Today is the day. After months of hype and weeks of speculation, the NBA draft finally goes down on Thursday night.
The league has been in a frenzy all week leading up to my favourite sporting event of the year and don’t expect that to slow down once the draft goes live at 7 p.m. ET on SN One.
A major trade shook up the order and seems to have locked in the top two spots, but there’s still plenty of questions left about how the rest of the draft will unfold. Here’s a look at the final mock draft before the big event.
| Pick | Team | Player |
| 1 |  |
Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington |
| The draft hasn’t happened yet and we can already dub the Sixers as the biggest winners of them all. In swapping picks with Boston and trading up to No. 1, Philadelphia lands the franchise point guard that most teams covet in today’s NBA. As I covered last week, Fultz is absolutely the real deal and, given Joel Embiid’s injury track record, the biggest piece in The Process puzzle. | ||
| 2 |  |
Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA |
| It seemed destined before the draft lottery even happened, but when the Lakers traded D’Angelo Russell to Brooklyn earlier this week it sealed the deal: Lonzo will actually be a Laker. In trading Russell, new Lakers GM Rob Palinka also freed up significant cap space by including Timofey Mozgov in the deal, which also created a spot in the depth chart at starting point guard for Ball to get the opportunity to prove if he’s worth the hype. Ball can knock down open shots, has Steph Curry-like range and is also the best playmaker in the draft. Along with Brandon Ingram and Juilius Randle, the Lakers are building an exciting young team while creating the cap space to add a superstar like Paul George or LeBron James to their roster in the near future. | ||
| 3 |  |
Jayson Tatum, SF, Duke |
| By trading down to No. 3, and out of Fultz territory, the Celtics appear to be making a statement that they feel they can compete both now and in the future with Isaiah Thomas running the point. They may regret that, if Fultz reaches expectations, but for a team that just finished atop the conference and made the East Finals, you can understand them putting themselves in a position to use the draft to address their current roster needs as opposed to stockpiling assets and figuring it out later (which would’ve been the case with Fultz). Josh Jackson may be the best fit but he didn’t work out for Boston, who are believed to be just as high on Tatum, whose well-rounded offensive game should adapt to the NBA seamlessly and contribute to the Celtics for years to come. | ||
| 4 |  |
De’Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky |
| The Suns are reportedly looking to trade Eric Bledsoe, who should receive a fair deal of interest on the market and allow Phoenix to address other areas of need, like on the wing (Paul George is a dark-horse rental candidate here). In Fox, the Suns would get their point guard of the future, and a player who should pair well with budding superstar and franchise centrepiece Devin Booker. | ||
| 5 |  |
Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas |
| A top-three talent, but somebody is bound to fall. Jackson is one of the most coveted prospects out there, and it’s easy to see why. He has elite defensive potential and is a ruthless competitor who attacks the rim looking to put opponents on a poster. A dynamic two-way player, Jackson would make for a mighty fine complement to Buddy Hield running the wing with potential to be a legitimate superstar. | ||
| 6 |  |
Malik Monk, G, Kentucky |
| The Magic can go any direction here and address a need in the process. They are far off from building a solid team, and so you throw current needs out the window when you’re looking to strike gold and find a potential star in the draft. Enter: Monk. He only showed flashes in Kentucky, where Fox took over as the primary option as the NCAA season wore on, but Monk can play either guard position, is an elite athlete and even better shooter with one of the highest upsides in the draft. | ||
| 7 |  |
Lauri Markkanen, F/C, Arizona |
| The Finnish sharpshooter led all projected lottery picks by hitting more than 43 per cent of his three-point attempts in his lone season at Arizona. At seven-foot, he should be able to continue to do damage from deep at the NBA level while helping to spread the floor and create room for Karl-Anthony Towns to wreak havoc near the hoop. | ||
| 8 |  |
Frank Ntilikina, PG, France |
| The Knicks would be wise to take one of the two high-potential point guards still remaining, and which one they choose depends on how committed they are to the triangle offence. The last chunk of the season was spent auditioning players who could play in the system, so you’d have to believe they are truly committed to it, which makes Ntilikina the smart pick here over Dennis Smith Jr. Ntilikina’s size and passing acumen give him the edge over a superior athlete in the high-flying Smith Jr. | ||
| 9 |  |
Jonathan Isaac, F, Florida State |
| One of the biggest risk/reward players in the draft, Isaac projects to be a skilled rebounder and rim-protector whose tall, lanky Kevin Durant-type frame and shooting potential could make him a two-way terror. But there are questions about his natural feel for the game, which is something that should improve with time. Isaac has top-five talent, so to nab him at this spot would be a real coup for a Mavs team rebuilding on the fly for life after Dirk. | ||
| 10 | |
Dennis Smith Jr., PG, North Carolina State |
| This team desperately needs a point guard to build around, and if Smith Jr. were to fall into their laps at No. 10 they’ll be doing somersaults in Sacramento. There are serious concerns surrounding his shooting ability and interest in playing defence, but he’s arguably the best athlete in this draft and his potential alone, under the right tutelage, is legitimately worth getting excited about. | ||
| 11 |  |
Luke Kennard, SG, Duke |
| Zach Collins is an intriguing big-man prospect, but Kennard fills a greater need on a Hornets roster with minutes and long-term salary tied up in the frontcourt in the forms of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Frank Kaminsky and Cody Zeller. Kennard may not be a potential future star like some of the others available here, but his greatest skill—perimeter shooting—makes him incredibly valuable entering a league in which a team needs to have knock-down shooters to compete. | ||
| 12 |  |
Donovan Mitchell, G, Louisville |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is entering free agency but regardless of whether or not he re-signs in Detroit, Mitchell gives the Pistons an intriguing backcourt prospect who can play either guard position and opened eyes with a dominant performance at the draft combine. He may not be a franchise cornerstone, but it’s not hard to imagine Mitchell contributing at the NBA level. | ||
| 13 |  |
Zach Collins, F/C, Gonzaga |
| Collins has a ton of potential, and while his current impact will likely come on the defensive end, where the seven-footer should be a solid rim-protector as he adds size, his offensive game is believed to be far more advanced and versatile than what we saw in his lone season at Gonzaga. Collins is a top-10 draft talent, plunging to the end of the lottery only due to the strength of the Class of ’17. | ||
| 14 |  |
Justin Jackson, G/F, North Carolina |
| A proven winner with a strong work ethic and reliable jumper, Jackson should be a nice piece on a Heat team that values all three attributes. | ||
| 15 |  |
OG Anunoby, SF, Indiana |
| Portland could use a big man, but has multiple picks in the first round where there will be plenty of options available with their next picks. But there aren’t many players like Anunoby, who could be a truly elite defender in the NBA and a dangerous rim-runner. His shooting deficiencies would be masked well on a team with a lot of players who can already stretch the floor and let it fly. | ||
| 16 |  |
John Collins, PF, Wake Forest |
| Bobby Portis hardly broke out as expected once the Bulls traded away Taj Gibson. Collins, an excellent rebounder and skilled scorer, can be the answer in the frontcourt and a good complement to current Bulls bigs Nikola Mirotic and Joffrey Lauvergne. | ||
| 17 |  |
Jarrett Allen, C, Texas |
| Thon Maker impressed playing the five for the Bucks in the 2017 playoffs, and while he may be Milwaukee’s centre of the future, Allen gives them a nice complement with a ton of upside coming off the bench. | ||
| 18 |  |
Bam Adebayo, F/C, Kentucky |
| The Pacers are reportedly looking for a point guard as part of their return in a potential Paul George deal, which leaves them searching for talent in the frontcourt with this pick. Adebayo may not be an all-star level talent, but his strength and ferocity around the hoop should translate well to the next level where he can form a potent duo beside Myles Turner. | ||
| 19 |  |
Justin Patton, C, Creighton |
| At seven feet and 230 pounds, Patton’s versatile skill-set coupled with his size makes him one of the most interesting big-man prospects in the draft. He’s not quite NBA-ready, but will get a chance to develop at his own pace on a team with Dwight Howard currently soaking up minutes at centre. | ||
| 20 | |
T.J. Leaf, F, UCLA |
| Leaf proved to be a solid running mate and secondary option alongside Ball at UCLA, and could take his ability to run and stretch the floor to Portland, where, like Anunoby, he could complement the Blazers’ current core well. | ||
| 21 |  |
Semi Ojeleye, F, SMU |
| The darling of Raptors Reddit, Ojeleye is a versatile player who can do a little bit of everything. He may not be a future star, but he’ll be a welcome addition who could develop into a favourite weapon running the lane with Russell Westbrook. | ||
| 22 |  |
Terrance Ferguson, SG, USA |
| Played pro ball in Australia in lieu of the NCAA, Ferguson is a big-time athlete with good shooting mechanics who could develop into a prototypical wing at the NBA level. | ||
| 23 |  |
Harry Giles, PF/C, Duke |
| The Raps aren’t expected to land a major contributor at this spot, at least not when it comes to next season. But this is a good place to add a player with the highest potential on the board, one who could benefit from time with the Raptors 905 and could become a valuable player down the line. Despite a quiet season at Duke, Giles was the highest ranked freshman heading into last season—higher than Fultz, Ball, Jackson, Tatum and the rest of this class’s top picks. This is a safe gamble for the Raptors, who have nothing to lose and only stand to gain. | ||
| 24 |  |
Derrick White, G, Colorado |
| Though he’s not projected to be a first-rounder on most mock drafts, scouts are very high on White, who could add security for a Jazz team in jeopardy of losing George Hill to free agency and in need of playmakers in the backcourt. | ||
| 25 | |
Isaiah Hartenstein, F/C, Germany |
| A big man who can stretch the floor and has a relatively high ceiling, this would be a low-risk/high-reward pick for Orlando at this spot. | ||
| 26 | |
Wesley Iwundu, G/F, Kansas State |
| Expect the Trail Blazers to be active working the phones looking to deal one or more of their three first-rounders, but otherwise, having already picked two bigs, Iwundu, a defensive-oriented wing, would be the smart choice here. | ||
| 27 | |
Anzejs Pasecniks, C, Latvia |
| This pick was acquired in the D’Angelo Russell trade with Brooklyn. The Lakers are looking to keep as much cap space clear as they can with 2018’s free agency in mind, and stashing this promising seven-foot-three draft pick in Europe would help accomplish that. | ||
| 28 | |
Ivan Rabb, PF, California |
| Rabb was a top-ranked high-schooler whose stock dropped throughout his college career. Yet his rebounding acumen and an offensive game that could translate well to the NBA could make him a steal this late in the draft. | ||
| 29 |  |
Johnathan Motley, F, Baylor |
| With a high motor and disruptive length, Motley can make an impact on both ends of the floor and can represent potential matchup problems versus the Spurs’ new rivals in Golden State. | ||
| 30 | |
Jordan Bell, F/C, Oregon |
| The Jazz double down on their calling card—defence—with a potential defensive game-changer in Bell, one of the biggest breakout stars of the NCAA Tournament and an elite rim-protector at the college level. | ||
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