Chad Ford NBA Mock Draft 2017: Notable Picks from ESPN Guru's 4.1 Mock
There have been several changes to the 2017 NBA draft class since the college basketball season ended on April 3 when North Carolina defeated Gonzaga, so ESPN's Chad Ford offered an update to his most recent mock draft.
The entire draft order has yet to be set, but tiebreakers have been broken to give some order to things. Key players like Michigan State's Miles Bridges and Arizona's Allonzo Trier have decided to return to school.
As a result of those shifts, here is how Ford projects the first round of the draft to play out as things stand now.
| 1 | Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn Nets) | Markelle Fultz, G, Washington |
| 2 | Phoenix Suns | Lonzo Ball, G, UCLA |
| 3 | Los Angeles Lakers | Josh Jackson, F, Kansas |
| 4 | Philadelphia 76ers | Malik Monk, G, Kentucky |
| 5 | Orlando Magic | Jayson Tatum, F, Duke |
| 6 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Lauri Markkanen, F, Arizona |
| 7 | New York Knicks | De'Aaron Fox, G, Kentucky |
| 8 | Sacramento Kings | Dennis Smith, G, North Carolina State |
| 9 | Dallas Mavericks | Frank Ntilikina, G, France |
| 10 | Sacramento Kings (via New Orleans Pelicans) | Jonathan Isaac, F, Florida State |
| 11 | Detroit Pistons | Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga |
| 12 | Charlotte Hornets | Harry Giles, F, Duke |
| 13 | Denver Nuggets | OG Anunoby, F, Indiana |
| 14 | Miami Heat | TJ Leaf, F, UCLA |
| 15 | Portland Trail Blazers | Justin Patton, C, Creighton |
| 16 | Chicago Bulls | Jarrett Allen, C, Texas |
| 17 | Milwaukee Bucks | Edrice Adebayo, F, Kentucky |
| 18 | Indiana Pacers | Luke Kennard, G, Duke |
| 19 | Atlanta Hawks | Terrance Ferguson, G, Australia |
| 20 | Portland Trail Blazers (via Memphis Grizzlies) | Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA |
| 21 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Justin Jackson, F, North Carolina |
| 22 | Brooklyn Nets (via Washington Wizards) | Ivan Rabb, F, California |
| 23 | Toronto Raptors | John Collins, F, Wake Forest |
| 24 | Utah Jazz | Moritz Wagner, F, Michigan |
| 25 | Orlando Magic (via Los Angeles Clippers) | Jawun Evans, G, Oklahoma State |
| 26 | Portland Trail Blazers (via Cleveland Cavaliers) | Isaiah Hartenstein, F, Germany |
| 27 | Brooklyn Nets (via Boston Celtics) | Andrew Jones, G, Texas |
| 28 | Los Angeles Lakers (via Houston Rockets) | Tony Bradley, C, North Carolina |
| 29 | San Antonio Spurs | D.J. Wilson, F, Michigan |
| 30 | Utah Jazz (via Golden State Warriors) | Rodions Kurucs, F, Latvia |
Notable Selections
5. Orlando Magic: Jayson Tatum, F, Duke
The top four picks in Ford's updated mock draft—Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, Malik Monk—remained the same as in his previous mock.
Jayson Tatum going to the Orlando Magic with the fifth overall pick is the first divergence. The Duke standout would be an instant upgrade at small forward for the Magic.
Terrence Ross was an adequate midseason pickup at small forward from the Toronto Raptors, but averaging 11 points and 2.6 rebounds as a starter isn't going to light anyone's world on fire.
The Magic are a team in need of instant offense after finishing last season 27th in points per game and 29th in efficiency, per Basketball Reference.
B/R's Jonathan Wasserman ranked Tatum as the best iso-scoring prospect available in this year's class:
"Tight ball-handling and sharp footwork fuel next-level shot-creating ability. He uses jab steps, step-backs and hang dribbles to rock his man back before separating into pull-up jumpers—a shot he's been comfortably making since high school.
He'll get to the basket off hesitation, crossovers, stutter-steps or rip-throughs. But it's the post game that helps separate him from Fultz. Tatum can be unpredictable with his back to the basket, where he spins baseline into layups and fools defenders by craftily pivoting into fallaways and turnarounds.
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The Magic will be bringing in a new front office after firing general manager Rob Hennigan following the team's failure to win more than 35 games in each of his five seasons.
The new regime, which is led by interim GM Matt Lloyd until a permanent replacement is found, has to start constructing a roster capable of scoring in this offense-heavy era of basketball.
8. Sacramento Kings: Dennis Smith, G, N.C. State
Perhaps it's just a matter of finding the right matchup of player and team need, but Ford has Dennis Smith dropping three spots from his previous mock into the Sacramento Kings' lap at No. 8.
It's not a huge drop for Smith, but it is notable because Ford noted in his write-up there was a time when "some scouts had Smith as a potential No. 1 pick" before N.C. State bottomed out during the season.
Even though falling three spots would put a small dent in Smith's wallet, this scenario couldn't work out better for the Kings. They need to find a point guard who will lead this franchise into the future.
Darren Collison is a free agent this summer. He's 29 years old and might want to find a situation with a team that's going to challenge for a playoff spot.
Zach Harper of FanRag Sports wrote in February how special Smith's freshman season at North Carolina State was turning out to be:
"Nobody has put up Smith's numbers over the last 25 college seasons. He's averaging 19.2 points, 7.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 steals in 34.3 minutes. His shooting splits of 45.9/38.5/72.2 are pretty good, although you'd love to see that free throw percentage up over 80. There have been only eight players in the last 25 seasons to average at least 19 points and 7.0 assists with a true shooting of at least 57 percent.
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College production doesn't always translate into professional success, but Smith has the talent and scouting report to at least give the Kings hope he will be a superstar.
For a Kings franchise that just traded a disgruntled superstar in DeMarcus Cousins, they need to find a playmaker to build around and end a decade of misery.
13. Denver Nuggets: OG Anunoby, F, Indiana
OG Anunoby going to the Denver Nuggets on the surface isn't necessarily a surprise because he's a solid draft prospect with more than enough talent to be selected in the lottery.
However, with Bridges returning to Michigan State, Anunoby going to Denver is one of the significant changes Ford made in this updated mock.
His previous mock had a run on forwards starting with Jonathan Isaac going No. 10. Gonzaga center Zach Collins was the only non-forward selected from picks No. 10-15. Anunoby jumps up two spots to the Nuggets this time.
The pick is also notable because Anunoby underwent knee surgery in January that ended his season with Indiana. Ford wrote that even as he gave Anunoby to the Nuggets, he "might not even be able to play as a rookie."
Wasserman's scouting report for Anunoby didn't exactly paint a rosy picture for the kind of player he will be coming into the NBA:
"No offensive improvement plus a season-ending knee injury make Anunoby a risky top-20 play. At full strength, he'll lean on defensive versatility to drive his value. His combination of quick feet and length are tough to beat. Developing a reliable three-point shot is the key to Anunoby becoming a full-time player.
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Anunoby's season was a microcosm for how badly things went for Indiana last season, leading to the firing of head coach Tom Crean.
He will get a chance to reinvent himself as an NBA player. The Nuggets have done a fantastic job in the draft recently with Nikola Jokic turning into an excellent player this season and a still-developing Jamal Murray showing promise with 16.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per 36 minutes as a rookie, per Basketball Reference.
The Nuggets would probably prefer the chance to add Bridges, but Anunoby is not a bad alternative if his recovery from the knee injury goes smoothly.
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