento instead of Las Vegas in early July, the league is fine with that.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league doesn’t have a preference regarding the site of Wembanyama’s first game with the Spurs. While the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas is the biggest – all 30 teams attend – and commands the most attention, there are smaller summer leagues that precede the Vegas event by a few days. Sacramento plays host to one of those events, and the Spurs are one of six teams headed there this year.

“All summer leagues are NBA Summer Leagues,” Silver told The Associated Press. “I’m very supportive of the Sacramento summer league. I remember when (Kings owner Vivek Ranadive) first came to the league and said this was something he wanted to do. I said, ‘As long as you have enough other teams who support it and players who want to play in it, it’s a good thing.’”

The Kings might be getting a lot more buzz than usual this summer. Not only are the Spurs headed there, but so is Charlotte – which holds the No. 2 pick. And it just so happens that the Spurs and Hornets will open Sacramento summer play against one another, potentially setting the stage for a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup a few days before Vegas even starts.

If Wembanyama plays in Sacramento, he’d be the first No. 1 pick that didn’t debut in Las Vegas since Markelle Fultz for Philadelphia in 2017. The 76ers played in Utah’s summer league that year before going to Vegas.

Other recent No. 1 picks have opened in Las Vegas with big-crowd, big-spectacle atmospheres. Paolo Banchero’s debut in Vegas for Orlando last summer had John Wall and DeMar DeRozan sitting courtside, as was Jerry West – three guys who didn’t need to see the scalpers who were working outside the arena for hours before the game. Zion Williamson played only nine minutes in his debut in 2019, in a game that was stopped by an earthquake, and his debut got LeBron James and Anthony Davis to grab courtside seats.

The Spurs have not said whether Wembanyama will play in the Sacramento event, which starts on July 3, and almost certainly won’t address the topic until they actually draft him in a little over two weeks. Wembanyama is expected to be with the Spurs in Las Vegas as well; the league has already announced him as one of the participants for its inaugural NBA Con – which runs there from July 7-9 and will celebrate many aspects of basketball culture.

“What’s made the summer leagues so valuable are really the media rights more than the individuals who buy tickets there, because it’s a very affordable experience,” Silver said. “So, the answer is, I want Victor to get playing court experience and I think the team – assuming it’s San Antonio – should make decisions completely independent of any commercial implications from where he debuts.”

Wembanyama’s Boulogne-Levallois team beat his former team, ASVEL, 3-1 in a French league semifinal series that ended Sunday. Monaco, the top seed in the league, awaits Wembanyama’s team in the best-of-five final that starts Saturday and could go until June 20 – two days before the draft.

“So proud of my guys,” Wembanyama tweeted Sunday after the semifinal win. “Job ain’t done tho.”

Wembanyama said in October that he’s 7-foot-3; some still say he’s 7-foot-4 or 7-foot-5, and given that he’s only 19, it’s certainly possible that he had a bit of growing left in recent months. Either way, he’s a generational talent who’ll come into the NBA with enormous hype, the likes of which probably hasn’t been seen since James went No. 1 overall to Cleveland in 2003.

“What I try to advise players – and I’m not making a prediction that he will or won’t live up to the hype – is to control what you can control, and I think what you can control is doing the work,” Silver said. “If he is in San Antonio, it’s an organization that led the way in terms of international scouting and signing of international players. Certainly, everyone would acknowledge they know how to develop players and particularly big men. And so, if I were in his shoes, or if I’m advising him, I’m saying, ‘Quickly become part of that organization and be a sponge and listen to the advice.’”

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