The Smoking Cuban
FanSided

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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TUCSON, AZ – MARCH 03: Deandre Ayton #13 of the Arizona Wildcats awaits a free throw shot during the second half of the college basketball game against the California Golden Bears at McKale Center on March 3, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona. The Wildcats defeated the Golden Bears 66-54 to win the PAC-12 Championship. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
TUCSON, AZ – MARCH 03: Deandre Ayton #13 of the Arizona Wildcats awaits a free throw shot during the second half of the college basketball game against the California Golden Bears at McKale Center on March 3, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona. The Wildcats defeated the Golden Bears 66-54 to win the PAC-12 Championship. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

#2: Sacramento Kings

DeAndre Ayton, Arizona

“If the Suns do not select DeAndre Ayton with the first overall pick, you can bet that Sacramento will be counting their lucky stars. After drafting De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson, and Harry Giles in last year’s draft and picking up Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic, in trades, the Kings would love to find a young center at the top of the draft to pair with all these other young players. Ayton would be a great anchor to this team.” –Kohl Rast

Jaren Jackson Jr., Michigan State

“The Kings are somehow still no closer to building a promising young team. The front office had actually built a pretty decent roster between Demarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo, and others, but failed to acquire enough long term talent in return for Demarcus Cousins upon trading him to the Pelicans.

Jackson has arguably the highest ceiling in this draft as a two way player, and has an already polished offensive repertoire. Jackson shot 40% from three point range as well as 80% from the free throw line, showing signs of a pretty well rounded offensive player despite being one of the youngest players in the draft.” –Evan Siegel

DeAndre Ayton, Arizona

“I think Ayton goes to the Kings, which is fitting, because I think he’s Boogie 2.0. Ayton will easily average 18-20 points a game his rookie year. The only question is if he’ll commit to being excellent on defense. If he does, he’ll be an MVP-caliber player for a decade and become everything DeMarcus Cousins was supposed to be.

Maybe the Kings will stop being the Kings and surround Ayton with talented players that complement his skills. I think he and De’Aaron Fox could mesh well together running the pick-and-roll. With Ayton’s shot, he could occasionally pop out behind the arc to keep the defense guessing.” –Ben Zajdel

Next: #3: Atlanta Hawks