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I'm back for another year Very early at this stage, but I thought I'd mock together my pre-season rankings and things will obviously shift around a lot from there. If there's any guys 'missing' they're probably guys I'm not aware of or have seen enough of to rank, so would love to be pointed out anyone I'm missing.

1. Doncic
2. Ayton
3. Bagley
4. Bamba
5. Porter
6. Knox
7. Sexton
8. Jackson Jr.
9. Bridges
10. Williams
11. Carter
12. L.Walker Jr.
13. M.Bridges
14. B.Brown
15. Diallo
16. J.Jackson
17. Vanderbilt
18. M.Robinson
19. McCoy
20. Bonga
21. Duval
22. Brown Jr.
23. Musa
24. Metu
25. Peters
26. Trent Jr.
27. Hachimura
28. Richards
29. Kurucs
30.Tillie
31. Pons
32. Wiley
33. A.Johnson
34. Alkins
35. Mushidi
36. Yurtseven
37. Wagner
38. Washington
39. Trier
40. Kulbulka
41. A.Jones
42. Dawkins
43. G.Allen
44. Melton
45. Dawkins
46. Adel
47. J.Robinson
48. Azubuike
49. Gabriele
50. Welsh
51. Haas
52. Hogg
53. Holiday
54. Battle
55. Simanic
56. Mykhailiuk
57. Vick
58. Dos Anjos
59. King
60. Graham

Some early movement based on seeing some guys I'd seen little of previously, I'll just stick to the top 30 for now -

1. Ayton - was toying with this one in the initial board, but gave Doncic the benefit of the doubt before we saw any college play. I'm pretty confident with Ayton at the top spot. He's not without his flaws but he's a still a monster prospect. Long way to go yet, I still feel like the top spot is pretty open this year. Lot of good high end talent.
2. Doncic
3. Bamba
4. Porter
5. Bagley - Still like his potential but he's a little too raw in terms of skill-set to justify going above any of the other top guys. Has a lot of question marks that he'll have to answer with his NBA development.
6. Knox
7. Carter
8. Jackson Jr.
9. Sexton
10. Miles Bridges
11. Duval - Jumper is still a concern but his PG play has been excellent and the handle and speed is there just as you would expect. Too good to drop any further.
12. R.Williams
13. Mikal Bridges - Seeing the jumper looking good is a great sign. I have a tendency to fall in love with older/rawer prospects, but this is an exception. I have a strong feeling Bridges is going to be an excellent pro.
14. T. Brown
15. Diallo
16. B.Brown
17. Musa
18. McCoy
19. Ju.Jackson
20. Vanderbilt
21. Metu
22. T. Young - Decided to add him in, this is a very preliminary position because I haven't seen much of him, but it doesn't take long to acknowledge his dynamic on-ball ability. Defense and ball-hogging are 2 significant detractions at this point, though.
23. Trent Jr.
24. Robinson
25. Bonga
26. Hachimura - I really like his profile but for a guy that's being drafted first and foremost for his physical profile, he feels a tad too slow and ill-suited to the 3 spot for me to rate him too highly.
27. Peters
28. Richards
29. Tillie
30. Kurucs

How quickly things change - I'm already shaking my head at my mid-November rankings. Things are a little bit less reactionary at this point and feel like they're starting to settle down, and I have enough confidence in some of the guys I like to boost them up a bit more versus the consensus.

Comments in spoilers for most guys, some didn't feel there was anything new to say -

1. Bagley -
2. Doncic
3. Ayton -
4. Porter
5. Bamba -
6. Knox
7. Jackson Jr.
8. Sexton
9. Mik. Bridges -
10. Carter -
11. Mil. Bridges -
12. R.Williams -
13. T.Young -
14. McCoy -
15. Duval -
16. B.Brown
17. T.Brown
18. Diallo
19. Musa
20. Metu
21. Trent Jr.
22. J.Jackson
23. Walker Jr. -
24. Simons
25. Vanderbilt -
26. Robinson -
27. Hachimura
28. G.Allen -
29. Yurtseven -
30. Bonga

Thumbs up for having Grayson Allen in there. Remember that the teams picking in the late first are just trying to marginally improve their roster and add some youth to the team. Allen is an experienced player whose greatest strength – shooting, especially off the ball – is exactly what many of those teams need, or let's say could use, the most. I take that any day over hoping a comparatively unimpressive Freshman or Sophomore develops into a useful player without much playing time quickly enough to make an impact on my team.

Couple questions regarding players I would rank (very) differently:

What makes Duval close to Young as a prospect and how comes that Sexton has this much separation from the next lead-guard on your list? How do you believe Duval will make an impact on a borderline playoff-team (which likely has its lead-guard already).

What do you expect Knox to be, or to become, in the NBA that you have him 6th? What do you see in him to put him ahead of, say, Jackson Jr. or the two Bridges? Or what makes him a prospect that is much better than Troy Brown?

What do you envision McCoy's role to be at the next level? Can he be more than an offensive big man who scores without spacing the floor in order to justfiy drafting him in the late lottery and would that really be more valuable than an optimistic projection of Robinson (ranked #26)?

Oh, and I would love if you could sell me on Diallo and Metu. I just don't see their profile as appealing enough to draft them with a mid-first. Too many question marks and, imo, too little realistic upside to take them this high.

The-Power wrote:Thumbs up for having Grayson Allen in there. Remember that the teams picking in the late first are just trying to marginally improve their roster and add some youth to the team. Allen is an experienced player whose greatest strength – shooting, especially off the ball – is exactly what many of those teams need, or let's say could use, the most. I take that any day over hoping a comparatively unimpressive Freshman or Sophomore develops into a useful player without much playing time quickly enough to make an impact on my team.

Couple questions regarding players I would rank (very) differently:

What makes Duval close to Young as a prospect and how comes that Sexton has this much separation from the next lead-guard on your list? How do you believe Duval will make an impact on a borderline playoff-team (which likely has its lead-guard already).

What do you expect Knox to be, or to become, in the NBA that you have him 6th? What do you see in him to put him ahead of, say, Jackson Jr. or the two Bridges? Or what makes him a prospect that is much better than Troy Brown?

What do you envision McCoy's role to be at the next level? Can he be more than an offensive big man who scores without spacing the floor in order to justfiy drafting him in the late lottery and would that really be more valuable than an optimistic projection of Robinson (ranked #26)?

Oh, and I would love if you could sell me on Diallo and Metu. I just don't see their profile as appealing enough to draft them with a mid-first. Too many question marks and, imo, too little realistic upside to take them this high.

Yeah, I can imagine a playoff team happily snapping up Allen, he's NBA ready to go.

I'll be honest, I'm not super high on any of the PG's right now, but I think the complete lack of guards in the top 10 probably helps a guy like Sexton. Probably should be reflected more in a mock than a big board but Sexton does appeal to me because he plays hard, he pushes the tempo, and is relentless on both ends. He's not necessarily a great shooter per se but I think he has that shot makers confidence and I don't think his form is too broken. I'm not sold on him as a floor general but I think he can be a dynamic opportunity creator in the open floor.

Duval I may actually like more than Sexton, but his jumper is a massive concern, imo. In the mid-1st I think a lot of teams should be looking for a high ceiling guy that can potentially become a valuable asset or future core piece, and he fits the bill imo. Best case scenario I could see him developing in to a high end backup like Jackson did for OKC, Bledsoe for the Clippers, or most recently you could argue Rozier for Boston.

Trae Young is a riser, skill level is elite, but the two concerns I have is he quick and shifty enough to be the dynamic shot creator at the next level, and will he be able to adapt his PG play and shot selection away from being the best player on the floor. Couple that with his obvious liabilities on the defensive end and I think there's a decent chance he just ends up a backup PG in the league, so I'm not ready to put him above who I consider bona fide lottery locks like Williams, Bridges, Carter, etc. yet.

I definitely think there's an argument for Jackson Jr. over Knox, that one's a toss up for me. Both guys are super young, have 2 way potential, will need molding though. I think both guys have a higher ceiling than Mikal, I love Mikal's defense but he's going to be a pretty robust offensive role player, and Miles is a player but I do question exactly what he is at the next level, he's a bit of a swiss army knife imo, and while that's valuable, I'm not sure if it's something you necessarily build around.

McCoy seems like a guy whose raw production will always look better than his actual impact, but damn does he produce. I'm not sure he's ever a starter but I'd feel pretty comfortable to say he'd be a high level backup, and you never know if he ever finds some competency on the defensive end suddenly he's a valuable piece. At least he has that baseline of production on the offensive end.

I have Robinson lower mainly due to the off-court, red flag stuff. Doesn't seem like the brightest guy in interviews, either. Absolutely has lottery tools but with the unknown of not seeing him in college, I feel like anyone drafting him would be taking more of a flier than anything.

Diallo's dropped a bit for me compared to the previous boards, but again, I just see a baseline of really good slashing and a an athletic profile that serves him well on the other end. Not a ball handler but doesn't look too rigid with the ball in his hands, seems to possess solid IQ, an aggressive mindset, and the form on his jumper isn't the worst either, just needs to remove the hitch more than anything. Just outside the lottery I think that's a good combination of tools.

Metu I'm not completely sold on either, so I won't try and convince you, I could easily see him falling in to the late 1st, even early 2nd at worst throughout the season for me. Probably another example of me pigeonholing a big in to a range without many bigs, tbh.

McCoy as a 1st rounder let alone the lottery is insanity

Fischella wrote:McCoy as a 1st rounder let alone the lottery is insanity

Not that I'm validating my own opinion with the 'group-think' mentality, but when most popular mocks and most mocks from people here have him as a mid-1st, I don't think I'd classify it as insanity. It seems to be a popular sentiment.

I wouldn't be surprised to see him fall out of the lottery, heck i have him right on the fringe of it right now, but to not be a first given his production as a freshman I think is a gross exaggeration. It's like saying 'Ayton in your top 5? Have you seen his defense?'.

Yeah, i got McCoy going in the 17-25 range but definitely a 1st rounder. I’d love to see him in DEN

skywalker33 wrote:Yeah, i got McCoy going in the 17-25 range but definitely a 1st rounder. I’d love to see him in DEN

yeah you guys def need another C that can't play defense, it's not like you have already 2 under contract for 2-3 years and another one that's about to be signed to a near max contract this upcoming summer

Fischella wrote:

skywalker33 wrote:Yeah, i got McCoy going in the 17-25 range but definitely a 1st rounder. I’d love to see him in DEN

yeah you guys def need another C that can't play defense, it's not like you have already 2 under contract for 2-3 years and another one that's about to be signed to a near max contract this upcoming summer

So are you saying you wouldn't take Jokic on your MAV's ????? And there's the reason I question your (lack of) judgement

Jokic has been playing better defense (at least prior to his injury), so I'd bet McCoy could learn too. And where we'll be picking, he would be a solid pick as backup allowing us to let Plumlee leave.

skywalker33 wrote:

Fischella wrote:

skywalker33 wrote:Yeah, i got McCoy going in the 17-25 range but definitely a 1st rounder. I’d love to see him in DEN

yeah you guys def need another C that can't play defense, it's not like you have already 2 under contract for 2-3 years and another one that's about to be signed to a near max contract this upcoming summer

So are you saying you wouldn't take Jokic on your MAV's ????? And there's the reason I question your (lack of) judgement

Jokic has been playing better defense (at least prior to his injury), so I'd bet McCoy could learn too. And where we'll be picking, he would be a solid pick as backup allowing us to let Plumlee leave.

Man, your reading comprehension must be off for you come up with that conclussion

allowing Plumlee to leave, unless you eat his salary and straight-up cut him isn't really that realistic, nobody is gonna want him, and we haven't even touched on Faried.

The Nuggets need a wing project badly, drafting a Center, and on top of that one that has suspect defensive upside and can't play with Jokic, would be criminal.

Fischella wrote:

skywalker33 wrote:

Fischella wrote:yeah you guys def need another C that can't play defense, it's not like you have already 2 under contract for 2-3 years and another one that's about to be signed to a near max contract this upcoming summer

So are you saying you wouldn't take Jokic on your MAV's ????? And there's the reason I question your (lack of) judgement

Jokic has been playing better defense (at least prior to his injury), so I'd bet McCoy could learn too. And where we'll be picking, he would be a solid pick as backup allowing us to let Plumlee leave.

Man, your reading comprehension must be off for you come up with that conclussion

allowing Plumlee to leave, unless you eat his salary and straight-up cut him isn't really that realistic, nobody is gonna want him, and we haven't even touched on Faried.

The Nuggets need a wing project badly, drafting a Center, and on top of that one that has suspect defensive upside and can't play with Jokic, would be criminal.

Funny how you try to come across like you KNOW a lot about the Nuggets, but you don't follow them like I do.

I'll agree that Wilson Chandler has been the weak link in the starting 5, but the Nuggets do have Hernangomez as well as Tyler Lydon and Torrey Craig in the D-League, all three of whom the Nuggets are high on. Juancho is recovering from mono and Craig and Lydon are developing in the D-league, leaving Chandler as the only option this year. Craig just started for the Nuggets vs NOP, he showed very well, saw it myself last night. So, what seems apparent to you is not the truth, just what you think it is.Your assumption is apparent with Chandler starting, but not in depth with the analysis.

As for Plumlee, he is very serviceable ...right now. He is in the first year of a 3-yr contract, so if we were to draft McCoy (or Gafford, another favorite), he'd take a couple of years to develop, just as Plumlee's contract expires. At UNLV, McCoy has shown superior offensive skills, most all he's been expected to do. But he's has the footwork to step up on the defensive end, (although Gafford looks better on that end to me) regardless he could turn out to be a plus especially where I foresee the Nuggets drafting this year. With DEN, we already have Millsap, Lyles and even Faried (who plays very well with Jokic). Lydon and Hernangomez can also swing to PF, that is the future versatility the Nuggets are creating.

New big board - you guys will appreciate that McCoy is down (a little bit) -

1. Ayton
2. Doncic
3. Bagley - these 3 are still a major toss up for me.
4. Porter
5. Bamba
6. Jackson Jr.
7. Mik. Bridges
8. Young
9. Knox
10. Sexton
11. Mil. Bridges
12. Carter
13. R.Williams
14. B.Brown
15. Walker Jr.
16. Duval
17. McCoy
18. T.Brown
19. Musa
20. M.Robinson
21. Vanderbilt
22. Simons
23. J.Jackson
24. Trent Jr.
25. Atkins
26. G.Allen
27. Yurtseven
28. Hachimura
29. Metu
30. Tillie

Honourable 1st round mentions to Vick, Kurucs, Bonga, Washington, Azubuike etc.

*I edited this on the 21st, wanted to bump Young up more.

Don't see how Vick isn't a first round pick.

SlowPaced wrote:Don't see how Vick isn't a first round pick.

He's close for me, heck I gave him an honourable mention Honestly, if I revised the latest one today, he'd probably be in the 25-30 range for me. By draft day I could see him as high as 17-20 sort of range, but that depends more on the other prospects than him.

FIRST FULL 60 PICK MOCK

1. Ayton
2. Bagley
3. Young
4. Doncic
5. Porter
6. Bamba
7. Jackson Jr.
8. Mik. Bridges
9. Mil. Bridges
10. Knox
11. Sexton
12. Carter
13. T.Brown
14. Gilgeous-Alexander
15. Vanderbilt
16. Fernando
17. Walker Jr.
18. Duval
19. McCoy
20. Musa
21. Diallo
22. Gafford
23. M.Robinson
24. B.Brown
25. Simons
26. Metu
27. Trent Jr.
28. Vick
29. G.Allen
30. Tillie

31. Hachimura
32. Wiley
34. Shamet
35. Alkins
36. A.Johnson
37. Brunson
38. Kurucs
39. Azubuike
40. Milton
41. Trier
42. Washington
43. Bonga
44. McLemore
45. Yurtseven
46. Happ
47. Carr
48. Hands
49 Hervey
50. Battle
51. Colson
52. Wagner
53. Holder
54. Haas
55. Simanic
56. Adel
57. Graham
58. Mushidi
59. Mykhailiuk
60. Lual-Acuil

2nd round is a bit rough, first time putting it together so I may have overlooked a couple of 2nd round guys, and there's a few I simply have seen very little of, so I either excluded them or will be subject to a lot of movement. I went in to this not thinking much of the 2nd round but it's actually pretty solid after considering it all.

As for the first round, made a few additions for guys I didn't think would be there previously - SGA, Fernando, Gafford, I think maybe there was a couple of others in there as well.

I see things a lot like you do. The one difference I'd have is Trae Young a bit lower. I know he's a beast right now, but I'm still not convinced certain parts of his game will translate. He's one of the guys I'm hoping does go early though, so that one of my preferred players falls.

Pretty solid overall.

Cappy_Smurf wrote:I see things a lot like you do. The one difference I'd have is Trae Young a bit lower. I know he's a beast right now, but I'm still not convinced certain parts of his game will translate. He's one of the guys I'm hoping does go early though, so that one of my preferred players falls.

Pretty solid overall.

I was actually planning on putting up a new one today (probs tomorrow at this rate), with Young going a bit lower part of it. I bumped him up at the peak of his hype, but I think the reality is settling in now that the efficiency and TO struggles will make him look a bit less invincible.

He's probably a 4-6 guy at the end of the day, imo. No matter how well he plays in college I'd always be a little bit nervous drafting him.

Alright, doing the top 30 again -

1. Ayton
2. Bagley
3. Doncic
4. Porter
5. Young
6. Bamba
7. Jackson Jr.
8. Mik. Bridges
9. Mil. Bridges
10. Carter
11. Sexton
12. Knox - just continues to disappoint me tbh, great player in theory, not in practice. Can't see him falling much further than this.
13. T.Brown
14. Walker Jr. - going against the grain a bit here but despite his poor play I still see exciting tools that are worthy of lottery.
15. R.Williams
14. Vanderbilt - fluid stock right now but but gut is late lottery - guy with his size and feel isn't dime a dozen.
15. Gilgeous-Alexander
16. Diallo
17. Fernando
18. Duval
19.Gafford
20. Musa
21. McCoy - I have slowly decided to drop him. Dropped off a tiny bit, inability to cut down on TO's a concern for me esp.
22. Simons - Hope Simons stays in, love him. I see him 15-25, isn't going to crack lottery without college to display himself.
23. Trent Jr. - thought I better give him a bump, not a sexy pick but just a straight up talented shooter.
24. M.Robinson
25. B.Brown - Disappointing season in my books. Had him pegged in as a fringe lottery guy start of the season.
26. Metu
27. Vick
28. G.Allen
29. Tillie
30. Milton

Latest top 60 BB -



I usually don't like doing mocks until after the deadline but here's a premature one -

1. Atlanta - Ayton - best talent imo. No reason for ATL to go for anyone else.
2. Orlando - Bagley - not a perfect fit with current pieces but not enough to dissuade ORL from next best talent imo.
3. Kings - Doncic - Next best on my board + Euro's in management + weak at SF.
4. Dallas - Jackson Jr. - No talent at C, next best on board.
5. Suns - Bamba - First difference from the BB. Perfect fit for a PHX team needing defense and C talent.
6. Grizz - Porter - They get an alpha combo forward that fits whether they blow it up or not.
7. Bulls - Young - This is honestly a worst-case for me because I'd prefer any of the above guys, esp. fit wise. Take him per BPA basis.
8. Cavs - Carter - Toss up b/w Carter and Mikal for CLE. I think Carter aids a more pressing need.
9. Philly - Mik. Bridges - Just what they need. 3/D athletic wing, ready to help.
10. Hornets - Sexton - Think they're scared of drafting more bigs. Sexton steps in day 1 as backup and provides defense/downhill attack.
11. Jazz - Mil. Bridges - This would be fun. PF weakest position, Bridges can roam with Gobert covering. UTA would be dynamic.
12. Knicks - Knox - fits super well with core, youth and upside.
13. Pistons - Walker Jr. - They just drafted Kennard but I think Walker provides versatility and dynamism. Big slip from my BB.
14. Clippers - T.Brown - gives them some versaility from their weakest position.
15. Philly - Diallo - Tough one. Pick up a downhill athlete to run the lanes.
16. Denver - R.Williams - Gotta go with BPA here but not the ideal fit for Denver.
17. Pacers - Hachimura - They've got bigs, they've got guards, this gives them a project forward.
18. Bucks - Fernando - Big C, fits a need, good value.
19. Pelicans - Melton - Bit of a big call here. Pels reach on a big guard.
20. Wizards - Musa -Scoring 2. Nice wrinkle for their 2nd unit.
21. Portland - Hutchison - Another big call on a reach. Wings are few and far between.
22. Phoenix - Duval - Really has no business dropping this far imo, good value and a need for PHX.
23. Minnesota - Simons - They struck luck with a similar prospect in Lavine, I think they see value and go for a prospect here. Thibs isn't going to give him minutes for a few years, lol. Maybe Thibs is set on a win-now prospect but I think this makes sense on some levels.
24. Cleveland - G.Allen - Yeah I went there. Experienced shooter, bit of a name. Who knows if they even keep this pick.
25. Atlanta - Gilgeous-Alexander - Big PG to learn behind Schroeder.
26. Spurs - Gafford - Wouldn't this be a win for SAS. They need modern bigs, Gafford under Pops tutelage? Exciting.
27. Nets - M.Robinson - They've already got a couple of young bigs, but Brooklyn are in a position to swing for upside.
28. Boston - McCoy - Big name, gives them size and something different at C. If flaws are ironed out by Stevens, big upside.
29. Hawks - Bonga - These guys have another pick? I'm all for upside with rebuilding teams, they reach for Bonga here.
30. Warriors - B.Brown - A pretty dynamic guy, gives them a defender, doesn't have to score much, just play hard, contribute.