The NBA draft is this week and heading into the event, reports have the Minnesota Timberwolves taking Karl-Anthony Towns at number one overall and that put the Los Angeles Lakers on the clock and in most mock drafts the team is taking Jahlil Okafor, while players like Kristaps Porzingis, Justise Winslow and D'Angelo Russell are in the mix for the NY Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor are considered to be the best two prospects in the draft and most mocks have them going one-two to the Wolves and Lakers. Okafor was the presumptive top pick before Towns pushed ahead in the NCAA Tournament and now Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog and SNT.tv report that Towns has been "informed" by Minnesota that he will be the number one overall pick in the draft.
Towns going first to Minnesota has the Lakers in position to take Okafor, but reports over the past few weeks have connected the team with D'Angelo Russell and Kristaps Porzingis. The Lakers reportedly have talked with the Kings about a trade involving the number two pick and DeMarcus Cousins, but it's more likely Los Angeles stays in the lottery. This is the highest pick for LA in a long time and they made the most significant jump in the lottery by going from fourth to second.
The Sixers have the number three overall pick and Pro Basketball Talk has D'Angelo Russell as the pick for Philadelphia. PBT reported that Russell "killed it" in his workout with the Sixers and if he somehow gets past Philly, the Knicks likely would seriously consider taking him. The Knicks had hoped to get into the top two after finishing second worst in the league standings and Phil Jackson has said that the team will consider trading the pick.
The Knicks have the chance to get someone like Emmanuel Mudiay, Justise Winslow and Frank Kaminsky, while players like Cameron Payne, Trey Lyles and Willie Cauley-Stein are also potential targets. The Knicks could trade down and still get a solid prospect, but many mock drafts, including the PBT mock, has the Knicks taking Winslow at four. Mudiay played overseas and has potential at point guard, but he is raw and likely needs time to develop and the Knicks may not have that with Jackson at the helm.
The Knicks reportedly had a workout with Kristaps Porzingis and he could be a potential option if Okafor, Russell and Towns are all off the board when the fourth pick comes up. According to ESPN New York, one scout said they would be "shocked" if the Knicks took Porzingis at number four. The team is also considering trades with the pick.
The first round has the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia Sixers, NY Knicks and Orlando Magic in the top five this year. The top 10 is rounded out by the Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, while the Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets follow.
Mock picks for the first round:
Minnesota Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns
Los Angeles Lakers, Jahlil Okafor
Philadelphia Sixers, D'Angelo Russell
NY Knicks, Justise Winslow
Orlando Magic, Kristaps Porzingis
