Valley of the Suns Mock Draft 1.0
By Andrew Clark
player. 67. Speaking of irrational franchises, along come the Sacramento Kings who seem to be in a much better position for the future in the aftermath of the Cousins tornado. Two top picks in this draft should go a long ways to producing a quality team. If the Kings can keep Vlade from picking European players no one has ever heard of, this could be the moment everything changes for the better. With Rudy Gay likely to turn down his player option and Tyreke Evans a free agent, the Kings have no small forward of note and the best player on the board will be Tatum, a small forward. It might be too logical a match for the Kings to follow through on, but even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in awhile. That said, I’m pretty sure Vlade sits around dreaming about a roster made entirely of 7′ three point shooting big men and he’s just crazy enough to try and make it happen.. Small Forward. Sacramento Kings (Via New Orleans). jayson tatum. 6
67. As the ghost of Boogie rewards the Kings with a second pick, they have a nice core developing. Buddy Hield, Jayson Tatum, and Willie Cauley-Stein are a decent start. Skal Labissiere is going to surprise people at power forward in a few years. The kid can really play. That leaves a gap at point guard in their young core. De’Aaron Fox is a nice fit. This gives the team a nice under-25 core with good balance and defense. No bad contracts, a few veteran leaders, and some high potential wild cards and this team has hope for the future. But let’s be real, this is Vlade picking and so you could see anyone from Frank Ntilikina to Ivan Rabb or Terrance Ferguson, or heck, maybe he’ll go with 7’5″ Michael Fusek just because he can. The Kings draft room is a magic 8 ball and you just never know…. Point Guard. Sacramento Kings. de'aaron fox. 7. player
New York Knicks. frank nitilikina. 8. player. 27. Phil Jackson is as bad at building rosters as he is good at coaching them. This team might actually be worse off than they were when he took over. They need some serious help. Derrick Rose has been better than expected this year, but he’s far from the MVP caliber player he once was. He also is not the long-term fit with the unicorn. Because they have a dominant big man, the most logical thing to do is to get a point guard who can help get him the ball. That’s Frank Ntilikina. He’s not going to blow anyone away on offense any time soon, but he will be an exceptional defender and a serviceable distributor. They could take a long look at Malik Monk, but with so much money committed to Courtney Lee at SG and a clear need for a PG, it’s hard to imagine them passing on Ntilikina. It is a point guard’s league after all.. Point Guard
lauri markkanen. 9. player. 86. You can just feel the angst of Thibs in Minnesota and it sure seems to be leading towards an early and unwarranted exit for Andrew Wiggins. Assuming that the TWolves don’t lose their minds and make a crazy trade, the choice here will likely be between Lauri and Robert Williams. On a pure entertainment basis, Williams would be much more fun to watch on this team. The problem is that there wouldn’t be enough space for Williams, Wiggins, and KAT in the post. Markkanen would allow the TWolves to put KAT in the paint and spread four shooters around him without sacrificing height and rebounding on the other end. It’s not a classic Thibs move, but it fits the modern NBA game.. Power Forward. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Mavs need to rebuild and have few long-term pieces outside of Barnes and Noel. Picking Monk gives them the best available player on the board and gives them a deep threat to keep defenses honest against the inside games of Barnes and Noel. Monk also allows them to trade away Wesley Matthews, their best asset, for help at point guard or center. Noel, Barnes, and Monk isn’t exactly the superstar core you need in the West, but it’s a good start for a rebuilding team.. Shooting Guard. Dallas Mavericks. malik monk. 10. player. 79