Valley of the Suns 2018 Mock Draft 2.0

I think the Lakers are looking more and more likely to pull off this crazy PG13/LAbron heist.  In order to make that happen they have to say goodbye to Julius Randle.  That’ll hurt, but it’ll hurt a lot less when there’s a decent plan B in place.  Enter Jontay Porter.  The sweet shooting big man might be a better fit today than Julius.  He’s a raw product but the skills are there and they mesh perfectly with the modern NBA game.  He might become a poor man’s Ryan Anderson, but that’s ok when you’re picking at 25 and you’ve got two superstars on the way.

It seems like a coaching change is coming for the Blazers.  I think that’s putting blame in the wrong spot.  I believe the issue is the crowded back-court that lacks to flexibility to adjust to being shut down by lengthy defenders.  They could address that by trading one of their two elite guards.  A better idea is to just draft a player capable of helping them fill the gap off the bench.  There’s no reason to break up what’s clearly working most of the time.  Milton has the right combination of size and skills to potentially fill the need.  More importantly, he has the best name in the draft.

What do you get the most overachieving team in the NBA?  How about one of the most versatile forwards in the draft who is ready to contribute right away.  I was really impressed by Bates-Diop’s play in the tournament.  He has the ability to be the dominate ball handler and then slide down into being a post-centric role player.  With good handles and a sweet touch he seems like an ideal backup and long-term replacement for Bojan.  I believe Keita will be able to play three positions right away and that makes him ideal for a team who needs a little boost off the bench.

Simons may end up going much higher in the draft, but he’s such an unknown that it’s hard to gauge whether he even belongs in the first round. The raw skills are there as is the hype.  For a rebuilding team like Chicago this is a risk you can easily justify.  As much as I love LaVine, it’s unclear if his health can allow him to be the long-term answer.  Simons is a risk worth taking for a team that needs to take risks.

I think the Jazz should take a long look at Bates-Diop, but ultimately taking Holiday makes the most sense.  He’s been a great player for UCLA this year.  Rubio has been better than expected and obviously Spider came out of nowhere to become the focal point of the team.  Dante Exum has looked much better in the playoffs so far this year, but seems more apt at shooting guard than point.  Holiday fits the defensive scheme and would give them a nice competitive edge off the bench.