Tag: NBA mock drafts

Here’s where Tari Eason is heading in latest NBA mock draft

Could Eason sneak into the lottery in this year’s draft?

We’re just about a week and a half out from the 2022 NBA draft, and analysts are beginning to lock in their final projections for the first round and lottery, especially.

In the latest mock draft from CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish, there is a bit of a departure from the consensus at the top, as he has Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren going first overall instead of the current favorite, Auburn’s Jabari Smith.

However, LSU fans are likely most interested in where he has star sophomore forward [autotag]Tari Eason[/autotag] heading. Though he mostly came off the bench for the Tigers this year, he was one of the most dominating players in the SEC and the entire country.

He’s seen as a first-round pick with some projections showing him as a lottery pick. Parrish isn’t quite so optimistic, and he has Eason falling to the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 23.

Eason was a breakout star at LSU after transferring following a so-so first season at Cincinnati. He’s a versatile frontcourt option who can guard multiple positions and punish defenses in transition opportunities.

The 76ers are a team still looking to get over the hump after an exit in the Eastern Conference Semifinals this season. Adding a physical wing player like Eason who can also be a factor on offense would be a nice boost, though Eason and Tigers fans would like to see the standout go off the board earlier in the night.

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Duke’s Wendell Moore is rising up mock drafts after fast start to his junior season

Wendell Moore, 6-foot-5 with a 7-foot wingspan, is the point guard for Duke. He is a junior but only four months older than Chet Holmgren.

Wendell Moore Jr. was a high school McDonald’s All-American who was a five-star recruit. When he committed to Duke, he was a projected first-round pick expected to play just one collegiate season.

As a freshman, things didn’t go according to plan for Moore. With a chiseled frame and a 7-foot wingspan, the 6-foot-6 wing showed promise on defense. But he averaged fewer points per possession in a set offense than 88 percent of all college players. He recorded just 7.4 points per game and he recorded more turnovers than assists. Mock drafts quickly forgot about him.

Flash forward and now a junior, Duke needed Moore to make the proverbial leap in order for the team to have success during Coach K’s final season as head coach of the Blue Devils. Moore is Duke’s elder statesman and he is one of the most athletically gifted players as well.

Rather than moving him off-ball, Duke decided to lean in and make him a bigger part of its offensive attack. The risk paid off and not only does he look much better on the floor but the numbers say so, too, as he leads the ACC in the catch-all metric box plus-minus.

Moore is currently reaching thresholds of averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Over the course of a full season, only six players on record have actually accomplished as much before their senior year. Four of those six were Penny Hardaway (3rd overall in 1993), Jason Kidd (2nd overall in 1994), Chauncey Billups (3rd overall in 1997) and Evan Turner (2nd overall in 2010). All were top 3 picks when selected in the NBA draft.

Maybe those are lofty expectations for someone who averaged less than 9.0 ppg during his first two collegiate campaigns. But things are very different for Moore, who on Nov. 12 became the fifth player in Duke history to record a triple-double, now that his role has changed.

Moore, who is 6-foot-5, is effectively the point guard for the Blue Devils these days. He actually leads his conference in assist percentage (30.4 percent) and when he is running the pick and roll, he is averaging more points per possession (1.22 PPP) than 95 percent of college players.

Meanwhile, as a freshman, Moore had just four three-pointers and three dunks and he missed about half his shots at the rim. Those were arguably the biggest offensive concerns he needed to address.

These days, his jumper has gotten better both off the catch and off the bounce. But just as notably, after just eight games, Moore has already thrown down more dunks than he did in either his freshman year or in his sophomore year. He has also increased his field-goal percentage at the rim all the way up to nearly 75 percent at the rim and most of those looks have been unassisted.

The craziest part is that Moore is going to be just 20 years old on the night of the draft, which makes him just four months older than Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren.

Moore, who was always a versatile defensive player, clearly put in the work during the offseason. As a result, he is someone who is going to start appearing in the first round on future NBA mock drafts once again.

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Warriors land athletic wing with No. 2 pick in The Ringer’s latest NBA mock draft

In Kevin O’Connor’s latest NBA mock draft for The Ringer, the Warriors landed Georgia product Anthony Edwards with the No. 2 overall pick.

In Kevin O’Connor’s latest mock draft for The Ringer, the top of the board was shaken up by a significant trade.

Instead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, it was the Charlotte Hornets on the clock with the first overall pick. In O’Connor’s post-final mock, the Hornets moved up to the Timberwolves’ position to bring James Wiseman to Buzz City.

According to O’Connor, both the Golden State Warriors and Hornets “covet” the Memphis Tigers product.

Rumblings around the league suggest Golden State and Charlotte covet Wiseman; to get him, the Hornets might need to leapfrog to trade up.

With the 7-foot center off the board, the Warriors turned their attention to Georgia shooting guard Anthony Edwards with the No. 2 overall selection in The Ringer mock draft. According to O’Connor, Edwards landing in the Bay “makes logical sense.”

Via The Ringer:

Golden State will likely target a wing if Wiseman is off the board, and Edwards makes logical sense to grow within their system. He has elite defensive upside, and could develop good offensive habits playing alongside so many proven winners.

View O’Connor’s full post-Finals mock draft here.

In his first season in the SEC, Edwards tallied 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest. In 32 games, Edwards shot 40.2% from the field and 29.4% from beyond the arc. Following his freshman campaign, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard was named SEC Rookie of the Year.

In the Warriors Wire 2020 big board, the 6-foot-5 wing was listed as the No. 1 overall player in the top-30.

Upon arrival to Golden State, Edwards would instantly provide a much-needed jolt of athleticism to Golden State’s veteran-led backcourt. As he develops into an established role at the NBA level, Edwards could serve as a change of pace guard in Steve Kerr’s rotation.

Edwards’ ability to explode to the rim could provide Kerr’s backcourt a new dynamic when it comes to attacking opposing defenses. Once Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson come off the floor, Edwards could slide in next to Eric Paschall to form a formidable scoring tandem off the bench.

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