The college basketball season is almost here. NBA preseason is underway. Overseas pro leagues have already began their regular seasons.
Basketball season is upon us - which means it's time for an NBA Mock Draft!
For this mock, we're using the draft order on Tankathon. We'll do the full two rounds, 60 picks.
Rather than trying to predict what pick each team will make, this mock will be my own personal opinion of what pick I think each team should make.
I think it shows more critical thinking and knowledge as an evaluator to do it this way - rather than having various websites posting the same mock drafts as each other.
Alright, here we go...
Round 1
1. Utah Jazz - Darryn Peterson
Kansas - 6'5" - G
Peterson is the best prospect in this draft class in my opinion - this article does a good job of explaining why. Also, Peterson is perhaps the closest thing we have seen to a Jordan/Kobe type of player - since Jordan/Kobe.
I think Peterson is more of a point guard than a shooting guard. He'll play a role on offense similar to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic as big point guards who can both score and pass. But if he ends up being more of a shooting guard (and play a role more similar to guys like Anthony Edwards and Donovan Mitchell) he's still worthy of the number one pick.
Peterson is just what Utah needs at this stage of their rebuild. He gives them a true no. 1 guy they can build around. And while they have a good amount of depth and talent at the wing/forward/big man positions, they have less in the back court in terms of players they can point to as definite starters for them long term. Peterson solves that and he also gives them a good perimeter defender - which they're lacking right now.
2. Washington Wizards - Cameron Boozer
Duke - 6'9" - PF/C
Washington is another team that currently is lacking that true no. 1 guy they can build a team around. Boozer gives them that guy. He's been the no. 1 guy on some very good teams already - even before getting to Duke. Boozer's teams won four high school state championships, three Peach Jam championships and one Chipotle National Championship with him as the best player.
Boozer projects more as a power forward who can also slide over and play small ball center. He's a good shooter (when given time and space), he's good (but not great) as an isolation driver and low post scorer. Very good passer who can potentially be used as a passing hub type of big, similar to how guys like Jokic, Sengun and Sabonis operate out on the high post.
Boozer fits well on the Wizards. They can play him at the 4 with Alex Sarr at the 5. Sarr can be more of the defensive menace - switching on defense, protecting the rim - focusing more on being an elite defender. Boozer meanwhile could be the guy you run the offense through.
3. Brooklyn Nets - AJ Dybantsa
BYU - 6'9" - Wing
This pick is pretty much a no brainer. Dybantsa is the clear best player available at this point in the draft and Brooklyn just drafted four point guards and a center in the 2025 draft. They also drafted a wing (Drake Powell) but Powell and Dybantsa can absolutely play together in the same lineup - with Dybantsa being the scorer and Powell being the defender who can just be an off ball shooter on offense.
More importantly, Dybantsa gives the Nets a guy to build their team around - which they too are currently lacking.
4. Charlotte Hornets - Nate Ament
Ament is not only the best player available on my big board, but he's a good fit in Charlotte. While some may see there's too much overlap between him and Brandon Miller, I think it can work - you play Miller at the three and Ament at the four - which is fine. I think Ament can play the three or the four. He played mostly the five on his high school and AAU teams.
The Hornets don't really need a guy to build the whole team around. They have Lamelo Ball and Miller. Ament gives them a guy who can play off ball more. Hits shots. Be a connector.
Ament's ceiling is also pretty high on the defensive end. That makes him a good fit for the Hornets since the other main pieces of their young core (Ball, Miller, Kon Knueppel) are not so great on defense. Ament gives them a guy who (long term) can defend the Jayson Tatum's, the Paolo Banchero's, the Julius Randles and the Lauri Markannens of the world.
5. Portland Trailblazers - Tounde Yessoufou
Baylor - 6'5" - Wing
Okay, this might be the first pick that raises some eyebrows. The five through eight spots on my big board are all in the same tier so they are fairly interchangeable. Those players are Yessoufou, Jayden Quaintance, Mikel Brown Jr. and Caleb Wilson.
A case could be made for each of them so it comes down to fit - especially since the fit with some of these guys could be so wonky in Portland. Like Quaintance - he's a center. Quaintance coul maybe play the four but he is essentially a non-shooter so ideally if he's at the four then your five is a shooter. That's not the case in Portland where they just drafted non-shooting centers with their highest picks in the past two drafts (Hansen Yang and Donovan Clingan).
I can't justify taking Brown Jr. here, since they already have Scoot Henderson at PG - plus Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard.
It's either Wilson or Yessoufou. I think Yessoufou is the slightly better prospect right now (he's one spot higher on my board). That's partly because he's the better volume scorer - and that is something Portland lacks in terms of their young core - a guy who can go and get you a bucket - who can drop 20+ on any given night. Yessoufou has that potential. I don't think Wilson does.
Deni Avdija is obviously a part of their long term core. I think he can play the three or the four. So long term you could play Avdija at the four, with Yessoufou and Shaedon Sharpe interchangeably at the two and the three with Henderson at the one and Clingan at the five.