Valley of the Suns Mock Draft 2.0

The 2017 NBA Draft will be one of the deepest drafts of the decade.

The lottery always bounces in strange ways. In Mock 1.0 we fully dove into conspiracy, drama, and unapologetic hatred of the Lakers. This time we will be slightly more statistically inclined (though with a certain Suns bent) compliments of our friends at Tankathon. March Madness always sways opinions and that’s certainly true with us. With that, we present you with our Mock Draft 2.0:

The last selection of the first round comes down to Donovan Mitchell or Tyler Lyndon. Donovan had a nice all-around year, but Lydon seems like the better fit for a team that is depending on a lot of older players for versatility. In the end Lydon has a more all-around game, can guard multiple positions, and has good size. With Utah’s first selection I have them going big. I expect they’ll keep George Hill at point so taking Lydon makes the most sense here.

This happens every year to the Spurs. Some player who should have gone at the end of the lottery falls to them at the end of the first round.This year it’s John Collins. He’s a big man who does a little bit of everything well. He’s not a replacement for Gasol yet, but a few years of learning under him would help. The Spurs are likely to lose several of their free agents and Collins will be a nice way to keep doing what the Spurs do, reload with undervalued talent.

The Lakers need upside at every position. I’m a big believer in Ivica Zubac and think he will be their starting center next year. However, Bradley is a monster man with a 7’5″ wingspan. He’d be an excellent backup to Zubac with the potential to be solid rotation player for the next decade.

Portland comes into the draft with three first round picks and none of them high. That means they need to either trade this pick or use it to draft and stash. I’m going the latter route here. Pasecniks is a big man who has played well in limited opportunities overseas. I don’t think he’s ever going to be much more than a backup center, but Portland may need one of those in a few years.

There’s no one the Nets are picking here that’s going to save their season next year or the year after. They’re just going to be bad. They need to take some risks. Jeanne is a big risk…like a 7’2″ risk. But with all that height he is a really fluid player who can defend multiple positions, shoot the long ball, and generally has a chance to develop into a unique player in the league. It’s a boom or bust pick and that’s exactly what the Nets should be doing here.