2011 NBA Mock Draft: Complete First Round Breakdown Pre-Lottery
We're getting one step closer to the 2011 NBA draft tonight (Tuesday) as the lottery takes place and the order of the top 14 picks of this year's draft will be determined.
There are always surprises and disappointments.
Teams' futures are impacted and players' careers are set in motion through the drawing of numbered ping-pong balls.
The following is a final pre-lottery mock draft. After tonight, we will have a much clearer idea of who is selecting when and who may be going to which NBA team.
30. DeAndre Liggins
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DeAndre Liggins is known more for his defense than his offense.
Playing in the Kentucky program the last few years has made it difficult for people to see how good Liggins really is.
The 6'6" Liggins received Lefty Driesell Defensive All-America honors and was named the Yahoo! Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year after leading the Wildcats with 46 steals. He also had 28 blocked shots.
Liggins can play and guard either perimeter position with great skill.
29. Lucas Nogueira
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Lucas Nogueira is an extremely long (7'0", 200 lbs.), raw athlete from Brazil who has scouts drooling about his upside.
Nogueira is a energetic shot-blocker who, as he refines his game, may remind many of Joakim Noah.
28. Willie Reed
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Willie Reed is a long, explosive dunk machine.
At 6'9" Reed attacks the glass and uses his leaping ability to grab balls that are well out of his area.
He works hard to establish post position, moving well and holding his ground in order to receive the ball in good scoring spots.
27. Tyler Honeycutt
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Many people have been talking about Tyler Honeycutt ever since he came to UCLA two years ago.
He had two decent years as a Bruin but still has lots of room for development.
Yet many scouts are licking their chops because of Honeycutt's size (legit 6'8" for a wing), versatility and athleticism.
26. Nikola Vucevic
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Nikola Vucevic is another big (6'10", 240 lbs.) that scouts love.
Vucevic does work at both ends and was a double-double machine at USC.
He has a great feel for the game and can score inside and out.
25. Kyle Singler
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Kyle Singler is a great shooter with length who can spot up anywhere from mid-range to beyond the arc.
Singler may never be a star at the next level, but he will have a long, productive NBA career as long as he can knock down his jumper.
24. Davis Bertans
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Davis Bertans is a 6'10" small forward from Latvia with an outstanding jump shot.
His hair-trigger release and length make him extremely difficult to check.
He is a project, but many NBA teams are considering the long-term reward of selecting Bertans.
23. Nolan Smith
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Nolan Smith is a leader and a winner.
After helping the Blue Devils win a national championship as a junior, Smith elevated his game by sliding over from SG to PG when Kyrie Irving went down to injury early in the 2010-11 season.
Smith loves to penetrate but can hit the outside jumper too. He has a better than average mid-range game that will translate well to the next level.
22. Trey Thompkins
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Trey Thompkins is a super-skilled post player with a silky shooting touch.
He has a great combination of post skills, jump shot and size (6'10", 247 lbs.).
Thompkins could become even more dangerous with a better mid-range jumper, but he still excels both in the half-court offense and in transition.
21. JaJuan Johnson
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JaJuan Johnson is a superior athlete with excellent length (6'10"), leaping ability and body control.
He took control of several Big Ten games this year and showed an ability to effectively get to the rim and block shots.
Johnson is only the third player in conference history to win Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season.
20. Kenneth Faried
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Kenneth Faried put himself on the map during the 2010-11 season by (1) leading the nation in rebounding and (2) helping Morehead State take down Louisville in the NCAA tournament.
While Faried is slightly undersized (6'8") to play PF in the NBA, scouts absolutely love how he goes and cleans the glass and plays physical defense.
19. Markieff Morris
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Markieff Morris is a physical 4 with an NBA-ready body.
He has a very aggressive interior game on both ends of the court.
He uses his strength to gain and keep rebounding position.
While he is not known as a great shooter, Markieff can hit the 17-foot jumper.
18. Chris Singleton
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Chris Singleton is a small forward with terrific size and length (6'9") for the position.
He may be the best pure defender against perimeter forwards in the draft.
While he may never be a great scorer in the NBA, Singleton contributes so much without the ball in his hands.
17. Klay Thompson
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Klay Thompson is one of the best pure shooters coming into the draft.
He was the top scorer in the Pac-10 last year as a junior and among the top 10 scorers in the nation at 22.1 PPG.
At 6'6", Thompson has good size to play the 2 in the NBA.
He also doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves as a passer and ball-handler.
16. Donatas Motiejunas
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Donatas Motiejunas is a player who you can find at all points up and down various draft boards.
This might be a little low for him, but he is a question mark when it comes to his strength and his ability to defend in the NBA.
At 7'0", 220 lbs., Motiejunas is a finesse 4 who's not even close to hitting his ceiling in terms of development.
15. Tobias Harris
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Tobias Harris is one of the youngest players in the draft (just 18 years old).
He had an outstanding freshman year at Tennessee.
Versatile, consistent and high basketball IQ are words that have been used to describe Harris' game.
He managed to score in double figures in all but three games as a freshman.
Because Harris can put the ball on the floor, at 6'8" he is dangerous creating his own shot or driving to the bucket.
14. Jordan Hamilton
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Jordan Hamilton has great size and length (6'7", 225 lbs.) for playing either the SG or SF positions.
Hamilton goes to the glass well and can turn and take the ball up the court in transition.
He sees the court well. When he gets into the lane, it is hard to stop him.
13. Jimmer Fredette
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Jimmer Fredette won just about every national Player of the Year award for the 2010-11 season.
Fredette led the nation in scoring, usually finding numerous ways to put the ball in the basket every game.
While known as one of the best, if not the best, shooters in the country, Fredette is still a very good passer and ball-handler.
He may have the best range among collegiate players.
12. Tristan Thompson
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Tristan Thompson proved himself as a freshman to be one of the quickest PFs in the nation.
Thompson uses his quickness and strength to gain great position and grab a truckload of rebounds. He has great hands that allow him to go get many passes that others would concede.
Keen intuition on the offensive glass helps him to get plenty of put-back opportunities.
11. Alec Burks
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As one of the best combo guards in the draft, Alec Burks is an intriguing mix of size and skill.
At 6'6", he has a couple of inches on most PGs but is more likely to play the 2 at the next level.
He is a classic slasher who is fearless going into the lane and finishing at the rim.
Uncanny anticipation helps him tip or steal many passes.
10. Kemba Walker
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Fresh off leading UConn to a national championship, Kemba Walker looks to be a top-10 pick in this year's draft.
Walker is a great floor leader, capable of running the team or filling it up.
He has a great jumper and has zero hesitation about taking the ball into the paint.
He draws a lot of fouls and goes to the line regularly, where he makes his opponents pay because of his FT shooting skills.
9. Marcus Morris
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Marcus Morris could easily be called Mr. Inside/Mr. Outside for his multi-talented game.
Morris can work masterfully on the block or move outside and bury jumpers from everywhere.
He uses his strength and quickness to beat defenders.
Intensity and hard work help him shut down opponents.
8. Jonas Valanciunas
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Jonas Valanciunas is a long, agile big man with a lot of promise.
JV works very hard, has a great motor and runs the floor exceptionally well for a young big (6'11", 240 lbs.).
Great around the rim, but he can also knock down his shots out to 14 feet.
At 19, he has a lot of physical and skill development ahead of him, but most of the lottery teams would love to have JV to build around.
7. Bismack Biyombo
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Bismack Biyombo is a big-time shot-blocker with tremendous length (7'7" wingspan) and athleticism for teenage post player (19 years old).
He has a powerful frame and already has an NBA body (6'9", 243 lbs.).
His offensive rebounding and put-backs are currently his most effective offensive weapon.
6. Jan Vesely
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Even though Jan Vesely is 6'11", he projects to be a SF in the NBA.
Vesely runs the floor well; he can catch the ball and do something with it in transition.
He has better-than-average quickness and mobility for a young player of his size.
Vesely plays with a lot of emotion and is explosive off the floor when he attacks the basket.
5. Kawhi Leonard
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Kawhi Leonard had a fantastic year as he led San Diego State to its best record in school history.
Leonard averaged a double-double and broke onto the national scene as the Aztecs ran to the top of the various college basketball polls.
He grabs rebounds and then turns and takes the ball confidently up the court in transition.
His ability to get out in the passing lanes and also contest shots inside makes him a very dangerous weapon on the defensive end.
4. Brandon Knight
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Brandon Knight is continuing the John Calipari PG tradition: Excel for a year and then go into the draft.
As the Wildcats' leading scorer, Knight led Kentucky deep into the NCAA tournament.
Whether it is driving against his opponent or pulling up and sticking the J, Knight is a multi-talented guard who finds countless ways to hurt his opponents with his offense.
He uses his length well to shoot over most defenders.
3. Enes Kanter
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Of all of the quality post players in the draft, Enes Kanter is the best.
Kanter has legit center size.
We would know much more about Kanter, but he was ruled ineligible before he played a game for Kentucky this past season.
He combines massive strength and skills, and works hard at getting position for rebounding.
Kanter has a scorer's mentality and a whole arsenal of moves and shots to put the ball in the basket.
2. Derrick Williams
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Derrick Williams is a beast and the best combo forward in the draft.
He can work down low even when he is facing double-teams, as he did all this past year.
He can step out and knock down the three.
He was the nation's leader in shooting efficiency and getting to the line.
His game against Duke in the NCAA tournament solidified his top-five status in the upcoming draft.
1. Kyrie Irving
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When it comes to PGs, Kyrie Irving has the whole package.
He can beat you off the dribble, get into the lane and finish at the rim.
Or he can hit jumpers from anywhere or set up his teammates to score.
While he didn't get to play the entire season for coach Mike Krzyzewski (because of a toe injury), Irving is ready to move on and move up into the elite level of the NBA.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report to follow all NBA Draft Lottery news, including updated 2011 NBA Mock Drafts and immediate reaction and analysis to the updated NBA Draft Order.
