1045 The Team NBA Mock Draft

Today starting at 7pm the 2017 NBA Draft officially gets underway. After a trade was completed earlier this week, the Philadelphia 76ers now hold the #1 overall pick. Below Goz and producer Eric Hannamann gave their insights and predictions into this year's draft.

Goz's Analysis:

Please for the love of everything think Phil DON'T TRADE PORZINGIS! DON'T! I've sat on ESPN's Trade Machine trying to figure out a trade that makes sense for the Knicks that another team would actually accept. There isn't one. As for this year's prospects, the only prospect I'm super high on is Zach Collins from Gonzaga. The nineteen year old seven footer Collins, was a bench player the 'Zags and helped that team continue to dominate on the west coast.  Monk and Fox are not as good as other Kentucky players we have seen in the past few drafts. That does not necessarily make them bad basketball players but still they don't excite me. Fultz may be the number one pick in the draft, but Washington was not good enough to make the NCAA tournament and the Huskies fired their coach following the season. Look for Tyler Lydon, the former Syracuse player to be the final pick of the first round to the Utah Jazz.

Eric's Analysis:

1. Markelle Fultz: The 76ers have all but confirmed they are going to take Fultz here and it makes total sense with what Bret Brown wants to do with this team. Brown will have Ben Simmons, who will be a fellow rookie this season, run the point a lot next season and Fultz will be able to do well off the ball. At 6-4, Fultz physically could become a matchup nightmare and as long as they can stay healthy, especially Joel Embiid, they could create a Big 3 in Philly.

2. Lonzo Ball: The shot is unorthodox so only time will tell if it will play well in the NBA. I am not concerned about it whatsoever but what I would be concerned about is how he matched up against other big time players at UCLA. D’Aaron Fox and even Fultz have played well against him but the passing and big play ability is real. The possible headaches from his father, Lavar, are worth the potential star power. But don’t worry too much because Lavar has two other kids to talk about.

3. Josh Jackson- Jackson could be the best 2-way player in this draft especially if he develops a 3 point shot. Worst case scenario for Jackson is a solid defense of player with some big time athleticism helping the offensive game, a rich man’s PJ Tucker if you will. Best case scenario would be developing into a Kawhi Leonard.

4. Jayson Tatum- Could be the best scorer in the draft. Would not be surprised if he averaged 25 PPG within 3 years but the defensive struggles are real (see Duke’s loss to South Carolina in the NCAA tournament) and with a similar player in Devin Booker, I’d think that Phoenix would rather have Josh Jackson. That being said, Booker and Tatum would be a hell of a scoring combination.

5. D'Aaron Fox- Fox has the potential to be the best player in this draft if some of the potential does not come to fruition. Fox has the highest floor of any player in this draft in my opinion and he reminds me of John Wall in more ways than just being another PG to play for John Calipari at Kentucky. Expect a chip on his shoulder as well after being drafted after fellow PG’s Fultz and Ball.

8. Dennis Smith -This would be an ideal selection for the New York Knicks as they need a player to come in and really do work with the ball in his hands. He was viewed as the possible #1 picks in this draft for a good amount during last year’s college season and it would be a great gift for the Knicks at 8. Playing at NC State last year did not help his value but if you watch his highlights, especially against Duke, you’ll see he is the real deal.

9. Lauri Markannen-How fitting would it be if Dirk Nowitzki’s last season’s was centered on mentoring his replacement? Markannen has the potential to develop into a nice stretch 4. Be wary of the defense but the scoring potential is through the roof.

19. Harry Giles-Viewed as lottery pick for a while, his performance in college has dropped him significantly. He could be a heck of a steal this late especially if he can stay healthy and develop his jump shot.

21. Ivan Rabb. Rabb has a mountain of potential but that value dwindled with a return to Cal. He can really run the floor and rebound. Anyone in the 18-22 range should be thrilled to have the opportunity to develop him.