HP Staff Mock Draft

The Magic's selection of Cam Thomas, who ranked 4th in the nation in scoring as a freshman, was one of the more controversial picks in this mock draft. (Photo courtesy of LSU Athletics)

This past season, basketball was a unique experience for every player, especially for those entering this year’s NBA draft. With the pandemic causing a shortened college season, it was harder for prospects to showcase their talents to scouts with a less amount of time to do it. However, the NCAA was still able to host a March Madness tournament, after last year’s tournament was cancelled, and complete a season of college basketball. From these games, fans were wowed by the potential of bright young college stars alongside the proven veterans of the game, looking to show they are ready for the jump to the pros. Now, all their hard work of practicing and playing through a COVID season is about to reach the moment they all worked towards, the NBA Draft. 

This year’s draft is coming up this week, July 29th, at the Barclays Center. With the big day coming soon, the time should be made to break down where 60 of these prospects will land on draft day in the second edition of the Hoops Prospects Staff Mock Draft. 

The set-up for the selections for the mock draft was simple. Each member of the Hoops Prospects team (Lee Branscome, Clayton Conover, Rich Harris, Simon Hillinger, Eric Kerr, and Bobby Zeffero) was assigned one division in the NBA, with the exception of Conover, who also responsible for making picks for Brooklyn in addition to the teams in the Pacific Division. Below is the video of the mock draft, which includes discussion and analysis of each pick.  The selections are also listed below by draft order.  

NOTES:

  1. The draft order assumes that Chicago exercises its right to swap the #40 pick for the #38 pick.
  2. Roko Prkacin — At the time when our picks were made on July 16th, Roko Prkacin was still in the draft; he decided to withdraw on July 19th. This comes as a bit of surprise considering many draft boards, like ours, had him as a mid-to-late first-round pick. The 19-year-old’s decision to not enter the pros and play one more in Europe comes from a potential opportunity to further improve his draft stock next year.  
  3. Jared Butler — During the NBA Combine, Baylor guard Jared Butler was diagnosed with a heart condition and was prohibited by the league from working out for any team. Reports say that this heart condition was something that he had back when he committed to play for Alabama in 2018. Last week, it was announced that Butler was cleared to practice and play, but at the time of this mock draft, his status was still up in the air.  

Full Video

Selections

Pick/TeamMade ByPlayer
1. DetroitBZCade Cunningham, PG 
2. HoustonRHJalen Suggs, PG
3. ClevelandBZEvan Mobley, C
4. TorontoEKJalen Green, SG
5. OrlandoLBScottie Barnes, F
6. Oklahoma CitySHJonathan Kuminga, F
7. Golden State (from Minnesota)CCFranz Wagner, F 
8. Orlando (from Chicago)LBCameron Thomas, SG
9. SacramentoCCJalen Johnson, F
10. New OrleansRHJosh Giddey, PG
11. CharlotteLBIsaiah Jackson, PF
12. San AntonioRHUsman Garuba, PF
13. IndianaBZDavion Mitchell, CG
14. Golden StateCCCorey Kispert, W
15. WashingtonLBKai Jones, PF
16. Oklahoma City (from Boston)SHJames Bouknight, SG
17. MemphisRHKeon Johnson, W
18. Oklahoma City (from Miami)SHAlperen Sengün, C
19. New YorkEKMoses Moody, W
20. AtlantaLBMiles McBride, PG 
21. New York (from Dallas)EKSharife Cooper, PG
22. Los Angeles LakersCCJaden Springer, G
23. Houston (from Portland)RHZiaire Williams, F
24. Houston (from Milwaukee)RHRoko Prkacin2, F
25. LA ClippersCCChris Duarte, W
26. DenverSHQuentin Grimes, SG
27. BrooklynCCTrey Murphy, F
28. PhiladelphiaEKTre Mann, G
29. PhoenixCCBones Hyland, G
30. UtahSHAyo Dosunmu, G
SECOND ROUNDMade ByPlayer
31. Milwaukee (from Houston)BZJoe Wieskamp, SF
32. New York (from Detroit)EKAaron Henry, W
33. OrlandoLBJared Butler3, G
34. Oklahoma CitySHJosh Primo, W
35. New Orleans (from Cleveland)RHJosh Christopher, SG
36. Oklahoma City (from Minnesota)SHNeemias Queta, C
37. Detroit (from Toronto)BZCharles Bassey, C
38. Chicago1 (from New Orleans)BZGreg Brown III, F
39. SacramentoCCJT Thor, PF
40. New Orleans (from Chicago)RHHerb Jones, SF
41. San AntonioRHJeremiah Robinson-Earl, PF
42. Detroit (from Charlotte)BZJoel Ayayi, G
43. New Orleans (from Washington)RHDay’Ron Sharpe, C
44. Brooklyn (from Indiana)CCVrenz Bleijenbergh, F
45. BostonEKMoses Wright, PF
46. Toronto (from Memphis)EKMatthew Hurt, PF
47. Toronto (from Golden State)EKDavid Duke, G
48. Atlanta (from Miami)LBRaiQuan Gray, F
49. Brooklyn (from Atlanta)CCDaishen Nix, PG
50. Philadelphia (from New York)EKKessler Edwards, F
51. Memphis (from Portland)RHFilip Petrusev, C
52. Detroit (from LA Lakers)BZBJ Boston, W
53. New Orleans (from Dallas)RHIsaiah Todd, PF
54. Indiana (from Milwaukee)BZEJ Onu, C
55. Oklahoma City (from Denver)SHSandro Mamukelashvili, PF
56. Charlotte (from LA Clippers)LBDuane Washington, SG
57. Charlotte (from Brooklyn)LBScottie Lewis, W
58. New York (from Philadelphia)EKLuka Garza, C
59. Brooklyn (from Phoenix)CCJericho Sims, C
60. Indiana (from Utah)BZJason Preston, PG

Author

  • Eric Kerr

    Eric Kerr, a graduate student at Quinnipiac University from Seekonk, Massachusetts, is a passionate sports and news storyteller. Not only is Eric working as an intern for Hoops Prospects, but he is also the current Broadcast Manager of the Quinnipiac Bobcats Sports Network, and is a Volleyball and Basketball Beat Reporter for Q30 Television. Eric loves the NBA, and enjoys rooting for his hometown Boston Celtics when the season is in swing.

    View all posts