3. Sheppard 44. Ajay Mitchell Spoiler https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/st...58-picks-ncaa-early-entry-withdrawal-deadline 1. Atlanta Hawks: Zaccharie Risacher, SF, Bourg (France) | Age: 19.1 The intel out of the Atlanta Hawks continues to indicate that their front office is at an early stage in its decision-making process and there likely won't be clarity on which way the team is leaning with this pick until closer to draft night. Trading this pick for more immediate contributors or moving down to take multiple swings in this relatively flat lottery class are options. Take for example a scenario in which San Antonio would trade the No. 4 and No. 8 selections for the right to move up and draft Risacher. Every team in the top five has significant interest in Risacher, and it is looking highly unlikely, barring a major surprise, that he'll drop out of the top two. -- Givony 2. Washington Wizards: Alex Sarr, PF/C, Perth (Australia) | Age: 19.0 Which direction Washington goes here appears to hang on where Atlanta ultimately lands at No. 1, with rival teams connecting the Wizards to Risacher and Sarr. Expect the Wizards to look at all options on the trade front -- suffice to say that much of the league is open to moving back for additional value given the difficult nature of this draft -- with players such as Donovan Clingan and Matas Buzelis viewed as options further down their board. 3. Houston Rockets (via Nets): Reed Sheppard, PG/SG, Kentucky | Age: 19.9 Most teams expect the Rockets to heavily pursue trade opportunities, either to move down the board (for example with teams such as the Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies or Chicago Bulls) or to get out altogether if a major building block of a player -- such as Mikal Bridges -- presents itself unexpectedly. Should Houston stand pat at No. 3, continuing to add shooting will likely be a priority after it finished toward the bottom of the league last season. With that in mind, adding a sharpshooter such as Sheppard, who converted over half of his 3-point attempts and proved capable of playing on or off the ball, could be attractive. Sheppard's unselfishness, feel for the game and sharp defensive instincts could make him a strong fit alongside the Rockets' core. -- Givony 4. San Antonio Spurs: Stephon Castle, PG/SG, UConn | Age: 19.5 The Spurs have been exploring all options with their two top-10 picks as they enter a critical offseason. With Victor Wembanyama on a superstar-level trajectory, San Antonio has an opportunity to accelerate its path toward the playoffs, whether that's via the draft, trades or other means. The biggest roster need is at point guard, and rival teams have connected the Spurs to the Cleveland Cavaliers' Darius Garland as they work to revamp the team. San Antonio has reportedly demonstrated strong interest in Castle, who might well land here if the Spurs stay put. Castle's two-way versatility, playmaking potential and size give him attractive upside, and also make him an easy player to pair with whomever the Spurs draft at No. 8. -- Woo 5. Detroit Pistons: Matas Buzelis, SF/PF, G League Ignite | Age: 19.6 6. Charlotte Hornets: Rob Dillingham, PG, Kentucky | Age: 19.4 7. Portland Trail Blazers: Donovan Clingan, C, UConn | Age: 20.2 There's chatter around the league that teams such as Portland, Memphis and Chicago might look to move up to draft Clingan earlier than this 8. San Antonio Spurs: Tidjane Salaun, PF, Cholet (France) | Age: 18.8 The Spurs are considering a handful of prospects at this spot, including Dillingham, Nikola Topic, Cody Williams and Dalton Knecht. 9. Memphis Grizzlies: Dalton Knecht, SF, Tennessee | Age: 23.1 10. Utah Jazz: Nikola Topic, PG, Mega MIS (Adriatic League) | Age: 18.8 Utah is among the interested parties in Topic, with Dalton Knecht, Ron Holland and Ja'Kobe Walter among other prospects who are getting looks from the Jazz at No. 10. 11. Chicago Bulls: Ron Holland, SF, G League Ignite | Age: 18.8 Holland, who is ranked No. 11 in ESPN's Top 100, is in the conversation for teams that are drafting higher than this, including Detroit at No. 5. 12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Rockets): Devin Carter, PG/SG, Providence | Age: 22.2 Carter has earned himself looks in the top 10 from teams, including San Antonio and Memphis, who value his reliability, toughness and all-around readiness to step in and contribute immediately. 13. Sacramento Kings: Ja'Kobe Walter, SG/SF, Baylor | Age: 19.7 There's quite a bit of trade talk around this No. 13 pick, which makes sense considering the Kings' timeline and urgency for returning to the playoffs coming off their 2022-23 season. 14. Portland Trail Blazers (via Warriors): Cody Williams, SG/SF, Colorado | Age: 19.5 Williams has drawn strong interest from teams in the top 10, including Charlotte, San Antonio and Utah. 15. Miami Heat: Zach Edey, C, Purdue | Age: 22.0 16. Philadelphia 76ers: Jared McCain, PG, Duke | Age: 20.2 17. Los Angeles Lakers*: Tristan Da Silva, SF/PF, Colorado | Age: 23.0 The New Orleans Pelicans have until 11:59 p.m. ET on June 1 to inform the Lakers of their decision to either claim this pick or defer it until 2025. Barring a trade, the Pelicans are likely to defer the pick, sources tell ESPN. 18. Orlando Magic: Johnny Furphy, SG/SF, Kansas | Age: 19.4 19. Toronto Raptors (via Pacers): Kyshawn George, SG/SF, Miami | Age: 20.4 20. Cleveland Cavaliers: Carlton Carrington, PG/SG, Pittsburgh | Age: 18.8 21. New Orleans Pelicans (via Bucks): Isaiah Collier, PG, USC | Age: 19.6 22. Phoenix Suns: Kyle Filipowski, PF/C, Duke | Age: 20.5 23. Milwaukee Bucks (via Pelicans): Kel’el Ware, C, Indiana | Age: 20.1 24. New York Knicks (via Mavericks): Yves Missi, C, Baylor | Age: 20.0 25. New York Knicks: Tyler Kolek, PG, Marquette | Age: 23.1 26. Washington Wizards (via Clippers): Bobi Klintman, SF/PF, Cairns (Australia) | Age: 21.2 27. Minnesota Timberwolves: Baylor Scheierman, SG/SF, Creighton | Age: 23.6 28. Denver Nuggets: DaRon Holmes II, PF/C, Dayton | Age: 21.7 Sources told ESPN Holmes recently canceled several workouts, raising strong suspicions that he has secured a guarantee in the back part of the first round. 29. Utah Jazz (via Thunder): Justin Edwards, SG/SF, Kentucky | Age: 20.4 30. Boston Celtics: Kevin McCullar, SF, Kansas | Age: 23.2 31. Toronto Raptors (via Pistons): Tyler Smith, SF/PF, G League Ignite | Age: 19.5 32. Utah Jazz (via Wizards): Cam Christie, SG, Minnesota | Age: 18.8 33. Milwaukee Bucks (via Trail Blazers): Jaylon Tyson, SG/SF, California | Age: 21.4 34. Portland Trail Blazers (via Hornets): Ryan Dunn, SF/PF, Virginia | Age: 21.3 35. San Antonio Spurs: Terrence Shannon Jr., SG/SF, Illinois | Age: 23.8 36. Indiana Pacers (via Raptors): A.J. Johnson, SG, Illawarra (Australia) | Age: 19.4 37. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Grizzlies): Juan Nunez, PG, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany) | Age: 19.9 38. New York Knicks (via Jazz): Pacome Dadiet, SG/SF, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany) | Age: 18.8 39. Memphis Grizzlies (via Nets): Nikola Djurisic, SG/SF, Mega MIS (Adriatic League) | Age: 20.2 40. Portland Trail Blazers (via Hawks): Adem Bona, C, UCLA | Age: 21.1 41. Philadelphia 76ers (via Bulls): Jonathan Mogbo, PF/C, San Francisco | Age: 22.5 42. Charlotte Hornets (via Rockets): Ulrich Chomche, PF/C, NBA Academy Showcase (Africa) | Age: 18.4 43. Miami Heat: Harrison Ingram, SF/PF, North Carolina | Age: 21.5 44. Houston Rockets (via Warriors): Ajay Mitchell, PG, UC Santa Barbara | Age: 21.9 45. Sacramento Kings: Pelle Larsson, SG, Arizona | Age: 23.2 46. LA Clippers (via Pacers): Jamal Shead, PG, Houston | Age: 21.8 47. Orlando Magic: Melvin Ajinca, SG/SF, Saint Quentin (France) | Age: 19.9 48. San Antonio Spurs (via Lakers): Izan Almansa, PF/C, G League Ignite | Age: 18.8 49. Indiana Pacers (via Cavaliers): Dillon Jones, SF/PF, Weber State | Age: 22.5 50. Indiana Pacers (via Pelicans): Keshad Johnson, PF, Arizona | Age: 22.9 51. Washington Wizards (via Suns): KJ Simpson, PG, Colorado | Age: 21.8 52. Golden State Warriors (via Bucks): Bronny James, PG/SG, USC | Age: 19.6 53. Detroit Pistons (via Knicks): Jalen Bridges, SF, Baylor | Age: 23.0 54. Boston Celtics (via Mavericks): Oso Ighodaro, PF/C, Marquette | Age: 21.8 55. Los Angeles Lakers (via Clippers): Ariel Hukporti, C, Melbourne (Australia) | Age: 22.1 56. Denver Nuggets (via Timberwolves): Isaac Jones, PF/C, Washington State | Age: 23.8 57. Memphis Grizzlies (via Thunder): Jaylen Wells, SG/SF, Washington State | Age: 20.7 58. Dallas Mavericks (via Celtics): Antonio Reeves, G, Kentucky
‘yeah, but’ - if compensation for dropping is value added; and if they believe value will be available when it’s their time to select.
I feel Morey tend to operate like this more than Stone. Stone honestly feels pretty traditional as a GM in terms of tendencies.
I feel ESPN is generally pretty plugged in over the years. So the fact that they're basically guessing at this point suggest we really shouldn't take any mock seriously.
Iko obviously isn't a Rockets fan .... Dude posts garbage content. Remember all those "Trade Scenario's" the past couple years, All of them piss poor outcomes for the Rockets. This list is similarly bad. Just throwing crap at the wall to see what sticks. F that guy.
best rebounder in the draft. Most underrated player in the draft. Improved his shooting this year. Can play both guard spots. 6’8” wingspan. If we were picking at #9, Carter and Salaun would be the guys I’d be targeting.
Have the feeling he is going to be a key guy on a good team--one of the smart front offices with a mid-first rounder is going to "reach" for him and end up with a steal.
This has been fun, I learned that many judge basketball players the same way leaders are picked in Invader Zim and actually being able to paly basketball is irrelevant.
Agreed, something along those lines. Maybe if he absolutely maximizes his potential he could become a Jrue Holiday type?
Givony is by far the best in the business at mock drafts. He has his agendas and agent relationships that he's greasing for sure, but the track record of his mocks is way better than everyone else's. He spends the entirety of the year every year for two decades doing exactly this. Guys like Vecenie are OK, but he's just a dude with a computer and a phone sitting in Australia watching tape. Iko is all over the place, and beat reporters are the primary tools for smokescreens and misinfo. Givony is out there in the gyms and has real world relationships with teams, evaluators, agencies, everybody involved. You're 100% right - he's telling us there is no real intel at this point. He's just making an educated guess based on what he knows (which is probably a lot) about how the Rockets evaluate prospects.
