NBA Draft Lottery 2017: DraftExpress Projections, Updated No. 1 Pick Standings

The moment NBA fans have been waiting for is almost here. No, it's not the NBA playoffs. Or the NBA draft for that matter. The date every team has marked on their calendar is May 16, the NBA draft lottery.

There are few things more stressful than waiting for the draft order, even if you have the best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick. In fact, having the best odds is arguably the most stressful position to be in, because not only is your team bad, but there's still a good chance that you don't land that pick. 

But this year, thanks to former Brooklyn Nets general manager and Boston Celtics fan favorite Billy King, the worst team in the league as of Thursday evening will surrender its pick in a pick-swap with Boston.

For the Celtics, sitting pretty with the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference—despite a couple of back-to-back ugly losses—things couldn't be any better. With a lot of cap space this summer, and with the chance to draft a potential star while having key players on at least one more year of their contract, it's a good time to be general manager Danny Ainge.

But enough talk. Let's take a look at DraftExpress' updated mock draft as on Thursday night. 

Selection	Player	Team
1	Markelle Fultz	Boston Celtics
2	Lonzo Ball	Phoenix Suns
3	Josh Jackson	Los Angeles Lakers
4	Jayson Tatum	Orlando Magic
5	Malik Monk	Philadelphia 76ers
6	De'Aaron Fox	New York Knicks
7	Dennis Smith	Sacramento Kings
8	Lauri Markkanen	Minnesota Timberwolves
9	Jonathan Isaac	Dallas Mavericks
10	Frank Ntilikina	Sacramento Kings

Prediction

Markelle Fultz goes to Bean Town

The Celtics already have Isaiah Thomas, but what if they could pair Thomas with another talented backcourt player out of Washington who has the potential to be a two-way star in the NBA? That man is Markelle Fultz. 

Boston is in a unique position to pick the best player available and throw him into the rotation, similar to how rookie Jaylen Brown is being utilized this season. But Fultz is a much more polished player coming out of college and can put up some serious numbers even as a rookie.

Whether he comes off the bench, plays as shooting guard or even runs point with Thomas as shooting guard, Fultz will play himself into some minutes on a deep playoff team.

Boston is looking for that next-level player, so it wouldn't be a shock if Ainge decided to pull the trigger on a trade for a big man or the likes of Jimmy Butler or Paul George if they win the lottery. 

Other options for No. 1 pick

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

There are, of course, other options available to Boston at No. 1. Lonzo Ball could be another great addition as a pass-first point guard, but does he have the ability to play hard on both ends of the floor?

Sure, Ball is a great basketball player, but can he be the face of a franchise and take over a game when he needs to? He didn't show it in the NCAA tournament against Kentucky, and those type of things matter to NBA scouts. 

It's no secret that Boston needs some size to crash the boards and help Al Horford out in the paint, but reaching for a big man in this draft is pointless considering that last year's late first-round pick, Ante Zizic, will be joining the team next season. For those of you who don't know who Zizic is, it's time to learn his name. 

According to basketball writer Keith Smith, Zizic would've been a top-10 pick in this year's draft had he declared a year later.

Jayson Tatum is an intriguing player as well. It can be argued that in any other year, Tatum would be getting way more respect in mock drafts and be a virtual lock for a top-three pick, but this is the reality that we live in. 

A versatile forward with size and above-average athleticism screams two-way potential. Throw in solid outside jumpers for both players, and it's hard to figure out why he shouldn't be considered a franchise cornerstone.

After an impressive season and NCAA tournament with Duke, despite crashing out of the tournament early, Tatum showed the ability to stretch the floor and take over a game in multiple ways.

He averaged 16.8 points per game and grabbed 7.3 boards to go along with 2.1 assists. For comparison, former second-overall pick and Duke star Jabari Parker averaged 19.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists. 

That's not too shabby for Tatum when you consider the other options that Duke had this past season with Grayson Allen and Luke Kennard. 

With any of the aforementioned players, it's difficult to just pick one. And who knows? Maybe the Nets pick won't be No. 1 and another team will get first dibs on this year's class. But one thing is for certain, and that is the NBA Draft Lottery is unpredictable.