Picks 10-6
Jonathan Isaac is perhaps the biggest risk in this draft. However, if he falls this far, he’s a good value at number ten and an especially good value for the Kings. If they can replace Rudy Gay and Tyreke Evans with Isaac, I think they’ll be very happy. Sacramento is a good spot for Isaac who is going to need a lot of playing time and good coaching to meet his potential. This is possible the best fit for him.
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What better way to replace Dirk Nowitzki than with the player most often compared to him. To be clear, Lauri Markkanen is no Dirk, but he is a really skilled seven-footer. The Mavs have a long way to go in their rebuild, but adding Lauri and letting him learn under Nowitzki for a year or two makes a lot of sense. His ability to stretch the floor will be a nice compliment to Nerlens Noel and should help form a competitive base in a few years.
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I have a tough time envisioning Phil Jackson selecting a risk like Isaac or Ntilikina here. He’s too desperate for impact talent and clearly doesn’t seem to think much of Derek Rose. Smith brings a full set of elite tools to the table. While I think Jackson would love to find someone more capable of replacing Melo, he knows he needs a point guard. Smith is the best player at PG left on the board here. His personality fits NYC and overall it just makes sense.
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I think you’ll see a lot of mock drafts have Issac slated for the T-Wolves. While his potential is higher than any other options, I just don’t see a natural fit on a team with Andrew Wiggins. I think you could see them go for Markkanen here, but his defense is suspect enough that I can’t imagine Thibs signing off on that pick. Collins continues to climb up boards as teams see just how special of a player he is. His ability to play elite defense and still step out and drill long jumpers seems like a perfect compliment to Karl-Anthony Towns and the aforementioned Wiggins.
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The Magic give me a spidy-sense that they’re going to do something dumb here like draft Dennis Smith. Not that Smith isn’t a great player, but if Tatum is on the board here it shouldn’t even be a debate. Clearly the best player on the board and fills a clear need for the team. I understand why they don’t like Payton, but the need to upgrade over Terrence Ross should be a lot higher than the desire to try and upgrade over a guy in his early twenties who is starting to crank out triple-doubles.
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Suns Squared: Jayson Tatum