2011 NBA Mock Draft: Final Projections from Bleacher Report's Draft Expert
2011 NBA Mock Draft Puts Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams at the Head of the Class, But Who's Next?
The 2011 NBA draft doesn't have many "stars," but it does have a ton of guys that nobody can seem to decide on.
We expect to see Kyrie Irving go No. 1 tonight and if he doesn't, it will be a monumental shock. The Duke freshman only played in 11 games this season, but he has the most star quality of any player in the draft and fills a need for a team looking to fill multiple holes that used to be occupied by LeBron James.
They'll have another shot at adding a player at No. 4, but after the first pick it seems like anything can happen.
And that starts with the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that has been linked to nearly every trade scenario so far and has an intriguing situation on their hands.
Minnesota could sit and take the consensus No. 2 player (or No. 1 in some people's minds) or they actually find a suitable deal and move out.
A number of teams—Houston, New York and San Antonio as the most likely—are looking for ways to get up for players.
It will be a wild draft, there is no denying that, and here is one last look at where players could land when all is said and done.
2011 NBA Mock Draft: Picks 1-5
1 of 61. Cleveland: Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke
Irving is the best player in the draft and deserves to go No. 1.
2. Minnesota: Derrick Williams, F, Arizona
Williams insists that he can play the 3, but will be a 4 and will be a good 4 at that.
3. Utah: Enes Kanter, Turkey/Kentucky, PF/C
The Jazz gamble and hope they can find a point guard later; Kanter could be one of the best players in this draft.
4. Cleveland: Tristan Thompson, F, Texas
I don't believe the Cavs have the luxury of wasting a pick on Jonas Valanciunas here without knowing when he will come over. Thompson may look like a reach here, but every team from No. 4 down could find a use for him.
5. Toronto: Brandon Knight, PG, Kentucky
He's not a true point guard but the Raptors have been linked to him for some time if he got past the Jazz. Knight's scoring mentality will help him early and the Raptors will have to do the rest.
2011 NBA Mock Draft: Picks 6-10
2 of 66. Washington: Jan Vesely, F, Czech Republic
Vesely is a big, athletic forward that the Wizards hope develops quickly. Kawhi Leonard could easily be the pick here as well.
7. Sacramento: Kemba Walker, PG, UConn
The Maloof Brothers reportedly want Jimmer Fredette, but Kemba's overall attitude gives him the edge here.
8. Detroit: Bismack "The Business" Biyombo, a.k.a "B-SMACK", F, Congo
"Who is Bismack? Who is this guy? Where did he come from? At the end of the day, I'm never gonna be Kevin Love, I'm never gonna be Kevin Garnett, and also I'm never gonna be Hakeem Olajuwon. At the end of the day, I'm just gonna be me. Which means, I'm just gonna take some things from each of them, and that's gonna make me a little better."
9. Charlotte: Kawhi Leonard, F, San Diego State
Leonard's one of the few dominant defensive players with a semblance of an offensive game. If he continues to develop he'll be a huge get for the Bobcats.
10. Milwaukee: Alec Burks, G, Colorado
Burks is one of the best scorers in the draft and can handle the rock if necessary. If he doesn't go here we could see him slide.
2011 NBA Mock Draft: Picks 11-15
3 of 611. Golden State: Klay Thompson, G, Washington State
Warriors strike gold here with a player they covet; he could be gone much earlier.
12. Utah: Jimmer Fredette, PG, BYU
The gamble at No. 3 pays off as the draft's most prolific scorer is still on the board for Utah. Jazz land a point guard and a possible center with Fredette and Kanter.
13. Phoenix: Marcus Morris, F, Kansas
The more polished Morris brother falls down the board and Phoenix fills a need at the 4.
14. Houston: Jonas Valanciunas, C, Lithuania
The Rockets will strike a deal and move up from this spot. If for some reason they don't, then they'll be forced to add a big man earlier than they want, but if the Lithuanian is still available they'll be lucky.
15. Indiana: Chris Singleton, F, Florida State
Missing out on Jimmer is a huge loss for this team. They could go with size and strength under the glass with Markieff Morris but Singleton is a great pickup at this spot because of his defensive versatility.
2011 NBA Mock Draft: Picks 16-20
4 of 616. Philadelphia: Nikola Vucevic, C, USC
The biggest man in the draft, Vucevic, goes to a team looking for size.
17. New York: Jordan Hamilton, F, Texas
A big-time scorer with size still on the board? Yeah, we know what the Knicks target. They are also heavily interested in moving up for Jimmer Fredette. Naturally, none of this has anything to do with defense.
18. Washington: Markieff Morris, F, Kansas
The other Morris brother is too good a value to pass up here. An offensive player would have been nice, but Markieff is just starting to realize his potential.
19. Charlotte: Marshon Brooks, SG, Providence
The Bobcats landed a defender at No. 9 and they can add a pure scorer here with Brooks.
20. Minnesota: Donatas Motiejunas, PF, Lithuania
The big seven-footer will be hard to pass up after landing Derrick Williams (and Ricky Rubio) in the same year.
2011 NBA Mock Draft: Picks 21-25
5 of 621. Portland: Kenneth Faried, F, Morehead State
The rebound machine is smaller than teams would like but a hustler nonetheless. Don't rule out a trade up for a point guard from the Blazers.
22. Denver: Tobias Harris, F, Tennessee
One of the most undervalued players in the draft, Harris can do everything on the court and play a number of positions.
23. Houston: Darius Morris, PG, Michigan
Big, rangy point guard might be the best pure point in the draft; throwback-style player that can a run team.
24. Oklahoma City: Kyle Singler, F, Duke
Smart, heady player with a shot. He may never be great, but he could be good.
25. Boston: Jeremy Tyler, F/C, Tokyo (USA High School)
The Celtics will trade this pick as they don't think much will come of it. However, if Tyler is there he could be a steal in a few years. The American 19-year-old has star potential.
2011 NBA Mock Draft: Picks 26-30
6 of 626. Dallas: Nikola Mirotic, SF, Serbia
No team can handle a stashed product as well as Dallas. Whenever he comes over it could be a great value for the Mavericks.
27. New Jersey: Justin Harper, PF, Richmond
Rangy, stretch 4 with a shot. He's soft, but the Nets have a big man already that likes to fight.
28. Chicago: Nolan Smith, G, Duke
Smith is a perfect combo-guard for the Bulls. He can handle the point duties when Rose is out, play defense and also play the 2 effectively.
29. San Antonio: Davis Bertans, F, Latvia
Big-time shooter that still needs seasoning is a classic San Antonio pick. Also, be on the lockout for the Spurs to move up.
30. Chicago: Tyler Honeycutt, G, UCLA
Solid, smart player with versatility, size and a shot. He can do a lot of things well and could give the Bulls decent minutes off the bench.
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