Previous Rank: No. 27 (+1)
Aaron Nesmith is hardly the best or most well-rounded player available on the board here. But he is far and away the best specialist. Nesmith takes 8.2 shots from beyond the arc per game, hitting them at an astounding rate of 52.2 percent. Nesmith’s 82.5 percent free throw shooting also proves he genuinely has great shooting form, and this isn’t just a fluke. No contender can ever have enough shooting, and you can count on Nesmith to provide just that.
Previous Rank: No. 30 (+3)
Last time, we touched on how Cassius Stanley can ocassionally play like he’s Jaylen Brown Jr. While he’s still rough around the edges, his game screams potential difference maker in the NBA if he can work out the kinks. Stanley plays very effective defense and has drained 43.3 percent of his shots from deep (albeit, on a very limited sample size of 30 attempts). Danny Ainge would do well to bring Stanley in and help him unlock his 3-and-D potential.
Previous Rank: No. 25 (-3)
Unless you’re suspiciously high on whatever Kelly Olynyk‘s selling, Bam Adebayo is the only quality frontcourt player this Miami team has. Picking up Zeke Nnaji — who’s averaging 16.2 points and 8.5 rebounds for the Arizona Wildcats looks like a perfect fit. Initially not expected to star next to Mannion and Green, he’s surprised many with his intense hustle and work ethic. Nnaji is the kind of player who was hand-crafted just for Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra.
Previous Rank: N/A
If you don’t know who Myles Powell is yet, you better get used to hearing his name. Powell has scored 21.5 points per game and led Seton Hall to a 10-4 record, including quality wins Xavier, Iowa State, and Marquette. He even scored 37 in a nail biter loss to the nationally ranked Michigan State Spartans. Powell could easily bolster the Lakers’ poor guard rotation with his offensive arsenal and big game energy.
Previous Rank: N/A
Aleksej Pokusevski is the Serbian freak of nature who can jack up threes, handle the ball and dish out dimes, all while casting a 7-foot shadow on the competition. There’s very little chance he actually puts all these skills together at an NBA level, but his Jokic-esque potential upside is too good to pass up on at No. 30, especially for a Celtics team developing a litany of other interesting prospects at the same time.
Our next update to the mock draft will come right after February’s trade deadline, where the decisions made will surely heavily influence the needs of each team. Stay tuned for more, we’re just getting started.