Previous Rank: No. 6 (-5)
After losing Tyus Jones, the Timberwolves have struggled without a bonafide playmaker out there to set up Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Minnesota is now home to a litany of talented two-guards and wings, but there’s nobody there that can effectively set the table up for the rest of the squad. Nico Mannion can do just that, and be an immediate upgrade over Shabazz Napier and Jeff Teague. Mannion is currently scoring 14.4 points and dishing out 6.3 assists per game, and his free throw percentages suggest his 3-point shooting slump won’t last forever.
Previous Rank: No. 10 (-2)
Obi Toppin is this year’s Brandon Clarke, book it. But unlike Clarke, NBA teams won’t be shy enough to let him slip into the late first-round simply because of his age. At 6-foot-9, Toppin is unstoppable when attacking the paint. He is a plus defender, rebounder, and has even demonstrated flashes of a strong 3-point shot. In fact, Toppin has the seventh-best Box Plus Minus in the NCAA. Phoenix didn’t let the 22-year-old Cameron Johnson pass by when he checked all the right boxes; age certainly won’t stop them from taking Toppin either.
Previous Rank: No. 22 (+9)
In our last mock draft, I strongly advocated for Portland to select Toppin — even if that means they have to reach a little. He provides everything they need. Luckily, they can still find a pretty strong addition even if Obi is removed from the board early. After a slow start, Precious Achiuwa has learned to play without his formerly intended teammate James Wiseman and created his own spotlight for himself at Memphis. Achiuwa is averaging a ridiculous 15.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Does anyone miss Al-Farouq Aminu? Because I think the basketball gods might have just reincarnated him.
Previous Rank: No. 17 (+3)
For the first time in what feels like forever, the San Antonio Spurs are in NBA purgatory. Seriously, there are many fans out there who have actually never seen the Spurs be bad. That’s mindblowing. But it can’t allow them to be distracted from their draft day priorities. This team’s ceiling is clearly capped with DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge at the helm. They should be taking best player available, regardless of position. We have no idea what this roster will look like if either star is traded, so picking up Tyrese Maxey seems like the smart move to make — even if it means being temporarily oversaturated with guards.
Previous Rank: No. 12 (-3)
This will be the second summer in a row where Boston might just have a ridiculous number of picks. Selecting best player available each time and hoping one becomes a home run might just be the best possible strategy to employ, with no glaring needs in the starting rotation (yes, we believe Enes Kanter is actually good at basketball, how dare we). Killian Hayes has the potential to reach star status in the league, and has already impressed in EuroCup play, where he is currently averaging 12.8 and 6.2 assists per game.