Nerlens Noel is Still a Top 5 Draft Pick: a 2013 NBA Mock Draft at the NBA All-Star Break
By Jason McIntyre
17. Atlanta (from Houston) – Kelly Olynyk, C, Gonzaga. Two first round picks and likely a ton of cap room. Danny Ferry makes a run at Dwight Howard, right? Olynyk has to be one of college basketball’s most improved players, ranking 1st in PER (36.5), and if they whiff on Howard, at least he can step in and play immediately.
18. Utah – James McAdoo, F, UNC. Big offseason looms for the Jazz. What will happen with Jefferson, Mo Williams, Millsap, and Foye? I’ll go best-on-board in McAdoo, who is a better player than we’ve seen this year. Hampered by poor guard play.
19. Atlanta – Glenn Robinson, F, Michigan. If they lose Smith – which seems like a lock – they’ll need a wing player, and Robinson is one who can actually shoot. I’m not as high on Robinson as others, who talk about him as if he’s a borderline Top 10 pick.
20. Chicago – Isaiah Canaan, G, Murray State. Still need a shooter, and even though a Canaan/Rose backcourt would be too small, why not try it? The only other guy I gave serious thought to here was …
25. Minnesota (from Memphis) – DeSean Thomas, SF, Ohio State. Love his game, but he’s looked less impressive this year sans Sullinger inside. Could be a sleeper this late in the first round.
26. New York – Jeff Withey, C, Kansas. Oldest team in the NBA could use a shot-blocker inside to spell Tyson Chandler.
27. LA Clippers – BJ Young, G, Arkansas. Coming off a big freshman year, was supposed to tear it up but has struggled and now has been coming off the bench. Guess he bought into his own hype. If the Clips lose Bledsoe (nobody thinks they can afford him), they’ll need a replacement, and Young’s got talent.
28. Cleveland (from Miami) – Le’Bryan Nash, F, Oklahoma State. I won’t be the only one to say this, but if the Cavs are healthy next year, and Noel returns at 100% in January, I’m not sure how they don’t make the playoffs. Irving-Waiters-Nash-Varejao-Noel is a young, exciting starting five. Just need pop off the bench.
29. Oklahoma City – Steven Adams, C, Pittsburgh. Not having a terrific year for Pitt, but he’s a raw 7-footer, so perhaps they draft him with the idea of playing him in 2-3 years. Then again, they did that with Cole Aldrich and he can’t get any burn.
30. San Antonio – Rudy Gobert, F, France. You’ll notice I haven’t included any Euros in this mock. That’s because I haven’t seen any of them yet. But the Spurs have success going that route, and in a cursory look at his tape, Gobert looks like a young stud, so here you go.