Valley of the Suns Mock Draft 1.0
By Andrew Clark
Miami Heat. zach collins. 12. player. 110. Zach Collins should be a top 10 pick. He has machine like efficiency at a 7’0″ frame. He’s going to make some teams regret passing him over. His fit on the Heat is ideal. Whiteside can gobble up all of the space inside while Collins stretches the floor and can easily slide to the five in smaller lineups. The Heat won’t make it back to the playoffs any time soon with Luke Babbitt as their starting power forward. Collins fills an area of need and is a safe pick to be a starting player for a long time in the league.. Center
Power Forward. Charlotte Hornets. tj leaf. 13. player. 170. The most talented player left on the board is Harry Giles, but for a team that has been bit by the injury bug too often, I can’t see them taking the risk. Luke Kennard might be the best fit, but the gap in talent between Kennard and TJ Leaf is too wide to justify making Luke the pick. Which leaves TJ Leaf as the pick. This looks a little too much like Frank the Tank or Cody Zeller for my comfort level, but Leaf is a safe pick, solid rotation player and allows them to focus on finding shooting guards who are traditionally easier to get on the free agent market.
24. I’m not crazy about this pick, but I’m not crazy about the way the Bulls assemble talent and so this makes sense. Chicago only has two really legit NBA starters going into next year assuming Wade and Rondo are gone and those are Jimmy Butler and RoLo. They have some interesting young players in Portis, Valentine, and Payne. What they don’t have is the ability to keep Jimmy Butler happy with a team that can win. They can fix some of that in free agency, but they need to get him some help through the draft as well. Jackson provides that immediate need. His upside is limited because he’s already 22 years old, but he’s shooting nearly 39% from behind the line and he has a much more refined game than the other prospects available here. He’d be able to play shooting guard or small forward and would allow Butler to keep the ball in his hands all the time. It’s not a great pick, but the Bulls aren’t in a great spot.. Small Forward. Chicago Bulls. justin jackson. 14. player
The Bucks have made a living off of drafting high potential but risky players. Giles fits that mold exactly. Had he been healthy all year, he would likely be in the 5-7 range of this draft. He’s not an ideal fit on this team. They would most benefit from an elite point guard, but at this point in the draft, the cupboard is bare. If Giles works out, he might give them enough comfort to consider trading Jabari Parker for the point guard they need. If not, he’s a nice backup option to Parker and Thon Maker.. Power Forward/Center. Milwaukee Bucks. harry giles. 15. player. 89