My Personal Mock Draft
I play GM for the whole first round and explain which player I think every team should select on draft night
(Note to readers: This is an excerpt of My Personal Mock Draft provided to free subscribers. To get picks 4-30 … you need to be a paid subscriber. Click button below to read the full version.)
What would I do if I could play GM and draft for every team in the league?
That's what this is going to be: The Chad Ford Mock Draft.
Every year I produce final versions of my Big Board and Mock Draft as a way of reporting how NBA scouts and GMs rank various players in the draft and what each individual team is thinking about doing with its draft picks. Those are informed pieces that examine what NBA teams think and what they're likely to do. I typically don't weigh in heavily with my personal opinions until draft grades come out the day after the draft.
This is different.
This Mock is about what I would do with all 30 picks in the first round of the NBA Draft. It’s my opinion and no one else’s.
Before digging in, here are the ground rules:
At each slot, I make a pick in the best interest of the team with the pick. I won't pass on a player at No. 4 just because I like the team fit better at No. 5.
No trades unless they're already completed.
Team needs are taken into account, but value can and often will supersede fit. If there's clearly a best player available on the board, I won't pass on him just to fill a need.
In this column, I'm not reporting or predicting who will go where. This is my opinion about what should happen -- not what will happen. For a reported piece, check out our Mock Draft 4.0 coming Monday and our final Big Board 7.0 that lands on Tuesday.
1. Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham
Oklahoma State
Freshman
Point Forward
6’7” | 220 | 7’0” wingspan
Age on draft night: 19.8
I’ve asked a lot of questions about Cade Cunningham the past few weeks, which has angered more than a few of his most ardent supporters and Detroit fans.
But it wasn’t hate. Far from it. My intention was level setting expectations. And I am wary of caving to a consensus mindset just because it’s easy.
Cunningham isn’t a perfect prospect, but in my mind, he’s still the best one in this draft and the Pistons should take him if they keep the pick. HIs size, ballhandling and shooting ability in a league obsessed with multi-positional wings make him the right choice. He might not be the perfect fit for the Pistons -- but Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart or even Saddiq Bey should be the more expendable player, not Cade.
2. Houston Rockets
Evan Mobley
USC
Freshman
Forward/Center
7’0” | 215 | 7’4” wingspan
Age on draft night: 20.1
Mobley, to me, is the second-best prospect in the draft, and the gap between him and Cade is small.
I can see why the Rockets might prioritize Jalen Green based on the way Houston has played in the past and the marketing pizzazz that Green could bring. But Green's more unidimensional game just doesn't match up to Mobley's multidimensional talent, in my view.
Mobley is a unicorn -- a fluid, athletic 7-footer who can shoot, handle the ball, pass and protect the rim. His lack of strength worries me a little. The fact that his motor runs cool at times worries me even more. Still, I think there’s so much good here that I’m not passing on him at No. 2.
I think Mobley can play alongside Christian Wood, but if the Rockets don’t like the fit, they can move Wood, who has a good contract. In any case, with Cunningham off the board, Mobley should be the guy.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
Scottie Barnes
Florida State
Freshman
Forward
6’8” | 225 | 7’2.75” wingspan
Age on draft night: 19.9
Why would I take a Tier 2 prospect ahead of a Tier 1 prospect? That’s because the tiers are based on the opinions of NBA talent evaluators, and these picks are based on my personal assessments of each player.
Green is a top-5 prospect, but so is Barnes, who has a ceiling as high as anyone in the draft. He is a “hybrid monster,” to borrow the words of one trusted source. For what Cleveland needs, I can’t pass on his combination of size, length, athleticism, defensive versatility, feel for the game and passing acumen. And he has a reputation as an All-World teammate on top of it.
By taking him this high, I’m betting he’ll become a credible shooter. But even if he doesn’t, his ballhandling and ability to defend five positions make him, at worst, a more athletic version of Kyle Anderson.
The Cavs would be interested in Mobley if he were here, and probably tempted as well by Green, with Collin Sexton a candidate to be traded. While Green should become a more dynamic scorer than Sexton, Barnes looks like the better, more complete building block for a young team like Cleveland. So I think Barnes as a jumbo wing in their system is the better bet.
4. Toronto Raptors ???
(Note to readers: This is an excerpt of My Personal Mock Draft provided to free subscribers. To get picks 4-30 … you need to be a paid subscriber. Click button below to read the full version.
Paid subscribers will also get access to full Mock Drafts, Big Boards, scouting reports on all of the top players in the draft as well as the ability to comment on articles and special discussion boards, Zoom calls and more interaction with me in the coming weeks.)