The Smoking Cuban
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NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Lottery Picks Only

By Kohl Rast

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 15: A general view of the NBA Deputy Commissioner, Mark Tatum during the 2018 NBA Draft during the NBA Draft Lottery on May 15, 2018 at The Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 15: A general view of the NBA Deputy Commissioner, Mark Tatum during the 2018 NBA Draft during the NBA Draft Lottery on May 15, 2018 at The Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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WIZINK CENTER, MADRID, SPAIN – 2018/04/25: Luka Doncic, #7 of Real Madrid gestures during the 2017/2018 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Play Offs Game 3 between Real Madrid and Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens at WiZink center in Madrid. (Photo by Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
WIZINK CENTER, MADRID, SPAIN – 2018/04/25: Luka Doncic, #7 of Real Madrid gestures during the 2017/2018 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Play Offs Game 3 between Real Madrid and Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens at WiZink center in Madrid. (Photo by Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) /

The NBA Draft Lottery set the first 14 picks in the upcoming draft and the Dallas Mavericks earned the 5th overall pick. A few of the staff writers here made their selections for the Draft Lottery and you can see that it could happen in a number of different ways.

No need for a long intro here. The picks have been made and the three of us have a little different feel for what will happen at the NBA Draft in just under a month. The Dallas Mavericks get the 5th pick and there are a number of players that could fall to them that were projected high in this draft. Here are three different mock drafts for the lottery picks.

#1: Phoenix Suns

Luka Doncic, Real Madrid

“It’s really pretty simple here. The Suns need another playmaker and, although there biggest hole appears to be at center, there is no player in this draft more ready for success than Luka Doncic. Pair that with the fact that they just hired a coach who knows Doncic personally and you have what appears to be a pretty clear cut first overall pick.” –Kohl Rast

DeAndre Ayton, Arizona

“This is a fairly easy pick for the Phoenix Suns. The organization is in a better spot than many teams who have the first overall pick, as they already possess Devin Booker. Tyson Chandler’s career is winding down, and Alex Len, even if resigned, is not a reason not to draft Ayton. The local ties with the Arizona star will help endear him to the fan base, and give the team another long term building block next to Booker.” –Evan Siegel

Luka Doncic, Real Madrid

“When we did this a couple weeks ago, I had DeAndre Ayton at number one. But since then, I’ve seen highlights of Doncic in the Euroleague Finals. This kid can play. The thing that stood out to me was his play-making.

Doncic made high-level NBA passes, whipping the ball across the court to weak side shooters with just a flick of his wrist. The only worry is if he’s athletic enough to play in the NBA, but I think his basketball IQ will make up for whatever physical shortcomings he may have. I can’t wait to watch Doncic play.” –Ben Zajdel

Next: #2: Sacramento Kings