NBA Draft 2018: Latest 1st-Round Mock Draft with Regular Season Completed
No sooner had the 2017-18 NBA season come to a close than the wheels of the offseason started officially turning.
Three coaches have already been handed their walking papers. First, the New York Knicks cut ties with Jeff Hornacek. Then, the Orlando Magic dropped the hammer on Frank Vogel. On Friday, the Charlotte Hornets announced they had parted ways with Steve Clifford.
For the 14 teams who won't be playing playoff ball this weekend, summer is here. And it won't be much longer before commissioner Adam Silver is announcing the first pick on June 21.
That means there's no time to waste in the mock-drafting world. So, let's project all 30 selections in the opening round and spotlight a pair of prospects worth monitoring on the workout circuit.
2018 First-Round Mock Draft
1. Phoenix Suns: Deandre Ayton, C, Arizona
2. Memphis Grizzlies: Luka Doncic, PG/SG, Slovenia
3. Atlanta Hawks: Jaren Jackson Jr., PF/C, Michigan State
4. Dallas Mavericks: Mohamed Bamba, C, Texas
5. Orlando Magic: Marvin Bagley III, PF/C, Duke
6. Sacramento Kings: Michael Porter Jr., SF/PF, Missouri
7. Chicago Bulls: Trae Young, PG, Oklahoma
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Brooklyn Nets): Wendell Carter Jr., C, Duke
9. New York Knicks: Collin Sexton, PG, Alabama
10. Philadelphia 76ers (via Los Angeles Lakers): Mikal Bridges, SF, Villanova
11. Charlotte Hornets: Miles Bridges, SF/PF, Michigan State
12. Los Angeles Clippers (via Detroit Pistons): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG, Kentucky
13. Los Angeles Clippers: Robert Williams, C, Texas A&M
14. Denver Nuggets: Kevin Knox, SF/PF, Kentucky
15. Washington Wizards: Lonnie Walker IV, SG, Miami
16. Phoenix Suns (via Milwaukee Bucks): Zhaire Smith, SF, Texas Tech
17. Phoenix Suns (via Miami Heat): Jontay Porter, C, Missouri
18. Atlanta Hawks (via Minnesota Timberwolves): Anfernee Simons, PG, IMG Academy
19. San Antonio Spurs: Dzanan Musa, SG/SF, Bosnia and Herzegovina
20. Indiana Pacers: Keita Bates-Diop, SF/PF, Ohio State
21. Chicago Bulls (via New Orleans Pelicans): Mitchell Robinson, C, USA
22. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Oklahoma City Thunder): Troy Brown, SG, Oregon
23. Utah Jazz: De'Anthony Melton, PG/SG, USC
24. Portland Trail Blazers: Khyri Thomas, SG, Creighton
25. Los Angeles Lakers (via Cleveland Cavaliers): Aaron Holiday, PG, UCLA
26. Philadelphia 76ers: Chandler Hutchison, SF, Boise State
27. Boston Celtics: Donte DiVincenzo, SG, Villanova
28. Golden State Warriors: Gary Trent Jr., SG, Duke
29. Brooklyn Nets (via Toronto Raptors): Omari Spellman, PF, Villanova
30. Atlanta Hawks (via Houston Rockets): Tyus Battle, SG/SF, Syracuse
Prospects To Watch
Mitchell Robinson, C, USA
Mitchell Robinson is a five-star-recruit-turned-mystery-man after bypassing Western Kentucky to spend the last year preparing for the draft. He's perhaps the biggest wild card in this field, with a host of unanswered questions but also a laundry list of physical gifts, as ESPN Insider Jonathan Givony broke down:
"Officially measured by USA Basketball last summer at 7-feet barefoot with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and 9-foot-3 standing reach—plus possessing freakish athletic ability for someone his size—Robinson is one of just a handful of human beings on the planet who share such coveted physical traits. ... He has real basketball talent, as well, with a soft touch around the rim and from the perimeter, along with a skill set that is raw but promising and could be harnessed into a real weapon in time."
It wouldn't be surprising to see spots of drool on Robinson's workout reports. His blend of size and springs might as well have been formed in a basketball factory.
Without knowing how the last year went, it's still probably safe to call his post game rudimentary. But that won't matter if he's rim-running around other bigs, forcefully crushing down lobs and inhaling every rebound in his zip code. And if he's consistently burying jumpers on top of that, this might be a break-the-internet scenario.
He should also shine well on the defensive end with nimble feet, quick hops and that aforementioned astronomical reach.
What scouts won't have, though, is the opportunity to see him perform in a formal setting. There's a lot of guessing that goes into making any draft pick, but this is an extreme version. Plus, he could get grilled in interviews about his on-again, off-again relationship with the Hilltoppers.
The presence of potential red flags is undeniable. Then again, so is the raw talent.
He could prove a fascinating case study not just for this draft, but also those that follow.
De'Anthony Melton, PG/SG, USC
For different reasons, De'Anthony Melton also didn't play a second of the 2017-18 college hoops season. He was ruled out after being mentioned in the FBI review into college basketball and later withdrew from USC to focus on his draft preparation.
But he's not an unknown, having made 36 appearances—25 of them starts—as a Trojan freshman the previous campaign.
Back then, his stats didn't jump off the paper—or stood out for the wrong reasons. He averaged a modest 8.3 points per game while shooting a forgettable 43.7 percent from the field and a troubling 28.4 percent outside.
Still, he showed enough potential then to keep him in the first-round discussion a year later.
"As a freshman, he flashed enough glimpses of two-way playmaking and toughness," Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman wrote. "If he can surprise teams with his shooting, Melton could convince one to gamble earlier than expected on his role-player and defensive potential."
Melton's USC resume says he functions as a do-almost-everything glue guy. His per-40-minute marks included 12.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.5 blocks, so he rarely left a portion of the box score untouched. He defended multiple positions and instinctively set the table for his teammates.
But shot-creation and shot-making have been areas of concern, especially considering he won't be an elite athlete in the NBA. That said, there might already be some encouragement in the shooting department. At a private workout in March, he reportedly hit 68 percent of his mid-range jumpers, 62.9 percent from distance and 81.3 percent at the line, according to data given by Melton's camp to ESPN's Mike Schmitz.
There are teams who could live with suspect shooting from a player who increases their defensive versatility and stays within himself at the other end. But Melton's list of possible landing spots would balloon if he can show his spacing gains are legitimate.
Statistics used courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.
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