2017 NBA Mock Draft: Fultz to Celtics, Ball to Lakers after lottery
By Chris Stone
The NBA Draft’s order is set, so it’s time for our latest mock draft.
The NBA Draft lottery has come and gone, giving us the final order for our mock draft. While the Boston Celtics maintained their grip on the top spot, there was still plenty of movement. The Los Angeles Lakers moved up to No. 2, holding onto their pick this year, and the Sacramento Kings jumped all the way up to No. 3, but had to swap picks with the Philadelphia 76ers, moving the Kings back down to No. 5.
We’re obviously still relatively early in the draft process with plenty of individual workouts and meetings to come, so take these selections with a grain of salt. To help, I’ve tried to discuss the reasoning for each pick as well as what the player could potentially bring to the selecting franchise down the road.
Here’s a look at our latest mock draft.
Markelle Fultz
PG, Washington
The Boston Celtics are officially on the clock after landing the No. 1 pick via the Brooklyn Nets at the lottery on Tuesday night. Boston is obviously in a unique position as a team that is both already deep in the playoffs and set up to land a top tier prospect. It seems likely that the Celtics will at least explore options for trading this pick, but the value of a cost-controlled player with tremendous upside is too attractive.
Washington’s Markelle Fultz should be the selection here. The 6-foot-4 guard is the best talent in the draft and a potential game changer. Fultz can score at all three levels, has a crafty handle and is a better distributor than he gets credit for.
There will no doubt be questions about how Fultz fits on the current Boston roster with Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier all in the backcourt, but that’s a problem to figure out down the line. Fultz is big enough to spend time on the court with Thomas and is a higher upside talent than the other three.
The Celtics should be positioning themselves to be the next team in the East after LeBron’s decline. Taking Fultz is the best way to get there.