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Since we last got together little has actually happened for the draft. It is important to note this fact. Players have worked out, largely shooting without a defender to challenge them. Kristaps Porzingis has wowed everyone with an impressive workout. Mario Hezonja, on the other hand, was busy dropping 18 in the Spanish League final for Barcelona against Real Madrid.
Before we get to the updated mock drafts I thought it best to drop the highlight videos of both Porzingis and Hezonja here for you to watch. Neither video is terribly long. European prospects, even now in the day and age of the internet, are mere rumors to many people. A random, and difficult to pronounce name that seems to pop up in the draft far earlier than the typical American fan believes appropriate.
We are all familiar with R.J. Hunter, he might be why some person who never watched a game of college basketball all season won the bracket pool at your job. His name, and that improbable shot knocking his father of his chair, was a water cooler topic for nearly a week. This vine of it has over 600k loops already. There are others.
Mario Hezonja
Kristaps Porzingis
CBS Sports updated their mock drafts on June 18th. Draft Express and NBA.com (a newcomer as Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix has yet to update his) are as of June 19th. Impressively, all three mock drafts extend into the second round. Draft Express and CBS Sports both project the Pelicans to take Wyoming's Larry Nance Jr. with the 56th pick. NBA.com, on the other hand, likes Arizona forward Brandon Ashley. I find it interesting that all three have Dell Demps picking a power forward with Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson on the roster.
To the mock drafts!
Draft Express | CBS Sports - Sam Vecenie | NBA.com - Scott Howard Cooper | |
---|---|---|---|
MIN | Karl-Anthony Towns | Karl-Anthony Towns | Karl-Anthony Towns |
LAL | Jahlil Okafor | Jahlil Okafor | Jahlil Okafor |
PHI | Kristaps Porzingis | D'Angelo Russell | D'Angelo Russell |
NYK | D'Angelo Russell | Justise Winslow | Kristaps Porzingis |
ORL | Willie Cauley-Stein | Kristaps Porzingis | Justise Winslow |
SAC | Mario Hezonja | Emmanuel Mudiay | Emmanuel Mudiay |
DEN | Emmanuel Mudiay | Mario Hezonja | Mario Hezonja |
DET | Justise Winslow | Stanley Johnson | Willie Cauley-Stein |
CHA | Devin Booker | Willie Cauley-Stein | Stanley Johnson |
MIA | Stanley Johnson | Myles Turner | Myles Turner |
IND | Myles Turner | Devin Booker | Cameron Payne |
UTH | Frank Kaminsky | Frank Kaminsky | Trey Lyles |
PHX | Trey Lyles | Kelly Oubre | Frank Kaminsky |
OKC | Cameron Payne | Cameron Payne | Devin Booker |
ATL | Kelly Oubre | Bobby Portis | Kelly Oubre |
BOS | Sam Dekker | Sam Dekker | Sam Dekker |
MIL | Bobby Portis | Trey Lyles | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson |
HOU | Tyus Jones | Tyus Jones | Montrezl Harrell |
WSH | Jerian Grant | Jerian Grant | Jerian Grant |
TOR | Kevon Looney | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | Kevon Looney |
DAL | R.J. Hunter | Kevon Looney | Tyus Jones |
CHI | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | Delon Wright | Delon Wright |
POR | Rashad Vaughn | R.J. Hunter | Justin Anderson |
CLE | Montrezl Harrell | Justin Anderson | Bobby Portis |
MEM | Justin Anderson | Montrezl Harrell | R.J. Hunter |
SAS | Anthony Brown | Guillermo Hernangomez | Christian Wood |
LAL | Delon Wright | Rashad Vaughn | Rashad Vaughn |
BOS | Chris McCullough | Chris McCullough | Jarell Martin |
BKN | Terry Rozier | Christian Wood | Cliff Alexander |
GSW | Jonathan Holmes | Terry Rozier | Terry Rozier |