November 23rd, 2009
Here is HoopsNext’s first mock draft of the year. I have NOT taken into account the teams needs in this update. The reason that I have included the teams in here at all, is to give you an idea of where they would be currently selecting at, pre-lottery, and what players may be available when that team picks.
I went ahead and factored in all outstanding trades for 2010 first round picks. I have marked these with asterisks above the team. For example, New York owes Utah their 1st round pick this year due to a foolish Isiah Thomas trade from a few years back, so I have gone ahead and put Utah in the spot where New York would be selecting and have added an asterisk after Utah and put New York in the parenthesis to show that’s where they got the pick from.
Some players such as John Henson and Jeff Taylor, to name a few, have not been included in this mock draft because I believe that they are more likely to stay in school another year and enter the 2011 draft. If you have a question or if you want to make a comment about the mock draft, you can do so at the bottom of the page.
Jack Kett
Updated 10:38 PM ET on 11/23/2009
1. New Jersey – PG John Wall 6-4 185 lbs. Kentucky Frosh
The Good: One of the best athletes that you will ever see at the point guard position. He’s lightning fast and can jump out of the gym… Able to get to the hoop whenever he pleases thanks to his great speed and advanced ball handling skills. He is capable of finishing with either hand around the hoop…Very good at finding his teammates on the fast break and has improved his ability to run the half court offense…Has improved his jump shot a lot over the past year….Likes to use his speed and long arms to disrupt the opposing teams offense…Very good rebounder for his position…
The Bad: Tends to try to do too much at times and turns the ball over… Even though jump-shot is improving, he still needs to continue to work on it, has a slow release at times… Character concerns after breaking into a house this past May…
2. Minnesota – PF Derrick Favors 6-9 215 lbs. Georgia Tech Frosh
The Good: Has good size and length for position… Terrific athlete that plays above the rim…Likes to get out and run on the break… Hard worker that has a nose for the ball…Good hands down low…Solid footwork…Developing a nice right hand baby hook shot…Has a decent jump-shot out to about 18 feet… Very good rebounder and shot-blocker…
The Bad: Still a little bit raw…Does not have a go-to move in the post… Needs to continue to work on some of his perimeter skills such as ball handling and jump-shot… Needs to add more muscle…
3. Utah*(via NY) - PG Willie Warren 6-4 210 lbs. Oklahoma Soph
The Good: Very explosive athlete…Has good size and strength for the position…Able to score in bunches…Good Ball-handling skills and terrific first step allow him to get to the hoop with ease… Can shoot the ball from the perimeter…Underrated passer who’s working hard to shed combo guard label… A leader…
The Bad: Still learning PG position… Can take wild shots… Does not give a lot of effort on the defensive end despite having all of the physical tools to be a great defender…
4. Washington – SG Evan Turner 6-7 205 lbs. Ohio St. Junior
The Good: Very versatile player for his size… Has the ball handling and passing ability of a point guard…Good athlete… Very good slasher that likes to get to the hoop…Able to draw a lot of fouls…Pretty good mid-range game…Great rebounder…Above average defensive player…Good Leadership skills…Smart player…
The Bad: Prone to turnovers…Needs to expand his range on his jumpshot…Needs to bulk up a little more…
5. Memphis – PF Ed Davis 6-10 215 lbs. North Carolina Soph
The Good: Good defensive big man…Motor is always running…Can rebound and block shots… Has good length and athleticism… Offensive game is pretty good outside to 14 feet… Lots of putbacks…. Nice lefty jump hook… Gonna be a nice role player.
The Bad: Needs to get a lot stronger to hold his own against some of the bigger power forwards… Needs to continue to polish his offensive game.
6. Charlotte – C Cole Aldrich 6-11 245 lbs. Kansas Junior
The Good: Big man with a good basketball IQ… Pretty good athlete… Can shoot the perimeter jump shot… Able to score down low in the paint…. Solid passer who finds the open man when he gets double-teamed… Good shotblocker and rebounder…
The Bad: Doesn’t always play with a lot of energy… Is a system guy, bad showing at summer camps shows that he needs to be in a structured offense… Less effective in an up and down running game…
7. Golden State – SF Al-Farouq Aminu 6-8 205 lbs. Wake Forest Soph
The Good: Very good athlete who loves to get out and run… Loves to play above the rim… Can shoot the mid-range jumper… Improving his accuracy out to the 3 point line… Handles look to be improved some in the early going of the season… Very active player….Uses 7 foot 4 wingspan to disrupt opposing players while playing defense… Very good rebounder for a small forward….
The Bad: Still needs to add some muscle to his frame…Inconsistant play… Has struggled to get to the hoop in iso situations against quality defenders in the past… Can play a little out of control at times…
8. L.A. Clippers – SF Wesley Johnson 6-7 198 lbs. Syracuse Junior
The Good: Very good athlete who like to get out on the break… Very quick jumper who loves to crash the offensive boards and get putbacks…. Good jump shooter who can hit the 3 ball… Able to guard multiple positions… Pretty good shot blocker for a wing player… Very good team guy…
The Bad: Very poor ball handling skills prevent him from taking his man off the dribble from the perimeter… Below average passer… Needs to get stronger.
9. Detroit – PF Greg Monroe 6-11 250 lbs. Georgetown Soph
The Good: Very versatile player for his size… Good passing big man… Able to shoot the ball out to 18 ft… Very effective on the high post… Pretty good athlete… Good ball handler for his size… Has some back to the basket moves…
The Bad: Does not show a lot of passion… Tends to hang out on the perimeter too much… Shies away from contact… Questions about work ethic have haunted him since his high school days…
10. Philadelphia – PF Craig Brackins 6-10 230 lbs. Iowa St. Junior
The Good: Above average athlete for a big man… Can shoot the ball from deep… Has a few effective post moves that he uses to score in the paint… Plays hard… Pretty good rebounder…
The Bad: Still inconsistent… Needs to add some strength to be effective banging down low at the next level… Not a good defender…
11. New Orleans – PF Donatas Motiejunas 7-0 220 lbs. Lithuania 19 years old
The Good: Athletic big that likes to run the floor… Can really shoot the ball from the perimeter… Handles the ball well for a big and likes to take his man off the dribble and finish with either hand.
The Bad: Not getting a lot of time with Benetton Treviso at the moment… Very weak player that gets pushed around… Tends to sulk on the floor when things are not going well… Does not have a lot of experience at a high level.
12. Sacramento – SF Devin Ebanks 6-9 205 lbs. West Virginia Soph
The Good: Big time athlete with long arms… Has potential to be a lockdown defender…Very long player that has great lateral quickness which allows him to stay with his man… Good rebounder… Good first step allows him to get to the rim…
The Bad: Not a good ball handler… Needs to improve his shot from deep… Must get stronger so he does not get pushed around at the next level…
13. Toronto – PF Patrick Patterson 6-8 245 lbs. Kentucky Junior
The Good: Gritty athletic big man… Loves to rebound the basketball… Explosive around the hoop…. Good finisher down low… Can hit jump shots out to 15 feet… Has a lot of heart…
The Bad: On the short side…. Still raw down low with his post moves…
14. San Antonio – SG Xavier Henry 6-7 220 lbs. Kansas Frosh
The Good: Already has a great NBA build… Good athlete… Can really shoot the basketball….Finishes around the hoop… Likes to get out into the open court….
The Bad: Does not have great ball handling skills… Tends to fall in love with his outside jumper too much… Should take more advantage of his strength and post smaller guards up…
15. Indiana – C Solomon Alabi 7-1 245 lbs. Florida St. Soph
The Good: Has very good size… Above average athlete… Can score the ball some down low… Very good shot blocker… Good energy…
The Bad: Very raw… Lack of experience…. Needs to rebound the ball better… Still needs to add muscle….
16. Oklahoma City – PF Jan Vesely 6-11 240 lbs. Czech Republic 19 years old
The Good: Has good size down low… Good Athlete… Gritty player that likes to do the dirty work… Likes to run the floor… Can shoot the ball out to 18 feet…
The Bad: Still needs to get stronger… Low post game is non-existent…
17. Chicago – PF Larry Sanders 6-10 220 lbs. VA Commonwealth Junior
The Good: Tremendous shot blocker… Very athletic…Very long with a 7 foot 7 wingspan!… Runs the floor well… Has a few moves down low…
The Bad: Needs to get stronger as he can be pushed around…Very raw still… Needs to get more consistent with his mid-range jumper… Does not always go hard for rebounds…
18. Utah – SG Terrico White 6-4 211 lbs. Mississippi Soph
The Good: Big time scoring ability…Explosive athlete… Good ball handler… Pretty good shooter…
The Bad: Likes to dominant the ball… Tweener… Tends to force shots
19. Houston – PF DeMarcus Cousins 6-10 250 lbs. Kentucky Frosh
The Good: Very talented player… Good size… Decent athlete for his size… Can score the ball down low… Can shoot the ball out to 18 feet with good results… Can handle the ball… Can pass the ball… Can rebound the ball when he’s playing hard…
The Bad: Does not always play hard… Bad motor… Attitude concerns… lazy… Just one big headache…
20. Miami – PF Gani Lawal 6-9 229 lbs. Georgia Tech Junior
The Good: Very springy athlete… Can score the ball down low… Works hard for rebounds… Very physical in the paint… Good Defender…
The Bad: Jump shot is still a work in progress… Does not handle the ball all that well… Tends to force shots down low at times…
21. Portland – PF Trevor Booker 6-7 240 lbs. Clemson Senior
The Good: The toughest player in this draft… A junkyard dog… Big time motor… Great athlete… Strong… Can shoot the mid-range jumper and also get put backs down low… Good rebounder
The Bad: Very undersized… Still needs to develop more of an offensive game in the paint…
22. Denver – SF Stanley Robinson 6-9 215 lbs. UConn Senior
The Good: Hard worker…Very long and athletic… Jump shot is improving…Gets a lot of putbacks…Big time potential as a defensive player…
The Bad: A bit of a 3/4 tweener… Poor ball handler… inconsistent rebounder…. Needs to add some strength…
23. Milwaukee – SG Sylven Landesburg 6-6 202 lbs. Virginia Soph
The Good: Smooth athlete that likes to take it to the hoop… Good ball handler… Able to get to the line for easy points… Solid mid-range game… rebounds well for a guard…
The Bad: Needs to work on his outside shot… Has struggled on defense…
24. Cleveland – SG James Anderson 6-6 195 lbs. Oklahoma St. Junior
The Good: Has good size for a SG… Good athlete… Very good shooter… Works hard for rebounds… Good defensive player when he wants to be…
The Bad: Not a good ball handler which prevents him from taking it to the hoop as much… Does not pass the ball well…
25. Boston – SF Kyle Singler 6-9 235 lbs. Duke Junior
The Good: Very versatile… Deadly mid-range shooter… Good from 3 point range as well…Handles the ball well for his size… pretty good rebounder… Smart player.
The Bad: Not a very good athlete… Gets pushed around down low some… Not a good individual defender…
26. Memphis*(via LAL)- PF Arnett Moultrie 6-11 225 lbs. UTEP Soph
The Good: Explosive athlete that is very long… Likes to run the floor… Able to step outside and hit the mid-range jumper…
The Bad: Needs to get a lot stronger… Needs to develop some post moves…
27. New Jersey*(via DAL) - C Jerome Jordan 7-0 235 lbs. Tulsa Senior
The Good: Athletic… Rebounds the ball pretty well… Excellent shot blocker… Likes to finish with dunks inside… Developing some moves down low…
The Bad: Needs to beef up… Needs to add a 10-12 ft jump shot… Still very raw… A project…
28. Orlando – PF Jarvis Varnado 6-9 210 lbs. Mississippi St. Senior
The Good: Tries to block everything… When he doesn’t block the shot, he usually alters it… Plays within himself… Very good defender… Good rebounder…
The Bad: Very raw offensive player… Needs to beef up some and get stronger… Needs to develop a reliable 15 foot jump shot… Fumbles a lot of passes inside…
29. Oklahoma City*(via PHO) - SF Paul George 6-7 185 lbs. Fresno St. Soph
The Good: Great athlete… Can really shoot it from deep… Attacks the glass… Smooth player…
The Bad: Does not have good ball handling skills… Tends to coast during games… Can be pushed around due to lack of strength….
30. Atlanta – SG Malcolm Lee 6-4 180 lbs. UCLA Soph
The Good: Likes to get out on the break and show off his speed and athleticism…Has shown the ability to be a very good defensive player…
The Bad: Needs to bulk up some… Seems to be a bit of a tweener…Doesn’t always take smart shots.
Unless a miracle happens and Golden State manages to add some serious size, their priority will be a power forward or center. Golden State is overloaded with small forwards and shooting guards.
I absolutely agree. I did not take into account team needs in this mock draft. If I did, I would definitely have them taking a big man such as Greg Monroe or Craig Brackins.