Sonics Rising NBA Mock Draft, version 2.0

The NCAA tournament is over. Whose stock rose? Whose fell? We're back with another mock draft.

By Taylor Made@TheTaylorBartle Apr 9, 2014, 9:50am PDT

The boys are back. The post-tournament mock draft is here and some new names have appeared, some movers and shakers have moved and shaken. Carl was unable to make this time so his picks were divvied up evenly among the remaining staffers. Check it out. Expect version 3.0 after the lottery.

Pick	Team	Representative	Player	Position	School	Reason for pick
1		Chris Meirose	Andrew Wiggins	SF	Kansas	Milwaukee needs someone to lead them into their future, whatever that future may hold. Wiggins fills an immediate need providing scoring. With Sanders at Center, and a back court that has potential, Wiggins fit perfectly here, and is a bona fide star in the making. Wiggins could be successful immediately on this team.
2		Taylor Bartle	Joel Embiid	C	Kansas	Philadelphia has Nerlens Noel at the center position, but he could easily be moved over to the 4. Embiid gives them a shot blocking presense who can provide offense as well. There's still a question of whether or not Jabari Parker will come out, but even if he does he didn't exactly prove his leadership in the tournament
3		Kevin Nesgoda	Julius Randle	PF	Kentucky	Randle is probably the best overall player in the draft right now. He can score in the low post with either hand, can jump out of the gym, has a little bit more range than people give him credit for, has strength on the block both on offense and defense and he is one of those kids who is hungry to get better and win. His one downside though is he could have short arms for his size.
4		Dontae Delgado	Dante Exum	PG/SG	Australia	He can potentially play both guard positions next to Trey Burke, another non-traditional guard. Exum at 4th overall is a great value pick, and he can mature in the not-so-media-frenzied mountains instead of bright lights of a bigger city.
5		Dontae Delgado	Aaron Gordon	PF	Arizona	Shawn Marion, who Gordon is so frequently compared to, played SF and PF in his heyday. Guarding both positions, displaying elite athleticism, and a very awkward (but effective) shot. Can Gordon develop a jumper? That's probably the biggest concern presently, but in the meantime, he would fit as a great contrast to the bulky Sullinger and the solid Olynyk.
6		Taylor Bartle	Jabari Parker	PF	Duke	Let's assume he does go pro. Would two ball-hungry shooters like Parker and Kobe Bryant work on the same team? Histoy would dictate that no, they would not. Would that stop the Lakers from trying? Not likely.
7		Taylor Bartle	Marcus Smart	PG	Oklahoma State	Sacramento has a solid young backcourt with Isaiah Thomas and Ben McLemore. But Smart is arguably the best player available here and can play either position. It gives the Kings flexibility to make a move later, should they decide to.
8		Mitch Northam	Doug McDermott	F	Creighton	I have no idea how the Pistons' roster will look come draft day, but for the sake of this mock draft, let's assume that they move either Greg Monroe or Josh Smith, leaving an opening at the SF position. McDerrmott played more of a PF role in college, and sometimes even center for the undersized Creighton squad, but unlike J-Smoove, Doug McBuckets can shoot from outside with ease and excels at operating from the perimeter on offense. Even if the transition to SF isn't a smooth one, the Pistons add a lethal stretch-four to come in off the bench.
9		Taylor Bartle	Noah Vonleh	C	Indiana	Anderson Varejao may be on his way out of Cleveland, one way or the other. Vonleh can fill the void he leaves behind. Vonleh is a shot blocking, rebounding monster who can get his share of points. Sound familiar? Their names even start with the same letter!
10	(via New Orleans)	Taylor Bartle	Gary Harris	SG	Michigan State	This might be a bit early for Harris, but with Dario Saric heading back to Croatia, it makes sense for the Sixers. He provides them with a shooter who Michael Carter-Williams can kick the ball out to to knock down the outside shot.
11		Dontae Delgado	Clint Capela	PF/C	Switzerland	Reminds many of Serge Ibaka before he was drafted. Long, athletic, a good defender, and quick in transition. Maybe Horford doesn't need a "traditional Center" next to him. Maybe a PF/C tweener can give the Hawks a dynamic that, along with Lucas Nogueira, can give the Hawks the option to play big or small, fast or slow. Capela needs a 15-footer, but that can be added as needed, Horford has that down.
12		Kevin Nesgoda	James Young	SG	Kentucky	The Nuggets are in desperate need of a perimeter player who can create his own shot (and knock it down), play defense and work his butt off night in and night out. I think Young is that guy. He didn't make as many big shots as Aaron Harrison, but it was his game that helped Kentucky advance in the tourney.
13		Taylor Bartle	Willie Cauley-Stein	C	Kentucky	You didn't think Gorgui Dieng was the answer, did you?
14		Chris Meirose	P.J. Hairston	SG/SF	Texas Legends (D-League)	Happy to find him still available. A nugget hiding just out of view from most people, Hairston has put in a very good year honing his game. He arrives to the NBA with a few character questions, but I don't think they surface under the watchful eye of Jeff Hornacek. Hairston has shown his ability to score and create his own, and Phoenix could use someone with that skill set. At 6'6" and 220lbs he might be a bit small for NBA SF, but can fill a few minutes there as needed in a pinch.
15	(via New York)	Kevin Nesgoda	T.J. Warren	SF/PF	NC State	If you have not seen TJ Warren play you are definitely missing out. He's 6'9" and a solid 235. He can bang inside, step outside and knock down the mid range jumper. If he's going to play a lot of minutes at the SF in the NBA though, he's going to have to develop a three point shot. He only hit 26% last year in college.
16	(via Charlotte)	Chris Meirose	Nik Stauskas	SG	Michigan	Stauskas would pair exceptionally well with Derrick Rose giving them a backcourt scoring option the Bull are sorely lacking. With Rose's ability to get to the rim, a lot of clean shots should be available for Stauskas.
17	(via Washington)	Chris Meirose	Adreian Payne	PF	Michigan State	It is tempting to go with a more traditional PF here for the Suns, but Payne is just too skilled to pass up for coach Hornacek. Payne shoots 40+% from 3pt and can stretch the floor. He's a big body as well so he gives you options in the post. His defense is solid, and he can run so should fit well with the sets Phoenix runs.
18	(via Brooklyn)	Dontae Delgado	Jerami Grant	SF	Syracuse	The Celtics should move on from all their current swingmen. Jeff Green hasn't developed as expected and Gerald Wallace at 31 is beyond his athletic prime. Grant is in the Wallace mold, but with a better mid-range shot than Wallace ever had. Grant can make an impact on defensive immediately. If Rondo remains in Boston, it'll be an easier road for his offensive development.
19		Chris Meirose	Patric Young	PF	Florida	Young can score inside and brings a lot of energy. Would pair nicely with Noah in that respect, and could spell him from time to time if Thibs wants to go small. Might be a bit of a reach here, but he fits the Bulls well.
20		Mitch Northam	Tyler Ennis	PG	Syracuse	The Raptors may not be in the market for a PG if they choose to bring back Greivis Vasquez or Kyle Lowry, but if they are and Tyler Ennis is still on the board, they would be foolish to pass up on him. Ennis who is a creative and unselfish floor general but lacks the athleticism and speed that most look for in a point guard. Still, he takes care of the ball and is always looking to set his teammates up to score.
21		Taylor Bartle	Jusuf Nurkic	C	Croatia	Nurkic is not the most skilled big man in the draft, but he's got good hands and he's the big body that the Mavs are lacking. He will be good off the bench behind Dalembert and could be groomed into a solid starter down the road.
22		Mitch Northam	Kyle Anderson	SF	UCLA	A wing scorer that is just what the doctor ordered for the Grizzlies. A versatile player who can score inside and out, rebound and finish against contact.
23	(via Golden State)	Dontae Delgado	Rodney Hood	SF	Duke	You can never have too much shooting and Hood has plenty of it. It burns me to draft him as he's from the Evil Empire, but Utah needs more spacing for Favor's and the Exum, Burke duo to operate in the paint. Hood doesn't have a lot of upside, but he's one dimension can fit well here with minutes and a defined role to fill.
24	(via Portland)	Mitch Northam	Montrezl Harrell	PF	Louisville	To build off an impressive season and improve their roster, the Bobcats will need to upgrade their defending around the rim. Harrell combines his measurements (6'8", 230 ibs, 7'3" wing span) with his hustle and rebounding skills and should help them out in that department.
25		Mitch Northam	Shabazz Napier	PG	UConn	Many mock drafts have Napier going in the second round, but I believe some team will take a chance on him in the first round. The Rockets are in a position where they should be bringing back teh same core group of guys next season for another trip to the playoffs and will be looking for role players to help them go further. Plus, doesn't a point guard rotation of Napier-Beverly-Lin sound awesome?
26	(via Indiana)	Chris Meirose	Cleanthony Early	PF	Wichita State	The Suns need some depth in their front court and Early should be able to step in and contribute positive minutes right away. They won't have to rely upon him for offense, so everything they get is a bonus. He has a solid offensive game and should be able to find some space in the Suns offense to continue to grow.
27		Kevin Nesgoda	Aaron Harrison	SG	Kentucky	The Heat need some youth in the backcourt to help take some pressure off Wade, with this draft being extremely swing and front court heavy, Aa Harrison is the best fit. Harrison is not the most athletically gifted guard in the world, he won't blow by you, but he's big, strong, can post and can knock down the NBA three in big game situations. He has some growing up to do and doing it in the Heat organization will do wonders for him.
28		Dontae Delgado	Walter Tavares	C	Gran Canaria	Sleeper pick alert! With Doc Rivers turning DeAndre Jordan into a competent center defensively, I imagine he can do wonders with a mobile, long (7'9" wingspan), pick-and-roll experienced, 7'3" beast with a soft touch around the rim, and a great work ethic. Very raw, but great tools. Now go watch video on him.
29		Kevin Nesgoda	Mitch McGary	C	Michigan	Sam Presti rules above all. He's going to take a flyer here because he needs a bit more help in the front court. McGary can afford to sit a year and barely play to get that back right, but he'll eventually take over for Nick Collison or maybe even be the long term answer as starter for the Thunder.
30		Chris Meirose	Elfrid Payton	PG	Lousiana Lafayette	Has the potential to be a Tony Parker who plays above the rim. Can score and can get to the rim with explosive quickness. 6'4" but with a 6'7" wing span. Can create his own offense off the dribble, but is good in distributing as well. And much to coach Pop's liking, he plays defense.