It is a bit early to project the draft order for the upcoming NBA draft. First, we don’t know which players will come out early and which won’t. Unlike football, every player in college basketball is eligible to enter the draft at the end of the season. So predicting who will and who won’t is really a shot in the dark. Plus, unlike other sports, the NBA holds a lottery for the first picks. So you cannot just pencil in the worst teams to pick first. Then add is the foreign players in basketball that we don’t know anything about, but NBA scouts know all about, it makes predicting the draft impossible.

But, we can always make an educated guess as to how we see it if the teams with the best odds end up with the top picks.

The worst team in the NBA is once again the Charlotte Bobcats. What do the Bobcats need? They need bigs. Five of their top six scorers are guards. If Nerlens Noel was healthy, this is a no-brainer. With him possibly not being ready to go until well i to the season, this puts other bigs in play. We would probably take Kelly Olynyk from Gonzaga. He is a big 7-footer with some offensive skills.

The next worst team is the Orlando Magic. What do the Magic need? They really aren’t weak at any positions. They are just young. Their most pressing need is probably a shooter since trading away J.J. Redick. Perhaps Seth Curry from Duke would be a nice pick. However, as a Magic fan, I would rather see the Magic get Mason Plumlee if they are going to pick from Duke. But if the Magic go big, even though he is hurt, Nerlens Noel might be the guy in this spot.

Next is the Washington Wizards. The Wizards are actually in fairly good shape at point guard with John Wall and shooting guard with Brad Beal. So they should probably go big too. If Noel is still on the board they should grab him.

The New Orleans Hornets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns are likely your next three. The Hornets could probably use a point guard. Trey Burke is the best point guard in the nation. Phoenix is in the same boat so Burke likely goes here if they have the pick too. The Wolves have a point guard in Ricky Rubio. So where do they go? Victor Oladipo could be a possibility. Shabazz Muhammad could also be a good pick here.

Other possibilities for the teams looking for bigs- Cody Zeller, Alex Len, Anthony Bennett. Teams that could use them include Charlotte, Orlando, Washington.

Teams seeking a point guard- Ben Mclemore. Orlando would not be a bad place for him to land.

Teams needing a good shooting guard-  Marcus Smart, Kentavius Caldwell-Pope. Every team needs shooting guards.

 

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