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1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Nerlens Noel
Yes, I’ve heard all the noise concerning Noel’s injury status, and the fact that he hasn’t played since February, and probably won’t play his first NBA game until after the first month of the season. But in the weak draft with limited options, the Cavs will pick the only sure shot talent, even if that talent’s health isn’t so sure of a shot.
The Cavs already have Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thomas in the front-court, and as Noel recovers, he can slowly claim the starting spot for the young team.
2. Orlando Magic: Ben McLemore
Questions about his work ethic may have arisen lately, but I believe that once the regular season commences, the shooting guard from Kansas will get back to doing what he does best: play good basketball. The Magic need help in every position. In McLemore, they find a natural back-court leader and scorer to get them started.
3. Washington Wizards: Otto Porter
If we’d just counted the second half of the past season, the rapidly improving Wizards would’ve been a playoff team in the East. With John Wall, Bradley Beal, Emeka Okafor and Nene, they have a blooming roster to be optimistic about. The do-it-all small forward Porter can fit right into the starting line-up and became a good option on both ends of the floor for the Wizards.
Otto Porter
4. Charlotte Bobcats: Alex Len
Like the Magic, the Bobcats are another team that could use help just about anywhere. Here is a team that has been in the NBA’s pits for the past two seasons and actually started Bismack Biyombo and Josh McRoberts in their frontcourt.
Enter Len: The Ukrainian may be an incomplete prospect, but at this point, so is everyone else on the Bobcats roster. Fit him in with Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Charlotte could strike lucky if the big man’s potential actually pans out.
5. Phoenix Suns: Anthony Bennett
Bennett is a decent big man who can do decent things. He’s athletic and a great scorer in the post. He should be able to become a solid-but-unspectacular starter for the Suns straight away.
6. New Orleans Pelicans: Trey Burke
The Pelicans have a couple of interesting back-court players already – Eric Gordon, Greivis Vasquez, and Austin Rivers – and getting a point guard at this stage might not ideally fit their needs. But Burke was the National Player of the Year after all and took his squad to the Championship game.
The future of Gordon in New Orleans looks hazy anyways, and Rivers might not become the type or prospect that many of us envisioned. Also, many of the other talented options remaining are also backcourt players. The Pelicans might go for Burke to boost their bench and bring a winning mentality to their young team.
Alex Len
7. Sacramento Kigns: CJ McCollum
The clock is ticking for Tyreke Evans’ future in Sacramento. McCollum – who has been compared to Damian Lillard for being a Senior who ‘came outta nowhere’ to dominate the NBA – might be the type of mature backcourt presence that the Kings might decide to gamble on. His arrival in Sacramento’s crowded backcourt (Evans, Isiaah Thomas, Jimmer Fredette and Marcus Thornton) might signal a future trade in the works.
