LOS ANGELES –The start of June means the NBA Finals are here, but for the other 28 teams it’s much more about preparing for next season.
The NBA Draft arrives in just three weeks, and draft workouts continue to ramp up with teams finalizing their scouting reports and analyses on players who could fall in their range. As the calendar flipped from May to June, the realization that the draft is nearly here became much more real for those players participating in draft workouts.
“It’s become a little surreal,” said California guard Tyrone Wallace, who was among the six players in the Clippers’ latest draft workout. “The draft is in less than a month.”
And with that, plenty of mock drafts have followed. The Clippers have the No. 25 overall selection in the first round and the No. 33 overall selection in the second. Here’s a roundup of where a handful of publications feel the Clippers will go with their first-round selection. Click on the publication to see the full mock drafts.
- ESPN (Written 05/17): Notre Dame G Demetrius Jackson – “The Clippers found some success with Austin Rivers running the point, but they really need a full-time backup for Chris Paul. Jackson is the perfect player for that role. He is an athletic player who can defend, rarely makes mistakes on the court and is also a great locker room guy.”
- CBSSports.com (Written 05/31): Florida State G Malik Beasley – “The Clippers need some scoring punch from the wing off of the bench. Beasley would be a perfect guy to bring that as he's a good shooter from all over the floor with a mature, polished game to pair with solid athleticism. He'd be a solid upside player for L.A.”
- SI.com (Updated 06/02): North Carolina F Brice Johnson – “He was as productive as any big man in the country last year, and he’d fit well with a veteran Clippers team that could use some bounce off the bench.”
- DraftExpress.com(Written 06/01): Estudiantes (Spain) F Juan Hernangomez – “Halfway through the ACB regular season, it’s safe to say that 20-year-old Juan Hernangomez has been the revelation of the Spanish league thus far. The 6-9 face-up power forward is putting up historic numbers with Estudiantes for a player his age…”
- NBADraft.net (Written 05/31):Baylor F Taurean Prince – “Taurean Prince has an NBA role and that is a 3 and D player who can guard two positions. He’s a good spot up shooter, and floor spreader who could play solid defense and knock down corner 3s at the next level…”