NBA Draft 2017: Ideal Mock Draft Selections for Every 1st-Round Team

The anticipation for the 2017 NBA draft has seemingly built since last year, when folks looked ahead and realized that this year's class would be stacked with franchise-changing talent and a lot of depth.

Here's a look at a new mock draft with write-ups on the first, second and fourth picks and why they are ideal selections for their proposed new homes.

A quick note that the NBA draft order will not be official until (a) the NBA holds coin flips to break ties and (b) the draft lottery is held on May 16. Here's a look at the ties and draft lottery percentages, per Tankathon.

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School or Pro Team
1	Boston Celtics	Markelle Fultz	PG	Washington
2	Phoenix Suns	Josh Jackson	SF	Kansas
3	Los Angeles Lakers	Lonzo Ball	PG	UCLA
4	Philadelphia 76ers	Malik Monk	SG	Kentucky
5	Orlando Magic	Jayson Tatum	SF	Duke
6	New York Knicks	De'Aaron Fox	PG	Kentucky
7	Minnesota Timberwolves	Jonathan Isaac	SF	Florida State
8	Sacramento Kings	Frank Ntilikina	PG	Strasbourg IG (France)
9	Dallas Mavericks	Lauri Markkanen	PF	Arizona
10	Sacramento Kings	Zach Collins	C	Gonzaga
11	Charlotte Hornets	Justin Jackson	SF	North Carolina
12	Detroit Pistons	Dennis Smith Jr.	PG	North Carolina State
13	Denver Nuggets	Rodions Kurucs	SF	FC Barcelona B (Spain)
14	Miami Heat	TJ Leaf	PF	UCLA
15	Chicago Bulls	Justin Patton	C	Creighton
16	Portland Trail Blazers	Isaiah Hartenstein	PF	Zalgiris (Lithuania)
17	Indiana Pacers	Harry Giles	PF	Duke
18	Milwaukee Bucks	Donovan Mitchell	SG	Louisville
19	Portland Trail Blazers	Terrance Ferguson	SG	Adelaide (Australia)
20	Atlanta Hawks	Luke Kennard	SG	Duke
21	Oklahoma City Thunder	Jordan Bell	PF	Oregon
22	Brooklyn Nets	Jawun Evans	PG	Oklahoma State
23	Utah Jazz	John Collins	PF	Wake Forest
24	Toronto Raptors	Semi Ojeleye	PF	SMU
25	Orlando Magic	Ivan Rabb	PF	Cal
26	Portland Trail Blazers	Josh Hart	SG	Villanova
27	Brooklyn Nets	Caleb Swanigan	PF	Purdue
28	Los Angeles Lakers	Jarrett Allen	C	Texas
29	San Antonio Spurs	Dillon Brooks	SF	Oregon
30	Utah Jazz	OG Anunoby	SF	Indiana

Markelle Fultz, Boston Celtics

If the Boston Celtics win the NBA draft lottery, then they will have a very interesting dilemma on their hands come June 22.

The near-consensus top player in the NBA draft is Markelle Fultz. The former University of Washington point guard, who averaged 23.2 points, 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds in his one season in Seattle, is No. 1 on the official Bleacher Report, DraftExpress, ESPN.com and CBSSports.com big boards and No. 2 on NBADraft.net.

However, the Celtics already have a fantastic point guard in Isaiah Thomas, who averaged 28.9 points per game this season and led the C's to a No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Thomas just so happens to be a former University of Washington player as well, and the 28-year-old was asked in March about potentially playing with one of the top point guards from this year's draft.

Here's Jay King of MassLive.com with more:

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It might not be ideal for the Celtics that the top prospects in this draft both play Thomas' position, but the two-time All-Star is convinced he can thrive with any type of backcourt mate, including Fultz and Ball. 

"I can play with anybody," Thomas said. "I can play off the ball, I can come off screens, I can catch and shoot. So I think that's, even going back to college, my first couple of years I was off the ball. And then I can play on the ball as well. So a lot of guys can't do both, but I'm fine with doing both."

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Boston would be a prime landing spot for Fultz, who is turning just 19 years old on May 29. Instead of being handed the keys to an entire franchise at a young age, he can learn from (and play alongside) a fantastic mentor in Thomas.

Furthermore, the Celtics' backcourt rotation would be phenomenal, with Thomas, shooting guard Avery Bradley, combo guard Marcus Smart and Fultz. They'd easily be an Eastern Conference contender again next season and perhaps even the favorite out of the East to make the NBA Finals.

Josh Jackson, Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns finished 28th out of 30 NBA teams in defensive efficiency and allowed a league-worst 113.3 points this season, per ESPN.com. Jackson can certainly help right the defensive ship.

Here's Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress with more on the former Kansas star's defense:

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It is Jackson's defense and overall competitiveness that is one of his most attractive traits. He's a fiery guy who has been a two-way player his entire career, and showed the ability to guard anywhere from 1-4 in college. Jackson takes great pride in his ability to shut down opponents, and does an outstanding job of sitting down in a stance, sliding his feet and locking up players on the perimeter with his lateral quickness, often drawing charges.

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Jackson could immediately become the Suns' starting small forward and give some defensive help to a team in dire need of it. That would move T.J. Warren to the bench, immediately giving the Suns' second unit a sorely needed scoring punch.

Jackson would also fit in well in the Suns' starting lineup, specifically rising star Devin Booker. As evidenced in late March and April after point guard Eric Bledsoe was shut down with knee soreness in mid-March, this is now Booker's team. He dropped 70 against the Boston Celtics and is the clear No. 1 force that will move the Suns offense in the coming years.

Booker also needs the ball in hands. He's a pure shooter and shot 20.0 times per game in March (usage rate of 30.7) and 23.0 times per game in April (usage rate of 34.3), per Basketball Reference. It wouldn't be a big surprise to see Booker lead the NBA in scoring someday.

Jackson can dominate a game without the ball. He took just 12.3 field goals per game on average this season and hit 51.3 percent of his shots. His best game was arguably a 31-point, 11-rebound performance against Texas Tech when he shot 12 of 15 from the field.

Ultimately, he's a perfect match for Phoenix on offense and defense.

Malik Monk, Philadelphia 76ers

If Fultz and Jackson go first and second, then the Los Angeles Lakers drafting former UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball is an absolute no-brainer that doesn't need any explanation.

Therefore, the 76ers could choose from shooting guard Malik Monk, forward Jayson Tatum and point guard De'Aaron Fox.

Monk makes the most sense for Philadelphia. The 76ers finished fourth-to-last in field-goal percentage and sixth-to-last in three-point field-goal percentage last year, so they need someone who can enter the starting lineup, stretch defenses and knock down some threes.

Enter Malik Monk, who posted perhaps the most impressive performance of any player in men's college basketball this year when he scored 47 points against eventual national champion North Carolina in a 103-100 win.

Monk averaged 19.8 points per game and shot 39.7 percent from three-point range this season. He can immediately provide a boost to the 76ers' sputtering offense.

Going with a point guard doesn't make sense for the 76ers considering that the first overall pick of the 2016 NBA draft, Ben Simmons, will be running the point next year, so Fox is out. Tatum could fit well with Philadelphia, but Monk's skill set suits the 76ers' needs better.