Tag: NBA Mock Draft

The latest 2024 NBA mock draft from ESPN has 2 Kentucky stars in the top 10

Kentucky may be out of the men’s NCAA tournament, but their players still look good for the NBA draft.

NBA mock draft season is heating up in 2024 thanks to March Madness, and while Kentucky isn’t in the men’s NCAA tournament anymore and everyone’s pointing fingers at John Calipari, there are some Wildcats players who have serious talent and will hear their names called on Night 1 of the draft.

In our latest NBA mock draft from Bryan Kalbrosky, he had Reed Sheppard going No. 8 overall to the Houston Rockets and Rob Dillingham going No. 13 to the Portland Trail Blazers. And in the latest mock from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, both Dillingham (No. 3 to the San Antonio Spurs) and Sheppard (No. 7 to the Memphis Grizzlies) go in the top 10.

Here’s their take on Sheppard:

The concerns about Sheppard’s poor defensive potential due to his limited physical tools were also on display. He struggled getting around screens all game with his thin frame and it proved easy for the 6-2 Gohlke to rise up and over for jumpers with poor contests due to his 6-3 wingspan. He got lost off the ball on several occasions, beat off the bounce one-on-one, and didn’t come up with a rebound in a game that Kentucky was outrebounded, 40-39.

NBA teams already had some concerns about Sheppard’s defense and ability to ramp up his usage in a heavier on-ball role. At 6-2, there’s little doubt that Sheppard will need to spend heavy minutes at point guard in the NBA, and his passive showing versus Oakland wasn’t a great way to answer those questions.

Still, this is just one of 33 games Sheppard played in what was, ultimately, a remarkable season from a productivity and efficiency standpoint.

NBA teams are still quite high on Sheppard and it’s very hard to see him not being a lottery — if not a top-10 — pick ultimately should he enter the draft.

There you have it! Don’t forget to check out our latest NBA Mock Draft from Kalbrosky!

NBA Mock Draft sees Bulls select South Carolina forward with 12th pick

In a recent NBA Mock Draft, the Chicago Bulls selected South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles.

A rough start to the season made it seem as though the Chicago Bulls were doomed, but as the year has gone on, their potential future plans have gotten brighter and brighter. Not only have they pushed their way back into the Play-In race, but Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu have emerged as solid building blocks.

Now, as they prepare for the offseason, their sights need to be set on adding more young talent to help White and Dosunmu. At the same time, they should be looking to add guys who can develop into solid players themselves, as they don’t have great young talent on the roster outside of White and Dosunmu.

A recent NBA Mock Draft from No Ceilings has them selecting a guy who could fill both of those distinctions: Collin Murray-Boyles out of South Carolina.

“South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles has been one of the most productive freshmen in the 2024 class,” wrote Corey Tulaba. “The 6’7” lefty with a rumored 7’2” wingspan has some Julius Randle in his game, merging physicality and finesse. Murray-Boyles is a crafty interior scoring presence with playmaking feel who can face-up and attack or seal his man and finish on the block. Defensively he can move his feet and switch out to the perimeter while offering enough rim protection that he could play some minutes at the five. Murray-Boyles’s lack of perimeter shooting ability won’t fill an immediate need for a Bulls team in the bottom ten of distance shooting, but taking a swing on a young, talented forward who has been killing the advanced stats models is a worthy swing in the backend of the lotto for a middling team that needs an influx of young talent.”

Murray-Boyles isn’t a shooter, but he’s the type of versatile forward who could be an intriguing piece in a Bulls lineup that features a solid amount of offensive creation already.

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Spurs select UConn forward with pick No. 7 in recent NBA Mock Draft

In a recent NBA Mock Draft, the San Antonio Spurs are projected to pick UConn forward Stephon Castle.

The San Antonio Spurs have a big opportunity to improve their roster around Victor Wembanyama this summer. Obviously, free agency will be a big part of that, but perhaps even more important is who they choose to select in the 2024 NBA Draft. They could have a pair of top-10 selections to work with.

The Spurs’ pick is likely to fall in the top three, but they could also end up with the Toronto Raptors’ pick. That selection is top-six protected, but the Raptors are currently projected to have the seventh-overall pick in the draft. San Antonio could have a chance to bring in two top-10 players this summer.

In a recent NBA Mock Draft from No Ceilings, the Spurs are projected to pick UConn forward Stephon Castle with the seventh pick.

“The San Antonio Spurs desperately need shooting, which Stephon Castle unfortunately won’t provide,” wrote Tyler Metcalf. “Luckily, their first pick in Reed Sheppard does. What Castle does offer, though, is high-level competency in every other facet of the game. Currently, Castle ranks in at least the 74th percentile in handoffs, pick-and-roll scoring, pick-and-roll including passes, and transition scoring, per Synergy. Coming out of high school, Castle was a point guard, so he’s very familiar with running the show. What this season has shown us, though, is that Castle is more than capable of playing a complementary role. Additionally, it’s proven that Castle is also a fantastic defender. When Castle is on the court, UConn’s defensive rating is 91, which ranks fourth. When he’s off the court, it jumps to 98.6, which ranks 47th. With the Spurs, Castle can fill in the gaps around Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell, and Reed Sheppard. While Castle will need to figure out his jumper in some form or fashion, the mechanics are far from broken. As he figures that out, though, he can provide defensive versatility, connective playmaking, a high basketball IQ, and a ton of potential to grow into an even more versatile player.”

In this mock, the Spurs would have already selected Reed Sheppard out of Kentucky with the third pick, so adding Castle’s defense would make sense.

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NBA Mock Draft sees Spurs take Kentucky guard with No. 3 pick

A recent NBA Mock Draft sees the San Antonio Spurs pick Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard.

As the San Antonio Spurs look to build around Victor Wembanyama moving forward, this summer will be crucial. Not only will the Spurs have a chance to add talent in free agency, but they’re also slated to have one of the top picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, meaning they could draft another young star to pair with Wembanyama.

There is no consensus top pick in this year’s draft like there was last season, meaning the Spurs could go in a bunch of different directions. However, a recent NBA Mock Draft from Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has the Spurs addressing their guard position.

Wasserman mocked Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard to the Spurs with the third pick.

“We’ve reached the NCAA tournament, and Reed Sheppard is still over 50.0 percent on 4.4 three-point attempts per game,” Wasserman wrote.

“A 24.1 assist percentage highlight combo-guard playmaking at the least, though his proficiency in ball-screen situations (1.1 points per possessions) suggests he could handle more creation reps.

“While generating rim pressure isn’t a strength, he’s still shown enough burst and floater touch for NBA teams to consider the possibility that he can be effective for stretches in a lead-guard role.

“Sheppard’s measurements will be the most anticipated and scrutinized at the NBA combine. There are sure to be teams that nitpick at each inch when assessing height, wingspan and standing verticals. But there will also be teams who simply buy his effectiveness against top NCAA competition, the translation of elite shooting, finishing craft, skill set for on/off-ball offense and IQ for passing and defense.”

Adding Reed’s shooting at the guard position would be huge for the Spurs.

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Three Wildcats chosen in way-too-early ESPN 2025 NBA mock draft

Three Kentucky players are in ESPN’s way-too-early 2025 NBA mock draft.

The 2023-24 college basketball season is winding down for the Kentucky Wildcats, and some fans are already talking about this year’s NBA Draft. Mock Drafts have begun to circulate, and it appears as though multiple Wildcats will be chosen.

Taking a look at 2024 mock drafts is always fun, but one ESPN analyst has taken it a step further, and is looking ahead to 2025. Jonathan Givony has taken a stab at next year’s NBA Draft (story requires subscription) and Kentucky is represented.

To complete the exercise, Givony ruled out any players he had in his 2024 mock draft. Then he put his prediction together with the names on his “available” list.

The first Wildcat on Givony’s list is forward Adou Thiero at pick 27. A guard last season, Thiero shot up and is now a physical specimen. His game is still developing, but he has untapped potential and could go much higher.

Zvonimir Ivisic was up next at pick 40. “Big Z” wasn’t declared as eligible until conference play had begun, and defensively, is still a work in progress. However, his offensive skill-set may get him drafted this year.

The third player from Kentucky on the list is center Aaron Bradshaw at pick 44. He’s another hugely talented player who needs refinement, especially on defense. He also needs to simply get stronger.

As the 2024 Draft gets closer, and we find out who is going pro and who is staying, it becomes easier to make 2025 predictions. For now, it’s just an exercise, but even so far away, it is fun.

Recent Spurs NBA Mock Draft selection receives middling grade

In a recent NBA Mock Draft, the San Antonio Spurs’ third-overall selection received a lukewarm grade.

The San Antonio Spurs have a big opportunity ahead of them this summer. Victor Wembanyama has shown the capabilities to be the leader of the franchise moving forward, but he can’t do it all by himself. Nobody can. Not even the best player in the world is capable of winning a title without a great supporting cast, especially with all the talent in the league today.

At the 2024 NBA Draft this summer, the Spurs will have a top pick, and with it, they could select a guy who could turn into one of Wembanyama’s top running mates for the foreseeable future.

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently wrote a mock draft where the Spurs snagged Nikola Topic with the third pick. However, Roberto Araiza of Air Alamo was lukewarm on the idea, grading the mock selection a B-.

“In that way, this selection would be a far more massive gamble by the Spurs than many may assume,” Araiza wrote. “While I think that type of upside gamble is warranted at this stage of the team’s rebuild (particularly if the Spurs have two lottery picks in this coming draft), there could be several more intelligent gambles that can be made with such a high pick come draft day. If you’re a believer in Topic’s top-end outcome in the league, this is a solid pick. Otherwise, this has the potential to be a big miss.”

What do you think of Topic as a future Spur?

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Second NBA Mock Draft in a row sees Bulls take elite 3-point shooter

A recent 2024 NBA Mock Draft has the Chicago Bulls selecting Reed Sheppard out of Kentucky.

The Chicago Bulls have some serious changes to make this summer. They’ve been a middle-of-the-pack team for the past few seasons, and for the third year in a row, they stood pat at the trade deadline. But if they want to make any sort of significant improvement, they need to take a long look in the mirror this offseason.

In addition to free agency and the trade market, the Bulls need to nail the NBA Draft. A recent NBA mock draft from Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo and ESPN had the Bulls taking Reed Sheppard out of Kentucky, and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic made the same choice.

Vecenie’s latest mock draft had Sheppard going to the Bulls as well.

“With Sheppard, it’s easy to understand why,” Vecenie wrote. “As a 6-3 player without much length or the kind of athletic traits that raise a guard to this level, Sheppard doesn’t look like the typical lottery pick. But I think he has a real case for being one of the five best players in the country as a freshman, and I’d certainly consider him an All-American in some capacity. He’s averaging 12.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 52.6 percent from the field, 51.4 percent from 3 and 80.8 percent from the line. He racks up 2.6 steals per game on top of averaging nearly one block per game. His closeouts on shooters are textbook and disruptive.”

The 6-foot-3 guard has shot 50.9% from three-point range on 4.1 attempts per game this season.

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Spurs select 19-year-old, 6-10 forward in latest 2024 NBA Mock Draft

In a recent NBA Mock Draft, the San Antonio Spurs picked up Matas Buzelis with a top-10 pick.

While this season may not have gone to plan for the San Antonio Spurs, having Victor Wembanyama on the roster should be enough to keep fans excited about the future. And on top of that, they should have a top pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft. And if the Toronto Raptors’ pick falls out of the top six, they’ll get that selection, too.

In a recent NBA Mock Draft compiled by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, the Raptors’ pick falls to seven, meaning the Spurs get to make two selections in the top 10. That would be a game-changer for the future of the organization and the potential timeline of a Wembanyama-led core.

With the seventh overall selection, Vecenie has the Spurs taking Matas Buzelis of the G League Ignitte – a 19-year-old, 6-10 forward.

“This is earlier than I would personally select Buzelis, but the feedback I get from scouts has been more positive than his overall numbers would indicate, given he’s averaging 13.0 points with a negative assist-to-turnover ratio and a true shooting percentage below the league average,” Vecenie wrote. “Much as they do with Holland, many evaluators are giving Buzelis the benefit of the doubt for the G League’s Ignite’s poorly constructed roster, especially at the guard positions.

“Scouts would love to see Buzelis do more as a shot creator, and they aren’t sure how well his on-ball defense will translate. But many have also appreciated the way Buzelis is settling into a role with the Ignite and playing more intelligently. Buzelis doesn’t try to do too much. He cuts sharply on offense and has impressed scouts with timely off-ball rotations, particularly around the rim, where he’s averaging 1.8 blocks per game. In the open court, he attacks in a way that makes many sense his long-term upside as a ballhandler and scorer. There’s some downside risk in taking Buzelis this high, but it appears unlikely he gets outside of the lottery and is consistently mentioned in the No. 4-12 range.”

Would Buzelis be a good fit next to Wembanyama? Or should the Spurs look elsewhere if they got this Raptors pick?

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Five Kentucky Wildcats chosen in latest ESPN NBA mock draft

ESPN’s latest NBA mock draft features five Kentucky players to be selected this year.

The NBA Draft is still months away, but speculating about where players will be drafted is a year-round activity for some. Fans love to read about who their favorite teams might pick, and where their favorite players might wind up. On Tuesday, ESPN released a new NBA mock draft that features five Kentucky Wildcats being drafted in the two-round process.

The Wildcats talent level is well-known. It’s loaded with top Freshman talent, and there could be multiple players that wind up as one-and-done in Lexington. Other mock drafts have had as many as seven Kentucky players taken.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo took at look this year’s class and projected five Wildcats to be selected (story requires subscription). Obviously, it will largely depend on who winds up declaring and who doesn’t. Some could decide to return to school and improve their chances at being a first round pick.

Here’s a look at which Kentucky players ESPN sees being picked in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Two Blue Devils go first round in Bleacher Report’s latest NBA mock draft

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman released a post-trade deadline NBA mock draft earlier this week and two Duke stars went in the first round.

With the NBA trade deadline now in the rearview mirror, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman released an updated 2024 NBA mock draft earlier this week, and his forecast featured two Blue Devils taken in the first round.

Kyle Filipowski heard his name called first as the ninth overall pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 7-footer made 44.1% of his attempts last year and 28.2% of his 3-pointers, but he’s improved those respective averages to 49.8% and 34.5% this season. His improved efficiency should catch the eyes of NBA scouts, Wasserman wrote.

Freshman Jared McCain, who recently topped On3’s freshman power rankings with his play this season, went 27th overall to the Utah Jazz. The first-year guard is shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc and averaging 5.0 rebounds per game this season, an alluring combination of precision and effort.

“NBA teams will eye him for a combo-guard shot-making role that gives him some secondary freedom to handle and make plays,” Wasserman wrote about McCain.

A third teammate went in the second round of Wasserman’s extended projections, with the Miami Heat snagging sophomore Tyrese Proctor with the 45th pick. The Australian has struggled from long-range over the past few games, but he’s still averaging 10.0 points and 3.5 assists per game. As a 6-foot-5 guard with defensive potential, he’ll easily draw interest.