The NBA draft is nearly impossible to predict. Picks and players are swapped at an alarming rate during the draft. Can you imagine if Kobe Bryant wasn’t traded on draft day? The best we can do here at ViralRead is try to choose the player who best fits with the current draft order. Here are our predictions for the 2013 NBA draft:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers – C, Alex Len, Maryland – Just like this year’s NFL Draft, the 1st overall pick is still a mystery. The Cavs will go with a true center over Noels who they have major concerns with.
2. Orlando Magic – PF, Nerlens Noel, Kentucky – Noels slips to #2 based on concerns about his knee injury and lack of a true position.
3. Washington Wizards – SF, Otto Porter, Georgetown – Porter won’t have to travel very far heading to Washington DC from Georgetown. He failed to live up to his potential and is very raw, but has huge upside.
4. Charlotte Bobcats – SG, Ben McLemore, Kansas – Some believe McLemore could even be the #1 pick, but he’s raw and failed to dominate at the college level.
5. Phoenix Suns – SF/PF, Anthony Bennett, UNLV – Very talented offensively but doesn’t have a true position. Undersized for a PF and too large to play SF.
6. New Orleans Pelicans - PG, Trey Burke, Michigan – Raised his stock after a tremendous NCAA tournament. He’s knocked for being a bit undersized, but Ty Lawson hasn’t had too many issues.
7. Sacramento Kings – SG, Victor Oladipo, Indiana – He’s not bad offensively and can be a lockdown defender on the ball. Rare in the NBA these days.
8. Detroit Pistons – SG, CJ McCollum, Lehigh– Talented scorer from a mid-major. Could be a HUGE steal like Steph Curry was.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves – SG, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia – Caldwell-Pope will be the best player on the board at this point. There’s a huge drop-off talent wise from the previous 8 picks.
10. Portland Trailblazers – C, Cody Zeller, Oklahoma – Tyler’s brother had the best vertical at the combine for a 7-footer since Joakim Noah.
11. Philadelphia 76ers – C, Lucas Nogueira, Brazil – I’m not even going to pretend to know who this guy is, but he apparently is very similar to Noah.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder – C, Jeff Withey, Kansas – The Thunder get the best shot blocker in the draft. A lot of mock drafts have Withey slipping into the 2nd round and I haven’t the slightest idea why.
13. Dallas Mavericks – SF, Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA – One of the top high school recruits who picked up the reputation of being selfish in his freshmen year. Being upset after winning the game because you didn’t take the shot will do that.
14. Utah Jazz - SG, Sergey Karasev, Russia - We’ve never seen him play, but hopefully the Jazz have.
15. Milwaukee Bucks – C, Steven Adams, Pittsburgh – A little more size in the front court to help out Larry Sanders.
16. Boston Celtics – SG, Tim Hardaway Jr, Michigan – Pierce isn’t getting any younger.
17. Atlanta Hawks – PF, Mason Plumlee, Duke – High energy guy who reminds us of David Lee.
18. Atlanta Hawks – SG, Richard Ledo, Providence – Very raw, but at this point in the draft an upside guy like Ledo is worth it. Think Lance Stephenson.
19. Cleveland Cavaliers – SF, Giannis Adetokoubo, Greece – Cavs need a SF, and this guy happens to be a solid one.
20. Chicago Bulls – PF, Gorgui Dieng, Louisville – Hopefully the Bulls draft Dieng so he can play alongside Deng.
21. Utah Jazz – PG, Shane Larkin, Miami – Barry’s son put together an impressive season and has the chance to be a pretty decent pro.
22. Brooklyn Nets – SF, Tony Mitchell, North Texas - The NBA Draft’s host team takes a guy who has little to no chance of making an impact within the next 3 years.
23. Indiana Pacers – PG, Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse – Don’t let his young looks fool you. He could help out the Pacers next year.
24. New York Knicks – C, Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga – Pretty decent scorer and fills a huge void for the Knicks whose lack of size hurt them badly in their series with Indiana. One thing is for sure: whoever the Knicks take will be booed mercilessly on draft day.
25. Los Angeles Clippers – SG, Allen Crabbe, Cal – Spot up shooter who could be a nice addition for the Clippers this late.
26. Minnesota Timberwolves – SG, Dennis Schroeder, Germany – We thought Dirk Nowitzki was the only German who played basketball.
27. Denver Nuggets – SG, Glen Rice Jr – Hopefully he’s half as cool as his dad was.
28. San Antonio Spurs – SG, Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State – Typical Spurs pick. Kawhi Leonard played for San Diego State too.
29. Oklahoma City Thunder – SG, Tony Snell, New Mexico – Has the potential to eventually contribute. I’m still mad New Mexico busted my bracket after losing to Harvard.
30. Phoenix Suns – PG, Isaiah Canaan, Murray State – Small school guy, but had a ton of exposure from the tournament last year. Could be a legit player and too good to pass up at the end of the first round.