2017 NBA Mock Draft: 1st-Round Picks for Every Team and Players to Watch

The NFL draft kicked off on Thursday night, and it was not short on drama and intrigue thanks to some interesting trades that undoubtedly had everyone ripping up their mock drafts.

As wild as the NFL draft has been thus far, the NBA's selection process could be even more noteworthy. This year's player pool is loaded with elite, franchise-changing talent and tons of depth. Thursday, June 22, should be a fun night. You can almost hear New York Knicks fans booing their future pick right now.

Of course, we won't know how this draft will pan out until we see everyone in action for a few years, but the potential for these players as a whole is massive.

Here's a look at a new NBA mock draft as well as two players to watch. For this piece, the focus will be on Kentucky's starting backcourt from this past season.

Pick	Team	Player	Position	College 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	Minnesota Timberwolves	Jonathan Isaac	SF/PF	Florida State
7	New York Knicks	De'Aaron Fox	PG	Kentucky
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	Portland Trail Blazers	Terrance Ferguson	SG	Adelaide (Australia)
16	Chicago Bulls	Justin Patton	C	Creighton
17	Milwaukee Bucks	Harry Giles	PF	Duke
18	Indiana Pacers	Donovan Mitchell	SG	Louisville
19	Atlanta Hawks	Isaiah Hartenstein	PF	Zalgiris (Lithuania)
20	Portland Trail Blazers	Luke Kennard	SG	Duke
21	Oklahoma City Thunder	Jordan Bell	PF	Oregon
22	Brooklyn Nets	Jawun Evans	PG	Oklahoma State
23	Toronto Raptors	Semi Ojeleye	PF	SMU
24	Utah Jazz	John Collins	PF	Wake Forest
25	Orlando Magic	Ivan Rabb	PF	Cal
26	Portland Trail Blazers	Caleb Swanigan	PF	Purdue
27	Brooklyn Nets	OG Anunoby	SF	Indiana
28	Los Angeles Lakers	Jarrett Allen	C	Texas
29	San Antonio Spurs	Dillon Brooks	SF	Oregon
30	Utah Jazz	Josh Hart	SG	Villanova

Note that the official order will not be finalized until the NBA draft lottery takes place on Tuesday, May 16.

Players to Watch

De'Aaron Fox

Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball and Josh Jackson are most likely going to be the top three picks of the 2017 NBA draft in some order regardless of the teams that land the first three selections after the lottery.

It will be interesting to see if a player outside that trio cements himself as the clear No. 4 player on everyone's big board, or perhaps even enters the top-three conversation.

Former Kentucky point guard De'Aaron Fox is a candidate to be that player. He's an absolute terror on defense and with the ball in his hands, especially in the open floor. He can slice through the lane as well as anyone in the draft.

That being said, Fox is a poor outside shooter, making only 24.6 percent of his three-pointers last season. That's not a great mix in a league where teams are more reliant on three-pointers than ever.

For example, the Minnesota Timberwolves were last in the league with 21.0 three-point attempts per game, or nearly one attempt during every two minutes of action. That figure would have actually been No. 1 in the NBA 16 seasons ago.

Still, it's hard to ignore just how much potential Fox has, as evidenced by his dominant 39-point performance against UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen. It wouldn't be a surprise if we look back in 10 years and recognize Fox as the best player to emerge from the 2017 class. 

Malik Monk

Former Kentucky shooting guard Malik Monk proved to be a dominant scorer in Division I play, averaging 19.8 points per game on 45.0 percent shooting (39.7 percent from deep). He scored 47 points against UNC in December (15 of them came in the first eight minutes of the game), which ranks up there as one of the most impressive individual performances of the entire college basketball season.

This much is certain: Monk is going in the top 10 of the NBA draft. The question is where.

Keep an eye out for Orlando and Philadelphia, the two teams that finished in the bottom two in offensive efficiency, per ESPN.com. Both teams could use an outside scorer to provide a jolt of energy to their sometimes stagnant offenses. The New York Knicks are a wild card, although it seems like they will grab the best point guard available.

Monk seems like he'd be a perfect fit into the 76ers lineup in particular. With Ben Simmons running the point next year, there's a shooting guard spot up for grabs alongside small forward Robert Covington, power forward Dario Saric and center Joel Embiid.

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot did an admirable job filling in as a spot starter at the end of the season, averaging 16.8 points per game in his last nine contests, but the 76ers would be even stronger with Monk starting and Luwawu-Cabarrot providing scoring for the second unit alongside big man Richaun Holmes.

Regardless of where Monk lands, keep an eye on him as a potential Rookie of the Year.