IAN THOMSEN'S: 2011 NBA MOCK DRAFT

Author:
Ian Thomsen

A weak draft grew weaker when several top prospects stayed in school rather than risk coming out before a lockout. But there's still enough talent in the class of 2011 to make a few talent evaluators look like geniuses—at least by 2015, when many of these raw prospects will have adapted to the pro game

CAVALIERS

KYRIE IRVING

DUKE // PG

The 6'2" Irving is an explosive scorer with an edginess that reminds scouts of Chris Paul. He'll never replace LeBron, but Irving can be Cleveland's floor leader for the next decade.

TIMBERWOLVES

DERRICK WILLIAMS

ARIZONA // PF

Williams is the consensus second-best prospect, but Minnesota already has All-Star forward Kevin Love—which means the T-Wolves may trade Williams on draft night or pick Enes Kanter.

JAZZ

ENES KANTER

TURKEY // PF-C

Kanter, 19, might have gone No. 1 had the NCAA not ruled him ineligible at Kentucky because of the money he earned as a pro back home. He has skills, a high motor and an NBA-ready body (6'11", 272 pounds).

CAVALIERS

JONAS VALANCIUNAS

LITHUANIA // PF-C

The best Lithuanian big man since former Cleveland star Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the 19-year-old Valanciunas (6'11", with a 7'6" wingspan) provides an inside presence to go with Irving.

RAPTORS

BRANDON KNIGHT

KENTUCKY // PG-SG

Mature for his age (19), Knight has the speed, vision and body control to excel in Toronto's up-tempo scheme. He will take—and can make—the big shots, averaging 17.3 points as a freshman.

WIZARDS

JAN VESELY

CZECH REPUBLIC // PF

A versatile big man (6'11", 230) who plays hard, Vesely, 21, hit only 44.4% from the line for Partizan Belgrade. As his strength develops, he could become a rangy defender who covers both sides of the lane.

KINGS

KEMBA WALKER

CONNECTICUT // PG

Is he big enough? Many teams view the 6'1" Walker as a third guard off the bench, though in Sacramento he would be an excellent complement starting alongside 6'6" Tyreke Evans.

PISTONS

BISMACK BIYOMBO

CONGO // PF-C

Whether he's older than he claims (he says he's 18) should make no difference to Detroit, which will begin to rebuild its defense around this 6'9", 243-pound shot blocker who's reminiscent of Ben Wallace.

BOBCATS

KAWHI LEONARD

SAN DIEGO ST. // SF

Gerald Wallace was traded to the Trail Blazers in February, creating an opening for the 6'7" Leonard, a quality rebounder who can defend several positions and score facing up and posting up.

BUCKS

KLAY THOMPSON

WASHINGTON ST. // SG

An excellent shooter with the ability to drain jumpers off the dribble, the 6'7" Thompson could provide instant offense to a heavily injured team that finished last in scoring in 2010--11.

WARRIORS

MARCUS MORRIS

KANSAS // PF

Golden State needs scoring in the post, and the 6'9", 230-pound Morris (17.2 ppg, 57.0% FG as a junior last year) can supply that right away, as well as the skill to step out and make a jumper.

JAZZ

JIMMER FREDETTE

BYU // PG

Since when is being a local hero a negative? Despite being a tweener at 6'2", Fredette is an NBA-caliber shooter and scorer, and Utah can use someone who's a draw—especially after a lockout.

SUNS

CHRIS SINGLETON

FLORIDA ST. // SF-PF

Porous Phoenix will be grateful for the 6'9" Singleton's defense, and with Steve Nash passing him the ball (at least for one year), he will be an immediate threat as a scorer.

ROCKETS

ALEC BURKS

COLORADO // SG

A slashing scorer who can also work the boards (20.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg as a sophomore last season), the 6'6" Burks will provide backcourt size when he plays alongside 6-foot point guard Kyle Lowry.

PACERS

KENNETH FARIED

MOREHEAD ST. // PF

A 6'7" banger who thrives on dirty work, Faried may not start, but he'll earn big minutes. Rebounding translates from college to the NBA, and Faried averaged 14.5 boards as a senior.

76ERS

JORDAN HAMILTON

TEXAS // SG-SF

Philadelphia needs shooting help, and the 6'7" Hamilton (18.6 ppg, 38.5% 3FG as a sophomore last year) is among the best spot-up talents in the draft. He also averaged 7.7 rebounds.

KNICKS

TRISTAN THOMPSON

TEXAS // PF

New York has stars; it needs the 6'8" Thompson's blue-collar board work and production down low (7.8 rpg and 54.6% FG last year as a freshman). He has to sharpen his foul-shooting, though (48.7%).

WIZARDS

MARKIEFF MORRIS

KANSAS // PF

Marcus's slightly bigger twin—the only other brothers to have ever been taken in the first round of the same draft were Brook and Robin Lopez in 2008—could be a strong defender off the bench.

BOBCATS

NIKOLA VUCEVIC

USC // C

Charlotte needs a true center, and the 6'11", 260-pound Vucevic (the son of a former Yugoslavia national-teamer) has the size as well as burgeoning skills around the basket.

TIMBERWOLVES

DONATAS MOTIEJUNAS

LITHUANIA // PF

Though he's a 7-footer, the lanky Motiejunas (who weighs 220 pounds) won't be a force inside. But Minnesota can take advantage of his playmaking skills and savvy on the perimeter.

TRAIL BLAZERS

TYLER HONEYCUTT

UCLA // SF

Honeycutt fancies himself the second coming of Tayshaun Prince, but the 6'8" 187-pounder first needs to improve his strength and his shooting (12.8 ppg, 40.6% FG as a sophomore last season).

NUGGETS

MARSHON BROOKS

PROVIDENCE // SG

Denver is excellent in player development, and Brooks is a 6'5" scorer (24.6 ppg as a senior) who, despite a negative assist-to-turnover ratio, should fit nicely in George Karl's rotation.

ROCKETS

TOBIAS HARRIS

TENNESSEE // SF-PF

The 6'8" Harris (15.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg in his only season with the Volunteers) could become a solid Jared Dudley--type for Houston, contributing off the bench at both forward spots.

THUNDER

JEREMY TYLER

SAN DIEGO HIGH // PF-C

Tyler set himself back by skipping his senior year then playing two seasons overseas. (He lasted 10 games in Israel and played 33 in Japan.) But at 6'11", 262 pounds, with a 7'5" wingspan, he has size and upside.

CELTICS

IMAN SHUMPERT

GEORGIA TECH // PG-SG

Boston will begin transitioning to the next era, so why not invest in an athletic 6'5", 220-pound combo guard who has the potential to be a lockdown perimeter defender?

MAVERICKS

REGGIE JACKSON

BOSTON COLL. // PG-SG

A recent knee injury kept Jackson out of the predraft combine and hurt his stock. But Dallas can afford to be patient with the 6'3" scorer (18.2 ppg, 50.3% FG as a junior last season).

NETS

JOSH SELBY

KANSAS // PG

Can coach Avery Johnson hammer Selby (7.9 ppg, 2.2 apg in his only season with the Jayhawks) into a consistent playmaker with a reliable jumper? A good gamble at this pick.

BULLS

KYLE SINGLER

DUKE // SF

He's not flashy, but the four-year Blue Devils starter is a proven winner who can come off the bench and contribute in Tom Thibodeau's system, which places a premium on work ethic.

SPURS

NIKOLA MIROTIC

MONTENEGRO // PF

As it has with other European draftees, San Antonio can afford to let the 6'10" Morotic, 20, stay overseas for a couple of years to develop. He scored 6.6 ppg and shot 50.0% for Real Madrid last year.

BULLS

DAVIS BERTANS

LATVIA // SF

A young (18), thin (6'10", 210 pounds) shooter, Bertans impressed scouts with his jumper at the Nike Hoop Summit in April—and Chicago needs to surround Derrick Rose with three-point threats.

SCAN FOR BONUS VIDEO

For a breakdown and video highlights of the five most intriguing players in the draft, download the free Microsoft Tag Reader app to your smartphone at http://gettag.mobi and then scan the tag above.

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IN DRAFT ORDER: DAVID E. KLUTHO

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JOHN W. MCDONOUGH

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RICK BOWMER/AP

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MINDAUGAS KULBIS/AP

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AL TIELEMANS

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DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

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DAMIAN STROHMEYER (WALKER)

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DAMIAN STROHMEYER (JACKSON)

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SAM FORENCICH/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

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ROBERT BECK

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GEORGE HOLLAND/CAL SPORT MEDIA

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GREG NELSON (THE MORRISES)

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GREG NELSON (HAMILTON)

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GARRETT W. ELLWOOD

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GARY BOGDON

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TIM UMPHREY/GETTY IMAGES

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JOE ROBBINS/GETTY IMAGES

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LOU CAPOZZOLA (THOMPSON)

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LOU CAPOZZOLA (HARRIS)

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GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES

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ROBERTO SERRA/IGUANA PRESS/GETTY IMAGES

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BRUCE L. SCHWARTZMAN/SCHWARTZMAN SPORTS

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PORTER BINKS

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JUN NAKAZAWA/TOKYO APACHE/BJ-LEAGUE

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JOHN BIEVER

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JOHN F. GRIESHOP/SCHWARTZMAN SPORTS

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BOB ROSATO

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OSCAR DEL POZO/EB/GETTY IMAGES

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ALDIS NEIMANIS/FIBA EUROPE

TWO PHOTOS

June 20, 2011