Valley of the Suns Mock Draft 2.0
By Andrew Clark
Power Forward. Utah Jazz. caleb swanigan. 25. player. 118.
The Jazz have plenty of existing talent in the post. They’ve talked about moving on from Favors. They’re also at risk of losing Hayward, but in the end I think they’ll keep their star and just pick the best available talent. That’s Swanigan. He has been a beast at Purdue and will give them some comfort about making a move that sends Favors out for some much needed relief in other areas.
luke kennard. 24. player. 38. . Shooting Guard. Orlando Magic (Via Toronto Raptors)
The first holdover pick from Mock 1.0, Kennard’s defense continues to leave the world wondering if he’s been attending the Devin Booker school, but also like Book, he’s a killer on the offensive side. As the Magic load up on talent at the forward spot, they need the ability to stretch the floor and Kennard is one of the best shooters to come out of college in a long time.
Brooklyn Nets (Via Washington Wizards). edrice adebayo. 23. player. 147. . Power Forward
Bam Bam doesn’t deserve to slide this far, but he probably will. His loss is Brooklyn’s gain. He’s got a very fluid touch for a player who is really a bruiser. He is going to need a lot of playing time to perfect his own offense, but he can immediately provide elite defense and rebounding. I love the fit for him in Brooklyn.
Toronto Raptors (via the LA Clippers). justin jackson. 22. player. 81. . Small Forward
I’ve got to imagine the Raptors re-sign one of their many free agent power forwards. Assuming that, picking up Jackson seems like a suave move. If Jackson were 18 playing at this level he’d be a lottery pick Instead, he’s going to slide, but there’s no doubt he can play. He’s long, elite in the mid-range game and can guard multiple positions. In playoff games he would cause match-up problems for teams like the Cavs and the Celtics. The Raptors are going to continue to be in win-now mode and Jackson gives them the best bang for the buck here.
21. player. 149. . Power Forward. Oklahoma City Thunder. ivan rabb
A hold over pick from 1.0, I’m convinced Rabb is going to be a starting power forward in the NBA for a decade and a pretty good one. When he was thinking about entering the draft last year, he was being compared to Chris Bosh. He decided to go back to college for an extra year and all he has done is put up 14, 11, and 2. While not the dominance people might have hoped for, the skill set is there and he’s playing through the system as he’s asked to. OKC always comes away with Spur-like picks and this is going to be another classic example.