The DUDE Who Loves Sport's Mock Draft

Dude…

The NBA Draft countdown has continued to tick down as young athletes across the country and world anxiously await to hear if the commissioner, Adam Silver, will call their name to become the next bright star in the NBA. The first overall pick is locked in already with bright star Victor Wembanyama, the 7’2 19-year-old from France that can dribble and shoot like a guard. Even though the #1 overall pick is pretty much set in stone, what about the rest of the picks? The lottery is known for where the next stars for the NBA are usually picked. Experts like to pick their mock drafts to try and guess who will go where. The Dudes are doing the same thing, except we aren’t experts. Just some Dudes who love Sports. So get in a comfy chair, open that beer that’s been calling your name for the last hour, and enjoy our lottery pick mock drafts.

#1 Pick the San Antonio Spurs Select Victor Wembanyama

The Lottery for the next great prospect landed on the San Antonio Spurs as the balls came to the conclusion that coach Gregg Popovich needed another foreign-born prospect to nurture and grow under his tenure. Wemby as I like to call him, is as great of a prospect we have seen since Lebron James. No, Zion was not a better prospect as you can obviously tell with his choices in recent weeks, Wemby shows that he is the next big thing. Standing 7’2 doesn’t usually entail that he can shoot. Wemby is that exception. He can really shoot the ball. His biggest attribute is his ability to get to the rim with what seems like utter ease. He cuts through the lane like Zion eats his face full of cajun food. The kid just looks like a superstar. Wemby’s size, professional basketball experience, and shooting capabilities make Wemby the easy choice at #1.

#2 Pick the Charlotte Hornets Select Brandon Miller

The big debate is who goes #2. Do you go with the guy who plays like Russell Westbrook, and has professional basketball experience, or go with the kid who shot the lights out as a wing and lead his team to the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament? Brandon Miller will be chosen #2 not because he’s a better prospect, but because he’s a better fit for the Hornets. The Hornets have LeMelo Ball, a very young star with a bright future. They need a counterpart to help spread the floor, make threes, and give an outlet for Ball to create. Brandon Miller is that prospect. He completes those needs and fills the wing position that the Hornets have needed for YEARS! The only concern with Miller is his bust potential. He didn’t play well in the NCAA Tournament, but the pros outweigh the cons, and I think the Hornets take Miller at 2

#3 Pick Portland Trail Blazers Select Scoot Henderson

Scoot Henderson is that man for the Trail Blazers. The Blazers need another star to continue to build around Dame Time. They added a crucial piece in Shaedon Sharpe and look to add a counterpart to the equation. Scoot would bring the drive-to-the-rim style the Trail Blazers need. It’s a little confusing how this offense will work since Simons played well last year. Scoot will bring that X factor the Blazers are looking for to take the next step.

#4 Pick Houston Rockets Select Amen Thompson

Known as the better prospect by most experts and talking to the twins themselves. Amen Thompson is another great fit for the Rockets. The Rockets have great young stars in Jalen Green at the point, and Jabari Smith Jr. down low. Amen Thompson is a key fit with his shot-creating ability that will fit nicely with Jalen Green’s style of play. The wing position is an important role in the NBA, Amen slides into that position to spread the floor and move this young Rockets team in the right direction.

#5 Pick Detroit Pistons Select Jarace Walker

The Pistons were the worst team in the NBA last year, and since the lottery exists, they dropped all the way to the 5th pick. The Pistons have two incredibly gifted, young talents in Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. The Pistons need help in pretty much every other position. Jarace Walker brings that big man factor the Pistons need the most. Walker strives in a pick-and-roll offense and the Pistons have two guards who love to drive to the rim. Walker brings rim protection as well and looks to be an excellent piece to the puzzle in this Pistons rebuild.

#6 Pick Orlando Magic Select Ausar Thompson

Even though the better prospect team is already off the board, Ausar Thompson showed flashes as a top prospect in his time with Overtime Elite. He doesn’t shoot it as well as his brother but shows the ability to improve. He also makes all the guys around him better as well. The combo of Thompson and Rookie of the Year Paolo Bachero looks to help the Magic take even greater steps forward.

#7 Pick Indiana Pacers Select Cam Whitmore

Whitmore had a great pro day which bumps him up to 7 going to the Pacers. Whitmore has all the physical attributes that would make a successful NBA player. At 6’6, Whitmore played incredible defense for the Villanova Wildcats this past season. Shooting at a 34% clip from three, Whitmore looks to learn from Tobias Harris and gives great contributions off the bench that could lead to a starting role for a team that could find themselves in playoff contention.

#8 Pick Washington Wizards Select Anthony Black

The Wizards are in a full rebuild after trading Bradley Beal to the Suns. Anthony Black showed extreme agility and had to put Arkansas on his back after losing Nick Smith Jr. for most of the season. Anthony Black used his insane basketball IQ and made significant plays to help the Razorbacks defeat one-seed Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen. At 6’6 Anthony Black would be a perfect guy to build around. With his court vision, if you can get some guys who can catch and shoot, then Black should thrive. The Wizards are going to be bad for a while, as they continue to trade their ENTIRE team away. With Beal and now Porzingis being shipped up to Boston for an old Marcus Morris. Their recent trade acquisition, old head Chris Paul, will probably be bought out. So in a severe rebuild situation, Black may be the only thing fun to watch about this team next season.

#9 Pick Utah Jazz Select Taylor Hendricks

Taylor Hendricks seems like a great need for Utah to pick up to continue their rebuild. The Jazz started off pretty well and had some promising upside. Lauri Markkanen played well and showed to be a great move for Utah in the future. The Jazz also saw some great production from rookie Walker Kessler. These two front-court guys are the future. Taylor Hendricks adds to the depth and rotation of that frontcourt. Hendricks played well at UCF being a bright side to a rather disappointing year for Knights fans. Hendricks also has the typical body frame to be a productive big in the NBA. Adding the beef down low and getting the best prospect still on the board seems like the right move. I’m not all in on Hendricks because he didn’t even make the tournament last year. So we will see.

#10 Pick Dallas Mavericks Select Grady Dick

Grady doesn’t need Dallas. Dallas needs Grady. I’m kidding. However, I think Dick could be a great shooter for the Mavs. Dick was a sharpshooter from three. He helped the Jayhawks all season and showed he could hit the three with high volume. The Mavs have Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving which should’ve been enough to be in the playoffs. Dick could learn under Doncic and become the three-point piece the Mavs were desperately missing. I think this works for both parties extremely well.

#11 Pick Orlando Magic Select Jalen Hood-Schifino

The Magic to have found their star in Paolo Banchero. Now it’s time to draft a prominent counterpart for Paolo. Hood-Schifino had an incredible year at Indiana. He showed that he could put it on the deck and shoot the three-ball. His three-point shot and basketball IQ seem to fit perfectly with Banchero’s strengths. I think Hood-Schifino is the best PG on the board and will help the Magic alongside Ausar Thompson. Ausar and Hood-Schifino would spread the floor extremely well and allow Paolo to dominate. It just seems like a match made in heaven for the Magic.

#12 pick Oklahoma City Thunder Select Bilal Coulibaly

Bilal has continued to bolt up the draft with his post-season run next to Wemby. Bilal has a 7’3 wingspan and has shown to be a pest on the defensive end. His defensive capabilities would be a shock to the Thunder's defense. Coming off the bench with this team that made a significant run to almost make the playoffs, seems like the right move. Bilal is also said to be a guy who would sit in the gym and shoot 1000 shots a day. His shot needs work, but the Thunder need defense. Bilal seems to be heading to a perfect fit.

#13 Pick Toronto Raptors Select Jett Howard

Although Jett Howard had a disappointing one-and-done career. He has shown to be a great prospect. Jett plays a lot like his pops did back in the day. Jett seems like a nice replacement piece for Fred VanVleet declined to return to the team. If the Raptors picked up a good shooter with a high bright side, it may convince Pascal to really push this year. A new PG in Toronto seems like a solid pick.

#14 Pick New Orleans Pelicans Select Keyonte George

Everyone needs more shooters (except the Grizzlies), and New Orleans is another team that could benefit from grabbing another great shooting prospect off the board. George showed star power at Baylor but showed some major inconsistencies toward the end of the year. However, George may be a project worth spending time on. If Zion decides to move on, he could be a great piece any team would love to have. You always can use more shooters, and the Pelicans could find a diamond in the rough.

Sleeper pick Rayan Rupert #20 to Memphis

Ok so hear me out. The kid from France is not good on offense. Let’s get that out of the way. However, his defensive capabilities were incredible. He also seems to cut through the defense in transition extremely well. The Grizzlies have a stingy defense with the new pickup of Marcus Smart. Ja may be suspended for 25 games but the Grizzlies won’t slip much. I heard on a podcast that Rupert had a Kobe-like work ethic. If a guy needs to work on his offense, he seems to get it done.

I don’t know. I’m just a fan. That’s it I’m done. Lock it in. See you later.