No. 6-10
6) Brooklyn Nets – Nassir Little, SF, North Carolina
Little’s stock has dropped some due to inconsistent offense and the fact that he’s coming off the bench for the Tar Heels, yet his two-way potential will keep him in the top 10. A good individual defender, Little has the size to play either forward position, making him valuable for a young team like the Nets with plenty of holes to fill.
7) Miami Heat – Romeo Langford, SG/SF, Indiana
Langford hasn’t quite been the national star Indiana was hoping he would be, but he has been plenty effective despite starting the season in a shooting slump. He’s a gifted scorer with an unselfish attitude and high basketball IQ – the kind of player the Heat really value in their #HEATCulture.
8) Washington Wizards – Keldon Johnson, SG/SF, Kentucky
There are two ways of looking at this pick for the Wizards. They either need to draft a guard because the John Wall/Bradley Beal combo needs to be blown up or they need more depth on the wing because Otto Porter isn’t the answer if they want to contend. Enter Johnson, who has cemented himself as the No. 1 option on a good Kentucky team and can play either position (he’s a pretty good offensive threat, too).
9) San Antonio Spurs – De’Andre Hunter, SF/PF, Virginia
I keep waiting for the inevitable Spurs-Virginia match and, if the Spurs end up in the lottery, I think Hunter will finally be that connection. They need help at both forward positions following Kawhi Leonard’s departure. Hunter has the ability to be their lockdown perimeter defender and be a complementary offensive piece to DeRozan and Aldridge.
10) Houston Rockets – Quentin Grimes, SG, Kansas
I don’t expect Houston to end up with a lottery pick but this is where they sit right now. And if they do end up at No. 10 for some reason, they’ll need someone who can fit into their run-and-gun system. Grimes has the athleticism and shooting ability for that while providing quality depth behind Chris Paul and James Harden. He’s also big enough to play alongside them, too.