NBA mock draft 2.0: Would San Antonio import even more talent from France?

The San Antonio Spurs have to be thrilled with the immediate return on investment they received from Victor Wembanyama, as the Frenchman won Rookie of the Year in 2023-2024. The Spurs could secure the top pick again, and might go back to France to bring in additional talent. We’ll take a guess at what they might do if they picked first overall once more.

The exact order of the NBA Draft Lottery is revealed on May 12, and we can’t wait to see how it shakes out. For now, we used a randomized order on Tankathon’s website for this mock draft.

There was a point in time before the NCAA tournament that Williams was projected to go in the top five. While momentum for that projection has cooled somewhat (ESPN has him going in the lottery), Portland would do well to get someone with Williams’ upside. ESPN believes he’s one of the best defenders in the draft.

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Sports Illustrated believes that the Kings should prioritize finding a center to take some defensive pressure off Domantas Sabonis. While Edey enters this NBA Draft with many questions on that end, his sheer size in the paint might be attractive for Sacramento. Edey’s stock has skyrocketed with the impressive NCAA Tournament run he had in the spring.

The Thunder have the luxury of bringing a developmental prospect along slowly, or adding a more ready-made player to the edges of their strong roster. Clingan is a two-time NCAA champion who would bring grit and toughness to Oklahoma City’s frontline. Sporting News thinks he can be a factor on the glass and on defense right away.

It’s anyone’s guess as to what direction Chicago will go in during the offseason. Yahoo Sports called for the franchise to reset their foundation at the trade deadline, but that didn’t happen. If the Bulls are going to give a Zach LaVine-DeMar DeRozan core one more shot, they might look at a player like Knecht to space the floor more adequately for them.

Sports Illustrated has surveyed the scene for the best and worst landing spots for Trae Young. If Atlanta were to trade him, Dejounte Murray would assume fulltime point guard duties, and an outside shooter like Walter could compliment him perfectly. CBS Sports takes it one step further, saying Walter can score at all three levels.

Our first mock had Topic going to the Rockets, and our second one follows the same train of thought. Houston is loaded with young talent across their roster, and adding a facilitator like Topic behind Fred VanVleet is the type of move that an emerging team could benefit from. Sports Illustrated said that Topic has “an unreal passing IQ.”

The Jazz are committed to rebuilding their team through the draft, and they could go a number of ways. Keyonte George had an encouraging rookie campaign, but it might not have been good enough to dissuade Utah from taking another guard in 2024. Castle brings championship pedigree with him from college, and could form a nice tandem with George.

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The Grizzlies are hoping that they’ll be back in the Western Conference playoff mix next season, and likely won’t target a player who profiles as a long-term project. Even though he’s coming out as a freshman, Sheppard’s high floor has been touted by NBA Draft Net. Sheppard is a fundamental player who could play well beyond his years as a rookie.

The Blazers are on the opposite side of the timeline, and should look to select players with higher upside. Sports Illustrated believes he was flying under the radar back in February, but Smith has started to garner more attention the closer we get to the draft. Sports Illustrated noted that he skipped out on the final two years of high school basketball to play professionally.

Pistons fans might lose their minds if their pick lands at five, considering they’re tied for the best lottery odds. With that said, nothing is guaranteed, and Detroit would have to make due if their luck doesn’t pan out again in 2024. Drafting a guard might be somewhat redundant for them, so they might go the forward route again to play alongside Ausar Thompson.

Yahoo Sports wrote that Buzelis fits the mold of the modern NBA player, and has tantalizing potential. Charlotte would have an interesting decision to make fitting Buzelis alongside Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges, but from a raw talent perspective, they would have a hard time finding anyone better.

Washington once had a respectable run with a Kentucky guard leading the way in John Wall, and could turn to Dillingham to bring the franchise out of the doldrums. ESPN pointed out that Dillingham coming off the bench in college should not affect how teams view him. They believe he has unique scoring ability, which the Wizards could use.

There’s a high risk, high reward for the Raptors heading into the lottery. They lose their pick if it's not in the top six, but would be ecstatic if their selection lands this high. Sports Illustrated believes that Toronto’s main need is size, and Sarr’s defensive presence would help solidify that part of the roster for the rebuilding organization.

Wembanyama could very well play with a countryman next season, and it feels more likely that it would be Risacher than Sarr. Although he doesn’t possess elite talent like Wembanyama, Risacher can do a little bit of everything on the court. This would help San Antonio mix and match lineups and positioning out on the floor.

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