Valley of the Suns
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Valley of the Suns 2018 Mock Draft 1.0

By Andrew Clark

MADRID, SPAIN - JANUARY 25: Luka Doncic,
MADRID, SPAIN - JANUARY 25: Luka Doncic, /
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It is never too early for wild speculation about where the next young crop of NBA stars will land. Here are the unreasonably early guesses for how the draft will unfold:

Pick Analysis. player. 125. Scouting Report. Shooting Guard. SMU. Shake Milton. 30

You can’t let a guy named Shake drop out of the first round. He’s a big guard and is exactly what the Hawks are looking for. Rangy defenders who can pair well with John Collins and Taurean Prince. Milton’s offense leaves a lot to be desired, but if he can come in and make an immediate impact on the defensive side, he will be a fit for a long time.

Scouting Report. player. 29. 41. Pick Analysis. Shooting Guard. Duke. Grayson Allen

DURHAM, NC – FEBRUARY 24: Grayson Allen #3 of the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 24, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC – FEBRUARY 24: Grayson Allen #3 of the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 24, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

The Warriors have done a great job with limited draft picks in the past. Allen seems to to have the kind of talent to allow the Warriors to pull talent out of the late first round hat once again. For all his sins, Allen has a tremendous all-around game and is a ferocious competitor. It is unfair to put him on such a talented team, but it is a good fit for both sides.

28. player. Scouting Report. Shooting Guard. De'Anthony Melton. 147. Pick Analysis. USC

The Nets need help. A lot of help. Kenny Atkinson is arguably the best value coach in the NBA, but he doesn’t have much talent to work with. De’Anthony Melton can play either guard spot becoming a nice compliment to D’Angelo Russell. The Nets keep getting players to over-perform and if they can do that with Melton they’ll get a steal here.

Power Forward. Ohio State. 27. 18. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Keita Bates-Diop. player

ANN ARBOR, MI – FEBRUARY 18: Ohio State Buckeyes forward Keita Bates-Diop (33) brings the ball up the court during a regular season Big 10 Conference basketball game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines on February 18, 2018 at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI – FEBRUARY 18: Ohio State Buckeyes forward Keita Bates-Diop (33) brings the ball up the court during a regular season Big 10 Conference basketball game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines on February 18, 2018 at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

What do you get the team with way too much young talent? More young talent to boy up the “old” talent they have. Bates-Diop is a little undersized to play the four, but he has the ability to play bigger than his size without losing natural advantages. He’s a shorter version of Al Horford in many ways and he’d be a nice complimentary fit into their core

Scouting Report. player. 26. Pick Analysis. Shooting Guard. Kentucky. Hamidou Diallo. 20

The Lakers have shown a strong desire to draft long and athletic players with a lot of raw potential. Diallo fits that mold and does so in a position of need. Diallo can jump through the gym, but on the court he’s just been plum dumb. If he can find a way to develop his basketball IQ, he has the potential to fit in nicely with their developing core.

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