The Smoking Cuban
FanSided

NBA mock draft 5.0 – Best available player edition

By Kohl Rast

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 22: Jaren Jackson Jr. #2 of the Michigan State Spartans is seen during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center on January 22, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 22: Jaren Jackson Jr. #2 of the Michigan State Spartans is seen during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center on January 22, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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OMAHA, NE – MARCH 23: Wendell Carter, Jr. #34 of the Duke Blue Devils concentrates at the free throw line against the Syracuse Orange during the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional at CenturyLink Center on March 23, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
OMAHA, NE – MARCH 23: Wendell Carter, Jr. #34 of the Duke Blue Devils concentrates at the free throw line against the Syracuse Orange during the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional at CenturyLink Center on March 23, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

7. Scouting Report. C. Wendell Carter Jr.. 24. Pick Analysis. Duke

Next up, we have Wendell Carter Jr., a great player from Duke who has been moving up a lot of draft boards of late. The staff here had Wendell Carter ranked anywhere from 4th to 13th with a majority of the staff having him as the seventh best available.

Carter would fit well in the Bulls squad as a backup to both Lauri Markkanen and Bobby Portis. That may not be ideal for Bulls fans hoping for a star, but he would do well with this young team. It will be interesting to see where Carter ends up in the actual draft.

Scouting Report. 8. 156. G/F. Villanova. Mikal Bridges. Pick Analysis

The first of the Bridges has finally landed all the way down at number 8 in the mock draft. Mikal Bridges lands in Cleveland for this mock draft but that does not mean he is not well-liked amongst the staff members. In the rankings for Mikal, his lowest end was 10th and his highest was 5th. Five of the staff members had him at eighth overall.

Bridges could come in and give some immediate help on both ends of the court for a team that needs it. Outside of LeBron James, the Cavs were seriously lacking in talented players that could make a difference across the board. Mikal would fill that void or, if LeBron leaves, would give the team a nice little building block going forward.

Michigan State. 27. Pick Analysis. Scouting Report. F. Miles Bridges. 9

Well, that didn’t take long. The second of the Bridges lands at number nine with Miles Bridges joining the New York Knicks in this mock draft. Miles was picked as high as 6th by some of the staff writers or as low as 11th. The gap between he and Mikal Bridges was the second largest gap in the rankings, behind the one between MPJ and Wendell Carter.

Miles would be a great addition to the Knicks who could use a gritty, athletic player like him on the wing. His defense will be welcomed and his offense will hopefully come along as time goes on. Either way, he would be a nice fit in New York.

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