| Round 1 | |||||
| 1 |  | Minnesota | Jared Sullinger | PF | Ohio State |
| Jared Sullinger is on the top of many draft boards. He could have easily been a lottery pick last year, but opted to stick around at Ohio State for another year…or so. While some others may have more potential, which the NBA tends to love, Sullinger can help Minnesota right now. | |||||
| 2 |  | Toronto | Quincy Miller | PF | Baylor |
| Quincy Miller is a big man at 6-9 and 210 pounds, who can beat players off the dribble. He has to prove something at Baylor to be the second overall pick in the draft, but he should have little trouble dominating the Big 12 for a year before heading off to the NBA. | |||||
| 3 |  | Detroit | Terrence Jones | PF | Kentucky |
| Another athletic big man, Terrence Jones opted to stay at Kentucky after averaging 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds as a freshman for the Wildcats. His shooting range may not extend out to the NBA three-point line, but he does have a quality mid-range jumper. | |||||
| 4 |  | Sacramento | James McAdoo | PF | North Carolina |
| For a team like Sacramento, they just need talent. James McAdoo can provide just that. The 6-8 North Carolina product could play small forward or power forward for the Kings. In the meantime, he will immediately bolster the Tar Heels frontcourt in 2011-2012. | |||||
| 5 |  | Charlotte | Marquis Teague | PG | Kentucky |
| There are quite a few candidates to be the best point guard in this class, but Marquis Teague will be right in the mix. Charlotte could use a new floor leader and Kentucky's Teague will have to be a leader on the young Wildcats. | |||||
| 6 |  | Cleveland | Harrison Barnes | SF | North Carolina |
| The Cavs picked up their point guard of the future in Kyrie Irving and an athletic big man in Tristan Thompson. Ideally there would be a shooter worth taking at this point, but Austin Rivers is really the only option and, while he is certainly a scorer, drafting back-to-back point guards out of Duke might not be a good idea. More importantly, Harrison Barnes is still on the board. If Thompson can man the four spot, Barnes can slash his way to the basket from the three spot. | |||||
| 7 |  | Golden State | Anthony Davis | PF | Kentucky |
| Eventually the pure talent of Anthony Davis has to be selected. He really should not fall this far, but with a slew of forwards in this class, Davis needs to prove that he can dominate the SEC. He is really a guard in the body of a center and can do just about everything. | |||||
| 8 |  | Milwaukee | Perry Jones | PF | Baylor |
| Perry Jones has a lot of issues to address. He is not a good defender or a particularly good rebounder for a 6-11 forward. His work ethic has also been questioned. But this is the NBA and that does not matter because Jones is an amazing athlete who can run the floor, knock down mid-range jumpers with consistency and take players off the dribble. Not many 6-11 players can do that. | |||||
| 9 |  | Washington | Austin Rivers | SG | Duke |
| The Wizards failed to get a great shooter in last year's draft and with Austin Rivers still sitting on the board, they can get one here. Rivers is also a point guard, but he is a scorer first and foremost. He may try and be more of a true point guard while at Duke, but he will still score a ton and can easily move permanently off the ball in the NBA. | |||||
| 10 |  | Indiana | Michael Gilchrist | SF | Kentucky |
| Michael Gilchrist's versatility and ability to slash to the basket or shoot from long range make him a very attractive option to many teams. For the Pacers, they could certainly use another shooter. Gilchrist would be the fourth player taken out of Kentucky in the top ten in this scenario. | |||||
| 11 |  | Utah | Myck Kabongo | PG | Texas |
| Devin Harris is probably not the long term answer at point guard for the Jazz. Myck Kabongo is the best pure point guard in this class. He obviously has to prove a few things at Texas, but if he does he may be long gone by the 11th pick. | |||||
| 12 |  | New Jersey | Will Barton | SG | Memphis |
| Will Barton may need to add a few more pounds to his 6-6, 175 pound frame if he wants to be effective slashing to the basket in the NBA, but he is a pure scorer who has put up solid numbers at Memphis as a freshman and will likely explode onto the national scene during the 2011-2012 campaign. | |||||
| 13 |  | New Orleans | John Henson | PF | North Carolina |
| Another lottery pick, another Tar Heel. John Henson needs to work on his scoring, which does not make him the ideal candidate to team up with Emeka Okafor in the paint, but he is a long player who is a great rebounder. Henson is also a hard worker and will be scrappy under the basket against stronger opponents. | |||||
| 14 |  | Philadelphia | LeBryan Nash | SF | Oklahoma State |
| LeBryan Nash has flown a little under the national radar due to the talent of the other freshmen in this class, but he is a great slasher and a dynamic scorer. Nash should put up huge numbers at Oklahoma State during his freshman campaign and will start to garner more national attention. | |||||
| 15 |  | Phoenix | Patric Young | C | Florida |
| Patric Young may not put up huge numbers since he is a team first player. But that does not mean he cannot. Young is still coming into his own at Florida and should be in for a huge 2011-2012 campaign and that will boost his stock. | |||||
| 16 | | New Jersey (from HOU) | Mouphtaou Yarou | PF | Villanova |
| New Jersey could use a big body to help Brook Lopez in the paint. At 6-10 and 250 pounds, Mouphtaou Yarou fits the bill. Yarou will not have to do much scoring for the Nets, but he can open up space for Lopez and grab some rebounds and play solid defense. | |||||
| 17 |  | Boston (from LAC) | Brady Beal | PG | Florida |
| A backup point guard to Rajon Rondo should be addressed at some point in this draft. Brady Beal can be a lot more than simply a backup. He can run the show effectively and be a fine scorer as well. | |||||
| 18 |  | Denver | Rakeem Christmas | C | Syracuse |
| Rakeem Christmas is yet another great incoming freshmen. This draft could be littered with them. However, Christmas may have to come into the draft far less proven than some of the others. While other freshmen will play big roles for their teams, Christmas will be stuck behind Fab Melo for much of his freshman season. | |||||
| 19 |  | Atlanta | John Jenkins | SG | Vanderbilt |
| The Hawks need depth and, eventually, a new starter at the shooting guard spot. John Jenkins is a great option. The 6-4 junior has had two great years at Vanderbilt and is a superb outside shooter who also has the size and strength to attack the basket. | |||||
| 20 |  | Memphis | Khem Birch | C | Pittsburgh |
| Khem Birch is a talented big man who can play some great defense. He has superb length and will be a big time shot blocking threat in college at Pittsburgh and in the NBA. But Birch is not just a lanky player, he is strong and will bang around with anybody in the paint. Birch's offensive game needs developing, but he does have a decent mid-range jumper and that offensive game should emerge during his collegiate career with the Panthers. | |||||
| 21 |  | San Antonio | Cody Zeller | PF | Indiana |
| Cody Zeller will have to add some strength before he can battle it out with players in the NBA, but that will come in time while he hangs out at Indiana and works against some quality Big Ten big men. | |||||
| 22 |  | Portland | Demetri McCamey | PG | Illinois |
| Demetri McCamey would not be the first Illinois point guard to have success in the NBA. While McCamey may not be the next Deron Williams, he is a fine ball handler and a great scorer. As a junior last season, McCamey led the Illini with 14.6 points and 6.1 assists. He did a superb job of taking care of the ball and his outside shooting makes him a great option in the NBA. McCamey connected on 45.1 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc and has NBA range. | |||||
| 23 |  | Orlando | Adonis Thomas | SF | Memphis |
| Orlando's biggest need at the moment is likely at small forward. Adding Adonis Thomas may not add too much to the team immediately, but Thomas will be a fine player at Memphis and will emerge as fine small forward in the NBA in time. | |||||
| 24 |  | Houston (from NY) | Tu Holloway | PG | Xavier |
| Tu Holloway was first round material a year ago, but the lasting image from the 2010-2011 season was his poor performance in the NCAA Tournament. Holloway has another shot at it this year and will prove any doubters wrong. | |||||
| 25 | | Boston | Reggie Bullock | SG | North Carolina |
| Reggie Bullock was stuck behind some talented players at North Carolina during his freshman campaign. Yet, he is a very good scorer who projects well to the NBA. He will have to prove that while with the Tar Heels this season, but when he does his stock will start rising quickly. | |||||
| 26 |  | Dallas | Fab Melo | C | Syracuse |
| Dallas could use some bigger bodies. Dirk Nowitzki should never have to be the backup center. That job can go to Fab Melo. The Syracuse product is still a raw talent, but that should change during the 2011-2012 campaign when he starts getting more playing time for the Orange. | |||||
| 27 |  | Oklahoma City | C.J. Leslie | SF | North Carolina State |
| C.J. Leslie emerged as great all-around player for North Carolina State during his freshman campaign. He ended up averaging 11.0 points and a team high 7.2 rebounds. The problem is his outside shot never started falling consistently. That will need to change if he expects to play small forward in the NBA. | |||||
| 28 |  | Chicago | Meyers Leonard | C | Illinois |
| The Bulls do not have many needs and will make a run at the NBA title this year. Thus, they can afford to add a player like Meyers Leonard who will likely need some time to develop. Leonard is not a totally raw talent and should have a good year at Illinois. | |||||
| 29 |  | L.A. Lakers | Doron Lamb | SG | Kentucky |
| Doron Lamb was just a part-time starter at Kentucky during his freshman campaign, but he proved to be a great outside shooter. He knocked down an impressive 48.6 percent of his long range attempts as a freshman. He certainly has NBA range and, at 6-4, has enough size to effectively attack the basket. | |||||
| 30 |  | Miami | Festus Ezeli | C | Vanderbilt |
| Miami obviously does not need much immediate help, so they may opt to go after a player who needs some time to develop. However, if they are building up for a title in 2013 and just need a backup big man, Festus Ezeli is a great way to go. | |||||
| Round 2 | |||||
| 31 | | Minnesota | Jeremy Lamb | SF | Connecticut |
| Minnesota just needs to add quality players at this point and Jeremy Lamb is a steal in the second round. | |||||
| 32 | | Toronto | Tony Mitchell | SF | North Texas |
| If Tony Mitchell falls to the second round, it will just prove how deep the 2012 draft class really is. Mitchell never got cleared to play at Missouri, but he will tear up the Sun Belt Conference for a while instead. | |||||
| 33 | | Detroit | Evan Fournier | SG | International |
| Evan Fournier is a Frenchman who has great size for a shooting guard. At 6-6 he can handle the ball and attack the basket. He is still a young project who may benefit from more time overseas, but he certainly has NBA potential. | |||||
| 34 | | Sacramento | Damian Lillard | PG | Weber State |
| If you are looking for a scoring point guard, look no further than Damian Lillard. Lillard has carried Weber State over the last few years and has NBA size and skill. | |||||
| 35 | | Charlotte | Thomas Robinson | PF | Kansas |
| Thomas Robinson is about to shoot up draft boards now that the Morris twins are not in front of him on Kansas' depth chart. | |||||
| 36 | | Cleveland | Draymond Green | PF | Michigan State |
| Draymond Green is another versatile forward. He is a great passer for a player his size and he can mix it up inside and out. | |||||
| 37 | | Denver (from GS) | Tony Wroton Jr. | PG | Washington |
| Tony Wroton Jr. has some issues to take care of before he even plays for Washington this fall, but he will probably end up in the NBA sooner than he should. Either way, he is a good point guard, but it may take some time before he turns into a consistent player. | |||||
| 38 | | Milwaukee | Mason Plumlee | PF | Duke |
| Mason Plumlee may not have the highest ceiling of the big men left on the board, but he can step in immediately and play some quality minutes and the Bucks do not have the luxury to wait around for too long. | |||||
| 39 | | Washington | Tyler Zeller | C | North Carolina |
| Washington needs a big man at some point in this draft and this is their last opportunity. Tyler Zeller has the talent and experience to make an impact right away and grow into a potential starter. | |||||
| 40 | | Indiana | Rodney Williams | SF | Minnesota |
| After picking up Michael Gilchrist in the first round this will add more depth on the wings for the Pacers, but this is a great value pick. Rodney Williams would be a first round talent in most drafts. | |||||
| 41 | | Utah | Jeffery Taylor | SF | Vanderbilt |
| Jeffery Taylor would be the third player from Vanderbilt taken in this draft. In the meantime, Utah gets a quality player who has to share the spotlight with his two teammates that went in the first round. | |||||
| 42 | | Golden State (from NJ) | Kyle Wiltjer | PF | Kentucky |
| Kyle Wiltjer would be smart to head back to Kentucky if he is projected to go in the middle of the second round, but he could be a solid NBA player in a few years. | |||||
| 43 | | Cleveland (from NO) | P.J. Hairston | SG | North Carolina |
| Cleveland has a lot of picks in this draft and they can take a chance on a few players. Hairston is a 6-6 shooting guard who will suit up for North Carolina this year, but he has a lot of competition for playing time on the Tar Heels and will likely be unproven if he enters the 2012 NBA Draft. | |||||
| 44 | | Philadelphia | Khris Middleton | SF | Texas A&M |
| Khris Middleton has the experience and the skill to make an immediate impact. The 76ers may have bigger needs, but Middleton is way too good to pass up if he falls this far. | |||||
| 45 | | Atlanta (from PHO) | Alex Oriakhi | PF | Connecticut |
| Alex Oriakhi still has some work to do, but project players, especially big men, will be flying off the board late in the second round. | |||||
| 46 | | Detroit (from HOU) | Kris Joseph | SF | Syracuse |
| Taking the best player on their board is what Detroit should do with this extra second round pick. And for them the best player on the board is Kris Joseph. | |||||
| 47 |  | L.A. Clippers | Ray McCallum | PG | Detroit |
| With their only pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the Clippers take somebody few people have heard of, but a player who is a great talent who could have played just about anywhere. | |||||
| 48 | | Denver | Rudy Gobert | C | International |
| Denver nabs another center, this one more of a project player who could spend a few years overseas before heading to Denver. | |||||
| 49 | | Atlanta | Kentavious Caldwell | SG | Georgia |
| Kentavious Caldwell would be wise to spend another year or two at Georgia unless he starts shooting up draft boards. He is a great talent who will put up huge numbers for the Bulldogs, but the competition in this class is too tough for him to sneak into the first round. | |||||
| 50 | | Memphis | Kim English | SG | Missouri |
| Kim English is an underappreciated player on an underappreciated team. He can score and could be the steal of the second round. | |||||
| 51 | | San Antonio | William Buford | SG | Ohio State |
| William Buford is often overshadowed by his teammates on Ohio State, but he is great scorer who can also handle the ball. | |||||
| 52 | | Portland | Orlando Johnson | SG | UC Santa Barbara |
| When teams start looking for a proven scorer who could provide a spark off the bench right away, they will take a long, long look at Orlando Johnson out of UC Santa Barbara. | |||||
| 53 | | Orlando | Michael Carter-Williams | SG | Syracuse |
| Michael Carter-Williams is another player who should stay in college if he is going to end up being drafted this late, but he could make a move up the draft boards quite quickly. | |||||
| 54 |  | New York | Elias Harris | SF | Gonzaga |
| Elias Harris a great attacking wing who will receive plenty of attention during the 2011-2012 campaign as he turns into a leader for Gonzaga. | |||||
| 55 | | Boston | JaMychal Green | PF | Alabama |
| After nabbing a point guard and a shooting guard in the first round, Boston can get a quality, experienced big man in JaMychal Green. | |||||
| 56 | | Dallas | Jordan Taylor | PG | Wisconsin |
| Jordan Taylor is the latest in a long line of fine Wisconsin point guards. He knows how to take care of the ball and is a fine shooter and overall scorer. | |||||
| 57 | | Oklahoma City | Laurence Bowers | PF | Missouri |
| Laurence Bowers is an experienced and versatile big man who is a great bargain this late in the second round. Oklahoma City could use him right away to add depth. | |||||
| 58 | | L.A. Lakers (from CHI) | Ashton Gibbs | PG | Pittsburgh |
| With back-to-back picks, the Lakers will likely continue to build their perimeter depth. Ashton Gibbs has the experience to make an immediate contribution. | |||||
| 59 | | L.A. Lakers | C.J. McCollum | SG | Lehigh |
| C.J. McCollum is another unheralded player from a smaller school who can score in a variety of ways. The Lakers have the luxury of giving the 6-3 junior an opportunity to show his stuff. However, McCollum would likely return to Lehigh for his senior season if his draft stock is not in the first round. | |||||
| 60 | | New Jersey (from MIA) | Reggie Johnson | C | Miami (FL) |
| Reggie Johnson is a fine big man when he can stay healthy. He will likely stay at Miami for his senior season to help boost his stock, but he could be a fine addition to any frontcourt. | |||||
Joel Welser NBA Mock Draft - 5 August 2011
1. Jared Sullinger 2. Quincy Miller 3. Terrence Jones 4. James McAdoo 5. Marquis Teague
Fri, 08/05/2011
