With the NBA Draft scheduled for June 22, mock drafts are at their crescendo.
Our friends at USA TODAY updated their own on Tuesday following the draft lottery’s culmination.
They have Anthony Black going 7th overall (the same pick as Stephen Curry in the 2009 draft) to the Indiana Pacers and wrote the following about the 6’7 guard from Duncanville, Texas.
Black is a floor general who sets his teammates up for success with sharp passes. He can also attack the basket himself or pull up from beyond the arc. He is another big guard in the draft.
Five picks later is where they have Nick Smith Jr. going, 12th overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder to join fellow Arkansas natives Isaiah Joe and Jaylin Williams.
One of the top players coming out of high school in 2022, Smith was limited to just 17 games because of knee problems. However, scouts are enamored with his shooting. Consistency and playmaking are areas that require attention.
Vecenie has the Utah Jazz selecting Black with the ninth overall pick and had this to say about him:
Black is maybe the smartest player in this draft class in terms of basketball IQ. He consistently makes the right play. Black averaged 13 points, five rebounds and four assists while shooting 45 percent from the field and is entirely reliable as a 6-7 point guard. On top of it, he’s a terrific defensive player and one of the best in the class at the point of attack while also being switchable because of his size and strength level. I buy Black making decisions at an exceedingly high level and being able to reliably attack both ends of the court.
Smith Jr. fell to 15th in Vecenie’s mock, and he has the Atlanta Hawks taking him there.
Smith’s tape this year was not particularly impressive. But there is context behind that, as he dealt with a knee injury early in the season and was surrounded by a roster of non-shooters who stopped him from being able to attack the rim. Still, Smith shot just 37 percent from the field, 33 percent from 3 and put out some exceedingly poor defensive tape that actually resulted in him getting benched at times in the NCAA Tournament. Smith was a top-three recruit in the class last season and has real off-ball scoring creativity. His range is a bit wide. But I’m willing to bet that last season is a bit more of an aberration than people think.
Jordan Walsh was 48th in Vecenie’s mock and taken by the Los Angeles Clippers.