YurView has gone through ten of the most popular NBA Mock Drafts from around the web (as of June 15), averaging out each prospect’s projected slot, or in a few cases, slotting a prospect if there was a general consensus across multiple mock’s. With that disclaimer, we bring you the YurView First Round Mock Draft ahead of the 2017 NBA Draft on June 22. Check out picks #21-30 here and check back for the top 10 picks.
20. Portland Trail Blazers – T.J. Leaf, PF
After teammate Ike Anigbogu was projected to go #21, his UCLA teammate directly precedes him at #20 to Portland. The Trail Blazers have had success with skilled bigs before, and Leaf is projected to go as high as #16 by NBADraft.net.
19. Atlanta Hawks – Justin Patton, C
After coming out after his Freshman season at Creighton, Patton is another big with a wide-range of opinions. CBS Sports has the athletic center going the highest at #15, while USA Today doesn’t give him a first-round grade.
18. Indiana Pacers – Harry Giles, C
After injuring both his knees at different points in high school, Giles couldn’t become a consistent producer in his lone season at Duke. He still possess the same skill set that made him the top ranked player coming out of high school by ESPN though, and as such, a sure-fire first rounder. The Ringer has him going at #14, while four of the mock drafts have him going #20.
17. Milwaukee Bucks – Jarrett Allen, C
According to the mock drafters, the middle of the first round is the sweet spot for multiple big men, and Allen is firmly in that mix. Listed as high as #13 by Bleacher Report, three have him listed at #17 to the Bucks and only one has Allen dropping into the twenties.
16. Chicago Bulls – Og Anunoby, SF
Perhaps no other prospect in the 2017 NBA Draft has evoked a wider range of opinions than the Indiana University Forward. Four mock drafts have him going #13 to Denver, while DraftExpress has Anunoby at #22. NBADraft.net is the supreme outlier, having him out of the first round altogether!
15. Portland Trail Blazers – Justin Jackson, SF
If Anunoby’s projections are all over the place, Jackson’s are about steady as they come in the middle of the first round. Perhaps with three years of college tape and consistent production, evaluators feel more comfortable giving him a grade just outside the lottery. Eight of the ten have him pegged at #15 or #16, with ESPN’s Chad Ford slotting him at #21.
14. Miami Heat – John Collins, PF
Collins is also a consistently slotted in the middle of the first round, with multiple projections each at #14, #15, and #16. The consensus seems to be that he’s a notch ahead of the high-upside freshmen bigs like Allen, Giles and Patton, with his college production of nearly 20 points/10 rebounds in the highly competitive ACC a contributing factor.
13. Denver Nuggets – Luke Kennard, SG
The Duke Shooting Guard was another player who produced in the ACC, and in turn, possibly played his way into a late lottery selection. Out of the ten mock drafts, he was projected at each slot from #10 to #16. Two mocks had him at #13, including NBC Sports.
12. Detroit Pistons – Donovan Mitchell, SG
Whether it’s because of fit with Detroit in Stan Van Gundy’s system or he’s just the twelfth best player in the Draft, seven of the mock drafts have the former Louisville guard going to the Pistons. Sports Illustrated and ESPN have him jumping the next player on our list and going #11. Either way, he envisioned himself in the NBA before he even picked a college when YurView talked with him three years ago.
11. Charlotte Hornets – Zach Collins, PF
Falling just outside the top 10 (although five mock drafts have him going #10), is Zach Collins out of Gonzaga. Both USA Today and Fox Sports have him at #11, while none of the other mocks have him going lower than #14.
Now that we’ve gone through picks 11-30, it’s pretty obvious who the consensus top 10 picks are. But what order to the evaluators in these mock drafts have those picks, and do the various trade rumors affect the outcome? Check back tomorrow to find out.