Gary Washburn’s NBA mock draft

	POS.	NAME	SCHOOL	HEIGHT	WEIGHT
1. Cleveland	C	Alex Len	Maryland	7-1	225
The Cavaliers want an NBA-ready player and Len is more advanced than Nerlens Noel. Len has skills and has been rising because of his polish and numbers in the ACC.
2. Orlando	C	Nerlens Noel	Kentucky	6-10	206
There is no way Noel falls past the Magic, who could use another cornerstone to join Nikola Vucevic in the paint. Orlando is gunning for a 2014 lottery pick, so Noel's recovery from left knee surgery is no issue.
3. Wash.	F	Otto Porter	Georgetown	6-8½	198
Porter is one of the most NBA-ready players in the draft, and will fit in right away at small forward.
4. Charlotte	F	Anthony Bennett	UNLV	6-8	260
Bennett's immaturity and rising weight because of a shoulder injury have raised doubts. He is, however, a bull in the paint with the ability to score against bigger players.
5. Phoenix	G	Victor Oladipo	Indiana	6-4	213
The player with perhaps the biggest upside in the draft, Oladipo will help the Suns immediately because of his defensive prowess and work ethic.
6. New Orl.	G	Trey Burke	Michigan	6-1	187
Burke may not have elite athleticism but he is prepared for the next challenge and has Chris Paul-like savvy.
7. Sacra.	G	Michael Carter-Williams	Syracuse	6-5	184
Sacramento needs a legitimate point guard, one with the ability to pass the ball and is not shoot-first like Tyreke Evans. Carter-Williams will only get better and bigger. It's the safest pick for the Kings.
8. Detroit	G-F	Ben McLemore	Kansas	6-4	189
His stock has dropped considerably because of a lack of workouts and waiting until just the past few days to hire an agent, but he is one of the more talented players in the draft and the Pistons are desperate for a legitimate swingman. McLemore will take time to adjust but could be a gem.
9. Minnesota	G	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope	Georgia	6-5½	204
He is a smooth shooter who has been on the Timberwolves' radar for weeks. New team president Flip Saunders is trying to attract younger talent and Caldwell-Pope should transition nicely.
10. Portland	G	C.J. McCollum	Lehigh	6-3	197
The Trail Blazers need a polished partner for Damian Lillard and McCollum is another small-school wonder looking to prove himself. He will adapt well to the NBA game and could easily move up in the draft.
11. Phila.	C	Cody Zeller	Indiana	7-0	230
Philadelphia still doesn't have a coach, so this is a tough one to call, but Zeller has big upside and can run the floor, giving the 76ers a better alternative to Spencer Hawes. Zeller will have a lot to prove because he would have been perhaps the top pick a year before.
12. Okla. City	C	Steven Adams	Pittsburgh	7-0	255
The Thunder need a center for the future and Adams can sit for his rookie season and gain experience. Adams is more skilled than scouts expected and he has a legitimate NBA body. In a couple of years, he could be a monster.
13. Dallas	G	Dennis Schroeder	Germany	6-2	165
The Mavericks are looking for a draft pick they can stash for a year or two so they can save salary-cap space. So they may encourage Schroeder, a Rajon Rondo clone, to stay overseas. Dallas is clearing cap space to sign a free agent to join Dirk Nowitzki.
14. Utah	C	Lucas Nogueira	Brazil	7-0	220
The Jazz are looking for a cornerstone point guard but aren't crazy about Shane Larkin. Utah loves foreign players and Nogueira is a legitimate center who could fill in for the likely departed Al Jefferson.
15. Milw.	G	Shane Larkin	Miami	6-0	171
Milwaukee may be ushering out the Brandon Jennings era. He's a restricted free agent and would be inviting Larkin to be their floor leader of the future. He has mastered the pick-and-roll, has toughness, and being the son of a baseball Hall of Famer doesn't hurt his reputation.
16. Boston	F	Shabazz Muhammad	UCLA	6-6	222
The Celtics are seeking players who can become cornerstones, and while Muhammad is taking a chance, he is skilled with a chip on his shoulder and was a projected top-five pick before last season. He's only 20 and would blend in well with the team's core.
17. Atlanta	F	Giannis Adetokundo	Greece	6-9	215
Hard to determine what the Hawks will do here because their roster is so gutted, but they are looking for young pieces to build on and Adetokundo could come over immediately and help out or stay overseas.
18. Atlanta	C	Kelly Olynyk	Gonzaga	7-0	234
It's been years since the Hawks had an athletic big man with the skills of Olynyk. Al Horford is a "meat and potatoes" player and Josh Smith is likely gone, so why not add Olynyk to a younger core with little pressure to produce immediately?
19. Cleveland	F	Sergey Karasev	Russia	6-7	197
Cleveland is already really young, so why not draft a player with upside whom they could stash overseas for a few years? The Cavaliers are looking to win this season and if their pick can't help right now, why not stash it?
20. Chicago	G-F	Jamaal Franklin	San Diego State	6-5	191
A Tom Thibodeau type of player who can score, defend, and play different positions. The Bulls need depth and Franklin could become a starter next season at shooting guard if things go well.
21. Utah	C	Mason Plumlee	Duke	7-0	238
The Jazz already got their point guard, so why not add some size to help in the paint? While Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter are back, Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap are gone, so Utah needs another big man to help.
22. Brooklyn	F-C	Gorgui Dieng	Louisville	6-11	230
New coach Jason Kidd is looking for defenders and there may be no better one in the draft than Dieng, who was a stopper for the national champion Cardinals. Dieng will team with the finesse of Brook Lopez and offer some defensive resistance and rebounding.
23. Indiana	F	Isaiah Canaan	Murray State	6-0	188
The Pacers need a ballhandler and scorer, and Canaan comes to the NBA polished and with something to prove after a difficult senior season. The alternative is having D.J. Augustin reassume the role.
24. New York	F	Tony Mitchell	North Texas	6-9	236
Mitchell should have likely stayed in school for another year, but he's athletic and could help the aging Knicks. With J.R. Smith having opted out, the Knicks may also seek a pure scorer like Allen Crabbe.
25. LAC	G	Allen Crabbe	California	6-6	197
There are a lot of holes for Doc Rivers to fill, and with a pick this late in the draft, Rivers takes the Los Angeles native who can score off screens, has long-range shooting ability, and great size for a shooting guard. He should contribute immediately.
26. Minn.	C	Jeff Withey	Kansas	7-0	222
Minnesota could use another defensive-minded center and Withey is a supreme shot-blocker who can at least alter some shots right away. The Timberwolves have enough scorers but they need to stop somebody.
27. Denver	G-F	Tim Hardaway Jr.	Michigan	6-6	199
Another swingman who can join a team full of them, Hardaway has shot up the draft charts after being projected as a second-round pick. Andre Iguodala may be opting out of his contract and maybe there is a role for Hardaway now.
28. San Ant.	C	Rudy Gobert	France	7-2	238
With a mammoth wingspan and game-changing defensive ability, Gobert is intriguing, especially for the Spurs, who love developing international players and could use a big man down the road.
29. Okla. City	G	Ricky Ledo	Providence	6-6	197
He never played a minute for the Friars, ruled ineligible, but he made a good enough impression to crack the first round, joining the duo of Tyler Lamb and Perry Jones in the Thunder's star-in-training group.
30. Phoenix	G-F	Reggie Bullock	North Carolina	6-7	200
The Suns are looking for an athletic swingman and Bullock comes from a good school and could develop into a cornerstone. Ryan McDonough has to score with this draft.