The 2019 NBA Draft lottery is complete and combine in motion so it’s time to serve up T.I.s NBA mock draft 1.0. This version examines best fit by team including a shooter for the OKC Thunder
Thunderous Intentions begins our 2019 NBA Draft session in earnest this week with a full perspective on how the draft affects the OKC Thunder future squad. This initial mock draft examines the first round and top 30 picks with a view to who each of the teams should select at their assigned spot.
With the NBA Draft Lottery completed this week the order of selection is set for the main event on Monday, June 24. Between now and then the NBA Draft Combine (currently underway) will occur and teams will bring in prospects for interviews and workouts.
Expectations and hopes were smashed at the lottery as the three squads expected to win the Zion sweepstakes fell dramatically down the board. Clearly, the big winners of the draft were the New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies and LA Lakers who all leaped over the triad expected to land the top three picks.
The Lakers didn’t move past the Knicks but the fourth selection still affords the Hollywood squad a top talent in this thin draft. More importantly, the combination of New Orleans nabbing Williamson will have overarching effects across the league specifically if new GM David Griffin can’t convince Anthony Davis to stay.
Griffin cited the OKC Thunder as the team he hopes to emulate with his top priority being retention of Davis. If that fails however, this NBA Draft could get lit in a hurry as the Lakers, Celtics, Clippers, Knicks, and Nets will all likely sidle up to offer picks, assets, and their first born child to pry Davis from the Pelicans.
In a year where the depth isn’t the calling card, the draft process takes on a slightly different focus. Instead of teams selecting “the best player available” more and more squads will look to fulfill specific roster gaps or swing for the fences on an unknown/unproven talent with hopes of growing that asset within their system.
While leaks are already occurring out of the Draft Combine this initial mock draft isn’t selecting players based on rumored promises. Rather, I’m assigning players based on fit and need. Shortly after the Combine is completed Rylan Stiles will offer up the 2.0 mock draft to reflect more of the promises made and shifts based on stand out performances. T.I. will also keep an eye on team workouts and news of prospect progress so there may be four iterations (including our final mock) by the time we reach June 24.
To that end, outside of the top five to seven picks each mock draft T.I. comprises may have wild shifts. With such a thin draft class there is great parity, unknown ceilings, big swing risks and other intangibles that make predicting this season perhaps the most difficult I’ve ever completed.
Helping us in the process will be the annual T.I. OKC Thunder Draft Prospect Series. The first of 60 profiles ran yesterday with a look at Dedric Lawson; a prospect Sam Presti would be well served buying into the second round for. Over the course of the next five or so weeks, T.I. will run profiles on players the OKC Thunder have no shot at, barring Presti electing to blow things up. Even then, we’ll consider it because the one thing you can rely on in the NBA is there is never certainty on what a team or player will do – thus is the LeBron era.
We’ll also dive in deep to the prospects Sam Presti will (and or should) be taking a hard look at with the 21st pick. And, this year more than ever, emphasis on prospects expected to be drafted 30-60 will be a huge focus. Despite the OKC Thunder not having a second round pick, Sam Presti has proven to be a GM who’ll buy in to nab extra picks. More importantly, given the salary situation in OKC and three consecutive early playoff ousts means Presti needs to find economical talent that can fill out the roster and hit shots!
For this first T.I. mock draft I’m taking some wild swings because there are a few prospects I’m feeling may not be getting the attention they deserve.
With that, I give you Thunderous Intentions NBA 2019 mock draft 1.0. Enjoy!