The Future is Here...For Some

Dude...

With the top 5 prospects seemingly to be clear cut top 5 guys, and obviously everyone

knows who’s going first overall, here is my personal prediction for how I believe the

lottery picks should go along with a sleeper outside of them.

1.) San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama

I feel like there’s no explanation here, especially if you’ve followed this draft class for long

enough, but I’ll do a short breakdown on why I think he’s special. At 7 '4 Wembanyama is a very talented post scorer who has proven to do anything next to the rim to the highest level besides powering to the basket. He also can shoot threes while moving and even has solid ball handling skills, which if a defender can’t stop him there then good luck trying to do anything on his jump shot that nobody has seemed to be able to block up to this point. The young man from France has shown he’s capable of being a playmaker, pure scorer, and a defensive unit all in one with his 8 foot wingspan. The young unit that the Spurs already have in Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson, and Devin Vassell is good and adding a generational talent like Victor will make it very special for years to come.

2.) Charlotte Hornets: Scoot Henderson

Now here is where we may get controversial in terms of what the Hornets need, but the fact is they need just about everything. Brandon Miller is a good fit for what they have on their roster yet at the same time he’s also not the type of player the Hornets need. Lamelo Ball needs another franchise player by his side and not a number 2 player, which is exactly what Scoot Henderson can bring to the table with how he’s already able to calm down the offensive pace as well as he can boost it. Scoot is an incredible finisher at the rim who has an elite moveset with the ball and being under pressure while driving is something he’s already capable of being composed in. Having the best ability to adapt from mistakes in this draft, if Lamelo solidifies his talents in playing off-ball and using his size to his advantage this backcourt duo could be exactly what the Hornets need to get back to playoff contention at the very least.

3.) Portland Trail Blazers: Brandon Miller

Now I very well think the Hornets are capable of making a mistake in thinking they somewhat

have a team not horrific enough to pass on Scoot, but it would be shocking to see Brandon Miller go past the third pick with how much he’s been talked about. Brandon Miller looked far and beyond the best college prospect in this draft until his final game at Alabama against San Diego State, almost getting nothing going inside or outside the perimeter and a very loose dribble resulting in six turnovers. All the negatives aside he’s a very talented shooter with very good mechanics to shoot from anywhere in the NBA level along with being able to adapt as the game goes on to pressure situations and make impressive passes if shots aren’t falling. The Trail Blazers can do a lot to move this pick and truthfully almost nobody in Portland wants Damian Lillard to be there anymore, so if they make the right choice in finally rebuilding Miller could be an excellent get along with some trade pieces and the talent in a guard like Anfernee Simons.

4.) Houston Rockets: Amen Thompson

The Thompson brothers have been on my radar for this draft before the season even started and I think both of them can last in the league for a while. Meanwhile, Amen has the biggest upside of the two regardless of him being more raw as a prospect compared to Ausar. Amen has incredible athletic ability compared to the rest of this draft and his vision on the court is almost on the same level making passes between defenders or even above them with sharp accuracy. His biggest downfall is his shot where even playing in Overtime Elite was left open on his shots because of how ineffective he was from anywhere and hopefully it’s something he can develop in the NBA. If it wasn’t for his shooting troubles Amen could’ve hopped into the number 2 spot and be special, but this shouldn’t take away from the fact that the Rockets would be getting someone who can be special and take the chance with where they stand as a team right now.

5.) Detroit Pistons: Cam Whitmore

At this point Pistons fans are all on the verge of waiving the white flag if they haven’t already as they had the worst record in the NBA by five games and still ended up with the fifth pick after the NBA Draft Lottery. On the bright side if Cade Cunningham comes back strong and stays healthy there’s still brighter days ahead and it starts with the selection of Cam Whitmore. Between Amen Thompson’s level of athleticism as previously stated the prospect who comes second closest is Whitmore having the highest vertical leap at the combine at 40.5 inches and proven such a leap at Villanova. His acceleration off the dribble and showed signs of changing the pace of the game on his own from his dribble skillset which can easily make him a shot creator on the court if he grows in that aspect. Playing next to Cade and Jaden Ivey could become a cutter with more energy and defense to help out those two and create an elite young trio going forward.

6.) Orlando Magic: Ausar Thompson

This pick took me the longest to think about so far as the Magic’s roster build makes no sense outside of Paolo Banchero and Markelle Fultz, but I’ll go with something the Magic lack more than most teams and have them take a very athletic wing in Ausar Thompson. Now with the past two picks being also very athletic individuals, I’ll instead talk about why the Magic could do well with this pick. Ausar is definitely the brother who is more prepared for the NBA from watching film as both his speed and body control when going to the basket makes it difficult to stop him from scoring even through contact. His mid range shot is also much better than Amen although his athleticism isn’t exactly on the same level. Both these aspects along with how good of a defender he is on the other end can give the Magic a two-way type of player that they haven’t had on their roster for a long time and help them the most.

7.) Indiana Pacers: Jarace Walker

If the Pacers keep Myles Turner, Jarace Walker would be the perfect pick for Indiana here.

Walker is one of the top college prospects in this year’s draft who stunned me in a very positive way in the March Madness tournament and is a player we may have not seen come in since Draymond Green was drafted. At 6 '8 and 240 pounds the forward out of Houston is a very strong defender who can compete with any big man and keep up with a lot of NBA guards with his lateral quickness. On offense he can make outlet passes on fast breaks, easily score through contact in the paint along with very smooth footwork, and can steamroll over defenders in the pick-and-roll. Walker is far and beyond the best prospect who specializes in the frontcourt in this draft and can be an elite role player with his skills going forward for the Pacers.

8.) Washington Wizards: Anthony Black

After the apparently worst trade in NBA history made by the Washington Wizards, which in

terms of Bradley Beal’s contract and the current state of the team it wasn’t, the Wizards are

starting to go into the direction of a rebuild. Anthony Black is a really good prospect to start this new era off with as he is a big point guard who is capable of playing any role and has a little talent in all sorts of aspects. Black showed how talented of a playmaker he was at Arkansas and has the capability of making the smart play and amplifying the talent of the players around him. His shooting mechanics aren’t NBA level yet and he really struggles to make shots while on the move which could hurt him in being any type of top scorer on the team, but his finishing at the rim along with his excellent passing ability and play well when he digs off the ball on defense. It’s really unclear what the Wizards will look like at the start of next season, especially after the Beal trade, yet I still think Anthony Black could do well in Washington especially if they blow it up and start from the beginning.

9.) Utah Jazz: Keyonte George

There’s playing it safe and then there’s Danny Ainge as the Utah Jazz have been tangled in

multiple reports about either trading and moving up to get a higher first round pick from 16 to

get Keyonte George. Knowing Ainge and how he has worked moves in the past, I feel that he

could just save the trouble and shoot for the stars in picking up a combo guard with a low floor and a high ceiling in George. Since high school and even at Baylor the soon to be 20 year old can make multiple perimeter shots whether it’s a stepback, pull-up, or even side-step jumper along with keeping control of the ball and creating space from moving into a layup or taking a shot. His biggest issue as with a lot of players in the NBA who are under 6 '5 is that he will always be picked on when he’s playing defense and he isn’t quick enough with his hands. As raw as he may seem to most he has shown signs that he can do a lot in the next level at Baylor and the Jazz could land a home run if development treats George well.

10.) Dallas Mavericks: Taylor Hendricks

This is probably the one team I really think can trade out from this pick as having Luka Doncic on your team won’t help for next season with a pick outside of the top 5 or even top 3, but IF there’s no trade here then I think that Taylor Hendricks should be the pick. Compared to other teams outside of the top 5 and fits it was hard not for me to put him somewhere earlier but Dallas would be quite lucky to keep the pick and have potentially a very special three point shooter and defender mix here. Hendricks was on no draft boards going into this past season at UCF being outside the top 50 prospects in the class of 2022, and he still went out and he should’ve got more offers. Hendricks will have to play the four for the most time as his small frame and even his lack of experience in a pick-and-roll system, but his versatility and relentless defensive effort along with his length will make him a very good stretch forward if he plays well against NBA talent as he did in college. The forward from Central Florida has the tools to be around for awhile in a top role position and the Dallas Mavericks could land gold here if he looks as good as he did in the American Athletic Conference.

11.) Orlando Magic: Gradey Dick

The Magic are currently in a state where they’ve been rebuilding for what seems like a decade and after getting a prospect who’s more prepared for the NBA with the skill set in terms of Ausar Thompson, grabbing a talented shooter to space the floor for the team is exactly what they’ll get with Gradey Dick. Although the Kansas season didn’t end the way their fanbase wanted they still got gifted to see a competitive player who is very slim but does everything on the court to negate that offensively. The main issue with Dick is that he is a huge defensive liability as anyone with his lack of strength and lateral quickness so he will be picked on in the NBA on the other side of the floor. Otherwise, how well of a shot maker he is and even finishing at the rim with both hands would be a miss for any team at this stage of the draft and a good safe pick for Orlando.

12.) OKC Thunder: Kobe Bufkin

During the college season this is not the first Michigan player I would have selected off the draft board, but how Kobe Bufkin finished the year and seeing him play leading up to the draft against other prospects and how well and shifty he moves with the ball shows a lot of potential for Bufkin. Both with and without the ball he moves around a lot and can get a bucket from his incredible finishing at the rim to a very good jump shot off the catch and even a huge hustler that helps him play defense very aggressively with a smaller frame. He definitely shows signs of being raw even after two years of college ball with a lot of turnovers and committing a lot of fouls that don’t need to be made. In a system like Oklahoma City it could be the perfect case for him to develop around other young talent and soon enough become a very good rotation player at the least.

13.) Toronto Raptors: Cason Wallace

This is probably my favorite pick outside of the top 10 as Cason Wallace could be the perfect fit for the new era of the Raptors assuming Fred VanVleet leaves. Wallace has an excellent sense of toughness and competitiveness on defense and absorbs contact making it miserable for any guard or wing player to try and score on him at Kentucky. He also shows big flashes of moving around the court and being a great shooter from the spot when given the ball and even does well going to the basket with his hustle everywhere and ability to put up a solid floater. Unfortunately, Wallace was asked to do a whole lot for Kentucky as a freshman with how bad the rest of the team around him was for half a season and he also battled some back issues which at certain points limited a took at his acceleration off the dribble. With his better than average playmaking skills and ability

to catch and shoot while getting back with big energy on defense the Raptors would have a bright light in a dark tunnel with the pickup of Wallace.

14.) New Orleans Pelicans: Jalen Hood-Schifino

The Pelicans looked to be the team to beat at one point last season when Zion Williamson was healthy and shots were falling and it seemed like they were ready to go into contention for a title by the next season, but Zion was hurt once again and the team went nowhere but down after that. This offseason seems to be going nowhere but down as well between multiple trade rumors and Zion being a “freakazoid,” so to start them off next season with a prospect in this class would be adding some size next to CJ McCollum and that would be where Jalen Hood-Schfino comes in. Hood-Schifino had a very impressive freshman year and helped push Indiana to a season not too many people expected and did so with his feel for the game and ability to be consistent with his pull-up jumper. Having a stronger frame than most guards in this draft class he also is very good at getting in the way of a player who is driving and also does well in defending passes in a half-court set. Although he can have games where he’s very hot from the field, there were more games he was cold than others would like and his handles are very inconsistent and shaky which hopefully can adapt playing with the veteran guards on the Pelicans.

* Sleeper: Jett Howard

For what each team needs in the lottery it was tough to find a spot for Jett Howard to be a sure pick for one of these teams, but the Freshman wing out of Michigan could be one of the top picks from this draft. Son of Juwan Howard, Jett has a very high IQ on the court from knowing where to go and where to pass it to for a good shot he has all the capability to work well in an NBA-level offense. His ability to shoot anywhere from the perimeter, mid-range, or even a tough finish at the basket and a floater he’s got so many different tools on offense that can get him multiple high-scoring games on the pro level. His glaring weakness is his defense where his lateral quickness is very poor and he has left many shooters wide open at Michigan although his hustle helps him out when the offense is moving down the court. Away from his defensive footwork, he is an incredible talent on offense and there could be many teams kicking themselves later on for not picking Jett in the lottery.