2011 NBA Mock Draft: Selections Every Team Should Make from Pick No. 1 to No. 30
While the 2011 NBA Draft might not be as clear cut as those of the past few years, there is still talent to be had among these young players.
Many have cited Derrick Williams as one of the top talents in the class, but who will end up going No. 1?
Teams and scouts will have a tough time picking the perfect player to fit into their squad and find those diamonds in the rough.
30. Kyle Singler SF: Chicago Bulls
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Kyle Singler, the 6'9" SF senior out of Duke, rounds out the first round by heading to the Chicago Bulls.
Singler has a lot of experience at the college level and plays with a high basketball IQ.
He is able to pull down boards pretty well and is has shown he is a good shooter despite struggling his last year at Duke.
Singler is a liability on the defensive end of the court despite putting in a lot of effort and is one of the older players to enter this draft class.
29. JaJuan Johnson PF: San Antonio Spurs
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The San Antonio Spurs bring in another big in JaJuan Johnson out of Purdue with their first round pick.
Johnson brings next level athleticism to a team that has been lacking in that department.
The 6'10" PF uses his height for explosive plays around the basket and averaged more than two blocks per game.
Johnson has potential to be a great defender but needs to put on some more bulk so he doesn't get pushed around on the defensive end.
28. Justin Harper PF: Chicago Bulls
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Justin Harper, the 6'10" senior out of Richmond, brings some help to the Chicago big core.
Harper has a killer jump shot with range to go along and uses it to throw off defenders to drive to the basket.
Harper is a great free-throw shooter and has enough speed to guard well at the next level.
Harper could improve in the rebounding department.
27. Tobias Harris SF/PF: New Jersey Nets
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At 18 years old, Tobias Harris out of Tennessee has loads of potential to bring to the New Jersey Nets.
Standing at 6'8", Harris is more of a tweener than a true PF.
Harris is dangerous slasher with a decent outside shot to complement. He is a hard worker who has already begun to fill out his body with work in the gym.
His tweener status puts him in a tough position defensively as he lacks size to guard PFs but also lacks speed to guard the fast NBA SFs.
26. Davis Bertans SF: Dallas Mavericks
5 of 30The Dallas Mavericks take another international big in the Latvian Davis Bertans.
Standing at 6'10", Bertans possesses great size for the SF position.
Like Dirk Nowitzki, Bertans has a killer jump shot and range to hit outside the NBA three-point line.
Bertans isn't an extremely good defender and could stand to add some weight to help him on that end of the floor.
25. Reggie Jackson PG/SG: Bostom Celtics
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The Boston Celtics grab Reggie Jackson from their backyard Boston College with their first round pick.
Jackson stands at 6'3" but has a wingspan of almost 7' and is an excellent athlete with the ability to guard both guard positions extremely well.
Jackson is able to drive to the rim fairly easily and has a decent jump shot.
He does lack some of the tools that a PG needs and is not an extremely great distributor.
24. Darius Morris PG: Oklahoma City Thunder
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A true PG out of Michigan, Darius Morris could be just what the Oklahoma City Thunder need to help with distribution on the court.
One of the best distributors of this draft class, Morris is a mismatch for other PGs at 6'5".
Morris uses his size to drive to the basket.
He isn't a fantastic athlete which leads to trouble defending quicker guards on the other end of the court.
23. Trey Thompkins PF: Houston Rockets
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The Houston Rockets pick up another big in Trey Thompkins to add to their aging core.
The 6'10" PF is a very proficient offensive player with a lot of tools in his arsenal for a big.
While not being very athletic, Thompkins plays fairly well on the defensive end and puts effort on that side of the court.
Thompkins does stand to tone up with the highest body fat percentage of the draft class and he lacks some speed to truly be a great defender at the next level.
22. Tyler Honeycutt SG/SF: Denver Nuggets
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The 6'8" SG out of UCLA, Tyler Honeycutt, heads to the Denver Nuggets at the 22nd overall pick.
The guard/forward combo has next-level athleticism and a shooting ability to go along with it.
Honeycutt was a great rebounder and also averaged more than two blocks a game at the guard position.
Honeycutt is very thin and could stand to bulk up more to give him more of a presence at his position on the defensive end.
21. Chandler Parsons SF/PF: Portland Trailblazers
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The Portland Trailblazers grab Chandler Parsons to add another smart big to their aging and injury-prone core.
Standing at 6'10", Parsons plays well for a SF at this height and is able to distribute the ball with accuracy for a big.
He plays great on the boards and has fairly good range.
Parsons lacks some of the explosive athleticism to guard SF or PF at the next level but has the size to potentially guard both.
20. Marshon Brooks SG: Minnesota Timberwolves
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Marshon Brooks, the SG out of Providence, can bring some much needed firepower to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Brooks is definitely a guard who can make his own shot and has the range to work in the NBA.
At 6'5", he works well on the boards.
Brooks does tend to make some bad decisions in crunch time and doesn't distribute the ball as much as he should, but hopefully the Timberwolves can push that out of him.
19. Jordan Hamilton SG/SF: Charlotte Bobcats
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The 6'8" guard/forward combo Jordan Hamilton looks to come in as an understudy to Stephen Jackson in the struggling Charlotte Bobcats team.
Hamilton has a great jumper and the ability to shoot from beyond the NBA three-point line.
His size at the position allows him to pull down an awesome number of rebounds.
Hamilton might have size, but isn't a great athlete which hurts him defensively.
18. Chris Singleton SF/PF: Washington Wizards
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Chris Singleton, the 6'9" athletic SF out of Florida State, adds another tool to the Washington Wizards team.
A great defender, he can lend his athleticism to guarding multiple positions for the Wizards and potential to be a lockdown defender.
His great strength allows him to drive to the basket past defenders.
He lacks a high amount of offensive ability but can definitely improve in his jump shot and in the post.
17. Kenneth Faried PF: New York Knicks
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Kenneth Faried was an absolute beast on the boards at Morehead State, leading the NCAA in rebounds.
His size is a definite problem for his position, standing at only 6'7", and also the fact that he played for the tiny Morehead State could make some of his stats look inflated.
His great defensive ability would definitely be a great complement to Amare Stoudemire's offensive ability.
He lacks on offense but he can fill in as a solid defensive role player.
16. Klay Thompson SG: Philadelphia 76ers
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The 6'7" Klay Thompson will add some much needed shooting power to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Already a great shooter, Thompson has the ability to knock down three-point shots and a great ball handler.
His size lends to him guarding athletic SG in the league well, and he also has a long wingspan.
Thompson has some character issues but hopefully he will grow out of them as he leaves the college environment.
15. Markieff Morris PF: Indiana Pacers
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Markieff Morris will be a decent addition to the Indiana Pacers rotation.
The 6'9" PF has a good jump shot and can nail down three-pointers.
Aggressive on the boards and able to play equally aggressive on defense, Morris will hopefully be ready to make an immediate impact on the Pacers rotation.
14. Jimmer Fredette PG: Houston Rockets
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While many think former BYU star Jimmer Fredette will go to the Utah Jazz, I have him going a little later in the draft to the Houston Rockets.
Fredette has shown that he has the ability to shoot the ball and shoot it well.
While not extremely athletic, he knows how to utilize his body and plays tough for his frame.
Jimmer might be an offensive powerhouse but needs to definitely improve on the defensive end if he will be a success in the NBA.
13. Tristan Thompson PF: Phoenix Suns
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Tristan Thompson heads to the Phoenix Suns.
The 6'9" PF plays well on the boards and also has the athleticism to defend well under the basket.
Fairly quick for his size, he is able to maneuver himself around defenders.
Another undersized PF, he will hopefully be able to use his excellent athleticism to make up for it. He needs to also improve from the free-throw line where he is absolutely abysmal.
12. Marcus Morris SF/PF: Utah Jazz
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Kansas junior Marcus Morris heads to the Utah Jazz to lend his talents.
An excellent jump shot and the ability to score at range from within the thee-point line, Morris is an extremely hard worker and plays well on defense as well.
He is undersized to play the PF position and doesn't utilize his athletic frame as much as he could.
11. Bismack Biyombo C: Golden State Warriors
20 of 30Bismack Biyombo is a freak of nature.
Standing at 6'9", he has a phenomenal 7'7" wingspan.
A great defender with potential to improve, Biyombo is definitely a project at only 18 years old (although some have suggested he is actually older than this) with very little basketball experience.
The Congo international player definitely needs to improve his offense but his athleticism and ridiculous length have a lot of teams taking him into consideration.
10. Alec Burks PG/SG: Milwaukee Bucks
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Alec Burks heads to Milwaukee to play alongside Brandon Jennings and the Bucks.
The 6'6" guard combo has an excellent ability to cut and drive to the rim.
A high rebounding guard who distributes well could add some more ball movement to the Bucks.
He could stand to improve his jump shot from behind the arc, and if Burks can add some weight he would be a nice addition to the Bucks.
9. Donatas Motiejunas PF: Charlotte Bobcats
22 of 30The 7'0" Lithuanian international Donatas Motiejunas has a lot of potential, and the Michael Jordan-ran Charlotte Bobcats will grab him in hopes that he will fulfill it.
Quick for his size, the big man has a nice jumper and works well when he has the ball on his hand.
Has the size to guard NBA PFs and also has shown consistency with shot-blocking.
His drive has been questioned, as he appears to not play to his full potential some of the time, but hopefully he will grow out of that.
8. Jan Vesely SF/PF: Detroit Pistons
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Czech international player Jan Vesely heads to Motor City to try his hand in the NBA.
The 6'11" PF/SF combo has awesome size for his position and the ability to guard multiple position.
Vesely has a decent catch and shoot jumper.
His size does give him some trouble guarding on the perimeter and he could still stand to put on some more weight and move to more of a pure PF player.
7. Kemba Walker PG: Sacramento Kings
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Kemba Walker was one of the most explosive players this year in the world of college hoops at UConn.
The Sacramento Kings look to invigorate their franchise and bring in a potential star through Walker, who is still left on the board.
His athleticism is matched with his abilities to grab boards and distribute the ball. He also averaged almost two steals per game.
Walker could have problems guarding the new breed of ultra-athletic PG, but his pure athleticism should lend to his ability to succeed.
6. Jonas Valanciunas PF/C : Washington Wizards
25 of 30Lithuanian international Jonas Valanciunas could be picked up by the young and booming Wizards team.
At only 19 years old, the 6'11" PF/C combo could add some more size to the Wizards team and possibly play tandem with JaVale McGee.
Valanciunas is high percentage shooter from his range and also a very efficient free-throw shooter.
He could stand to put on some more weight, but he has the work ethic and aggressiveness to be a success on an NBA team.
5. Kawhi Leonard SF: Toronto Raptors
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A great rebounding and defensive SF, Kawhi Leonard could be just what the Toronto Raptors are looking for.
Standing at 6'7", Leonard averaged more than 10.6 RPG last season at San Diego State.
A strong athlete with a long body, Leonard will be able compete against the other highly athletic SF of the NBA.
4. Enes Kanter C: Cleveland Cavaliers
27 of 30The Cleveland Cavs will luck out and grab the one of the best centers in the draft class in Enes Kanter.
The Turkish international coming out of Kentucky is pretty athletic and has great ball-handling skills for a big man.
Kanter stands at 6'11" and plays great on the boards. He also has pretty strong driving skills.
The main concern with Kanter is his health problems. He has had knee issues but hopefully they won't pop up again.
3. Brandon Knight PG: Utah Jazz
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Brandon Knight is no doubt the other top point guard of this draft.
With Deron Williams out of Utah, the Jazz will look to bring in some young talent at the position.
Knight had a good run with Kentucky and looks to follow in the footsteps of former Kentucky guards John Wall and Derrick Rose before him.
Knight has potential to be a major spark for the struggling Jazz franchise.
2. Derrick Williams PF/SF: Minnesota Timberwolves
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The Minnesota Timberwolves will take Derrick Williams when the Cavaliers pass over him with the first overall pick.
Standing at 6' 8", Williams has the athleticism to play the power forward position in tandem with Kevin Love at center and Beasley at small forward.
The Arizona graduate has a 7'2" wingspan and a much improved jumper, Williams has some of the best potential out of anyone in the draft.
1. Kyrie Irving PG: Cleveland Cavaliers
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For the third time in the past four years, a point guard will be the No. 1 pick thanks to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With the No. 1 pick they will select Kyrie Irving and hope they can turn him into a proficient NBA point guard.
Standing at 6' 3", Irving is a taller PG who isn't necessarily an athletic freak like the past No. 1 picks of John Wall and Derrick Rose.
What he lacks in athleticism, he makes up for in good decisions and being a great floor-runner.
