Mock NBA Draft: Pure chaos sends Cade to Golden State Warriors
By Tony Pesta
8 – Oklahoma City Thunder select: Jalen Johnson, F
Another pick for the Oklahoma City Thunder sees them taking a more NBA-ready prospect in Jalen Johnson. Cutting his freshman season in Duke short, Johnson will be looking to make a successful jump to the pros.
Johnson is a relatively safe prospect in the sense that you know what he’s capable of doing already. He can score the ball in the paint, has a decent 3-point shot and has enough length/athleticism to defend multiple positions.
It’s possible Johnson can raise his ceiling to All-Star levels if he makes leaps as a scorer or playmaker.
9 – Toronto Raptors select: Corey Kispert, F
The Toronto Raptors have shown that despite their championship window has closed, they aren’t interested in flat-out tanking. This makes a prospect like Corey Kispert appealing to them.
A senior at Gonzaga, Kispert averaged 18.6 points on a blistering hot 44.0 percent 3-point shooting clip. He’s got all the makings of a 3-point specialist in the NBA and as long as he rounds out to average at everything else, he’ll be a long-term asset to any team he winds up with.
The Raptors are taking and making the third-most 3-pointers in the NBA this season. Plugging a sniper such as Kisptert into the lineup sounds like a recipe for instant success.