New 2024 NBA Mock Lottery Draft | Hawks Surprise At #1, Alex Sarr Falls, & Where Does Bronny End Up?

New 2024 NBA Mock Lottery Draft | Hawks Surprise At #1, Alex Sarr Falls, & Where Does Bronny End Up?

[Music] welcome to a special mock draft edition of Beyond The Arc I’m John Gonzalez alongside per usual our NBA Insider Bill Ryder and look at this we have two special guests today we’re going four wide our 247 Sports director of scouting Adam felin is here and our lead NBA draft analyst Kyle also making his debut on the program gentlemen welcome to beond the arc thanks for thanks for having me yeah very exciting bill and I don’t know what to do with ourselves we’ve never gone for wi it’s gonna go great uh we’re going to do the first time on Beyond The Arc that we’re going to do a mock draft so we had to bring you two guys in because Bill and I focus on the NBA and you guys are obviously draft experts so we’re going to do picks 1 through 14 Adam and Kyle are going to alternate picks and then bill and I will give try what I suspect bill will be trenchant NBA analysis from the two of us per usual here on beond the arc trenchant why not we we’ll do that uh and then later in the show we’re gonna have an extended bronnie James discussion because we can never have enough bronny James talk here on Beyond The Arc but first we’re going to start off with the number one pick in the NBA draft coming up the Atlanta Hawks they won 36 and 46 this season they were the 10th seed in the play and they had just a 3% chance to win the lottery and they pulled it off for the first time in 49 years they will pick first Landry fields or GM said he was shocked by this got a lot going on in Atlanta it’s going to be very busy off season for them but we’re going to start it off Adam with their pick number one overall who do they got now we’re gonna take Zachary raset but it comes with the caveat and that being that we are first looking or at least exploring moving this pick I’m sure you guys will get into this more but the this team is 10 games below 500 they’re in the luxury tax things are not going well over there but what rashay will do is give them a big three and D Wing who’s showing some more signs of dynamic offense down the stretch here if you’re just starting to follow this draft then what you need to know is this draft lacks star power so we are taking a prospect with a very high floor because rashay is a big wing with a pretty shooting stroke who can also get it done on the defensive end of the floor he’s still playing right now in France and he’s starting to play some of the best basketball of his career so his overall trajectory is encouraging and we’re seeing some more explosiv in the open floor if he can ever turn into more of a Creator guys this is someone who’s got a chance to be a special Prospect because right now he is not your typical number one overall guy but there’s no typical overall number one in this draft rashay gives us someone who can make an impact on both ends of the floor sooner rather than later I think Adam made the most important point of the whole draft in talking to folks around the NBA I don’t think I’ve had a single GM be certain who they would take at number one if they were taking at number one and this idea that you know normally a draft is one and we pretend two or three deep there’s a sense that it’s five or six deep maybe in terms of who you could take with the first pick and I think this also Adam’s pick fits with what I’m hearing Atlanta wants to do yes Landry is the GM but Nick wrestler who is the owner’s son and has a formal position in the front office is as I understand it really the power and if you want to be polite to Landry field maybe in conjunction with their general manager and there’s a sense with things having God badly that Quinn Snider who’s also a part of that Triumph more than a coach he has a lot of influence that he is leaning toward a rebuild maybe looking to move on Trey young and so the idea of prospects who have huge upside down the line and try to really swing for the fenes in this draft because they shouldn’t have been one and again it’s not like there’s a wemi this makes a lot of sense not just with the state of this draft guys but I think what Atlanta wants to do and thinking more long term than maybe they were a year ago yeah and I think there’s a few directions right that Atlanta could go here they could go with Alex SAR who we showed was the projected favorite to go one overall right now uh Donovan kingan I think could actually make some sense uh but you know I think reash just given where the NBA is right now big wings who can shoot the basketball checks those boxes maybe doesn’t project as a future star but Atlanta I think gets gets a nice safe pick here I don’t hate it for thinkink and number one for the Atlanta Hawks a lot of moving parts for the Atlanta Hawks this offseason I mean as Bill mentioned you have this uh interesting dynamic in the front office they finally land the first pick and you’d think oh isn’t this exciting but now it’s in a draft where nobody can agree on who that first pick should be and you know they got to figure out if they’re gonna move Trey young or They’re Gonna Keep dejonte Murray Clint capella could be another guy on the Move Beyond Jaylen Johnson and anangu I’m like you could move everybody out and I would be fine with that but all right so they they’ve got the first pick uh we we talked about that one we’re going to go to number two here it should be the whiz we’ve decided to complicate this mock draft and now the wh have decided to trade with the Blazers the Blazers are trading picks seven and 14 to move up in this fake draft along with future considerations the whz are going to fall back they could use a zillion things so they’re going to get two picks here we’ll get to them a little bit later on but Kyle uh the Blazers not a good season for them last year 21 and 61 dead last in a loaded Western Conference they got Anthony Simons who I like a lot scoot Henderson didn’t get off to a great start as a rookie we’ll see whether or not he can develop and they have two more years of Deandre at a bloated salary I like to call him more expensive Andre Drummond which way are the Blazers going here yeah let’s let’s shake it up let’s get a little weird I’m going to go with Donovan kingan here at number one Donovan kingan from Yukon uh he was second in college basketball last season in terms of block rate uh the SE the season before that uh a man named Derrik Lively ranked second in Block rate and we’ve seen throughout this PO postseason he’s been very very good and really come on strong for the Dallas Mavericks uh CL you know a two-time national champion I think he was the most important piece for the Yukon Huskies this last postseason in winning the National Championship uh a really good I think High floor plug-and-play typee of Center who I still believe in scoot Henderson I think he is the future in their back court pairing him with Donovan kingan who’s really good defensively who I think can be a playmaker um in the in the in the paint and I think can be eventually shoot it at a high level from Beyond The Arc uh a lot to like here with Donovan kinging still very young still learning the game and so I I’m going to take him number two for the Portland Trailblazers you know guys I throw it up to the rim to my guy Boon who I like to call the nicest man in America all he has to do is dunk the ball take Alex SAR that’s the odds on favorites of go number one and he goes Donovan kingan and I just you know I I don’t know I don’t know that Mike schmidtz is pulling the trigger on Donovan not suggested the assistant GM is making the pick but I think I just suggested the assistant GM is making the pick um I I don’t know that Donovan kingan is is the guy at two I think if SAR I mean listen SAR right now is the betting favorite as we initially showed to go number one so if he were to fall to two and we’re we’re mocking this out as if uh as if Portland moves up to take them I I co-sign absolutely everything Boone said uh kingan is a defensively dominant big man who’s got untapped offensive potential Boon mentioned the shooting potential I subscribe to that as well I think he’s got a chance to do it you don’t find a whole lot of guys who are 7even foot three who can who have changed their body the way Donovan kingan has in his two years at Yukon I mean this guy has done some massive work in the conditioning department and you even saw it this year he battled some injuries early on his playing weight got up a little bit then he got back down to 270 and you saw him be the most dominant defensive player in that NCA tournament so I like the fit I just don’t know that I would go with him this high at two um with SAR still on the board I’m gonna defend Kyle here because maybe Kyle has gone like super meta and is really channeling how not everybody but some people view this Portland front office and Joe Cronin who is a very nice guy like Kyle uh is not universally believed to know what he’s doing in Portland doesn’t mean that he doesn’t doesn’t mean he won’t prove people wrong he’s under massive amounts of pressure but maybe Kyle was talking to some of the people I were was talking to in Chicago who think that that scoot pick and the pressure Cronin will probably be under a little bit less from a year from now will lead them to make a mistake in this draft that maybe they’re not as smart as they thought they were a lot of people did not from various reasons like Neil the former GM and so your enemies enemies are your friends that doesn’t necessarily make you good at your job Kyle I see what you’re doing you’re going deep in the weeds here you’re you’re channeling maybe what Portland would do for the non-believers and what that front office is about and I respect the move here on the mock draft yeah Kyle in this mock draft parallel universe that we’ve created for ourselves where the Blazers end up moving up maybe this means they move on from DeAndre Aon I’m not a big DeAndre Aon dominating fan you know he rebounds the ball well I I called him more expensive Andre Drummond but that’s what he is I mean he doesn’t do much he doesn’t shoot he doesn’t get offer enough Rim protection and he doesn’t go to work when there’s ice on the road so I would just I’d be fine with Donovan King and in and DeAndre a and out so that’s that’s great uh we’ll move on to the Rockets here I’ve already lost track I think it’s Adam next uh 41 and 41 11th in the west last year first year with imy adoka there was a time there when they were on a hot winning streak where Bill and I were talking about them every show we were very excited about this young core I’m interested to see what they do here Adam because they’ve got Alper and shenon who I’m hugely high on Jaylen green looked really good second half of the Season they’ve got Jabari Smith and fbv and Dylan Brooks and alen Thompson came on hot all of a sudden this roster is I’m not going to say it’s loaded and that there’s not any space they can obviously obviously use help but there isn’t a ton of space here so which way are they going well I think in this scenario where Alex would fall to number three they would they would jump all over him it would be very reminiscent of what happened two years ago when Jabari Smith was the betting favorite to go number one up until just hours before the draft and then he ended up slipping to Houston at number three and here’s here’s the scouting report on SAR you’re talking about an extremely mobile seven-footer who’s got a ton of defensive upside and versatility and when you look at Houston and what they do and do not have a backup big man initially who who could come in be versatile defensively guard pick and roll in a few different ways and then grow into a different role I’d be very curious to hear what you guys think about whether senon and and Jaylen green fit together long term but this gives them another alternative in that path in case they have to move on from one of those two guys and again this is this is the odds on favorite to go number one overall in the draft the reason why I did not take him one and perhaps why Boon didn’t take him too is because he’s got a long way to go offensively the shooting potential people are betting on but it’s not there yet he’s got a narrow build and doesn’t play with a whole lot of offensive Force at The Rim so he’s not yet a lob threat or a big time finisher out of dunker spot so we’re going to need to see a lot of growth offensively but defensively there’s a ton of value and I think that fits with this Houston roster and of course what they’re trying to do uh with this new coaching staff yeah the Rockets would certainly be celebrating if this guy fell to them this is largely the person who most people as you said think will go number one overall again there is a diversity of opinion out there this is really good Rockets team they’re better at the end of the season the West is going to be loaded we’ve talked about it their window is two to four years from now it is not next year to actually compete so if you got a high upside guy and you’ve got a guy in adoka who just showed last year and to a degree different situation in Boston he’s good at developing players and putting in a winning culture makes all the sense of the world and Kyle it feels like if this is what happens Houston got real lucky yeah absolutely size and and you know I EXC me John and I feel like with J with Jaylen green already there Al andon um and I think SAR would be able to play off of each other very well I think that’d be a really nice front Court to build around long term in Houston we forgot also though Steve they also have Stephen Adams all of a sudden that front court is getting pretty packed but uh which be interesting if he fell to three and and see how em uh ends up dealing with that all right we’ve got three picks in the books already our mock draft is going to continue coming up with the Spurs and Victor wanyama on the clock you’re watching Beyond The Arc right here CBS Sports Network welcome back to a special mock draft edition of Beyond The Arc John galz and Bill Ryder joined by our two NBA draft experts Adam and Kyle and Kyle you’re up next the Spurs here uh 22 and 60 last year second to last in the west obviously Victor wanyama the sky is the limit for him the Rookie of the Year First Team all defense he looks amazing I like Devon vasel beyond that I could take or leave basically the entire team just from my perspective last year they started out uh desperately in need of a point guard they they had Jeremy soan there that didn’t work out Trey Jones came in uh I’m interested to see which way you’re going in your I like your chair here your commander chair your gamer chair uh dream us up a pick here yeah I’m going to go with Stefan Castle from Yukon kind of a point guard uh he thinks he’s a point guard I think he can be a point guard at some point um one of the best defensive uh guards in this class he consistently drew the toughest assignments for Yukon on a team that won the National Championship uh last season rated 94th percentile in as a pick and roll Defender according to Synergy data uh 74th percentile in pick and roll on offense a lot of untapped creation ability and he made some sacrifices for that Yukon team last year um but I think San Antonio is going to want to upgrade its backourt add some Talent uh to around Victor whama I think Stefan Castle checks a lot of those boxes I mean John already hit it this is a project about building around wemi so combo guard two-way player can untap creatively some of the talent around him that is wemi and hopefully other players that will add in this draft in the years ahead obviously this is an organization under RC Buford that does a great job not just identifying Talent the talent you’ve identified Kyle but developing that Talent so this is I love what I’m hearing this is the kind of San Antonio needs a lot of things but what you’re describing are the the building blocks to surround wemi with or what should be a really again two to three years from now really good team that maybe competes that early in the west all right uh I thought Adam was gonna follow guess not we’re gonna move on but I do like this I’ll say this guys one of us is a Yukon Alum and believe it or not it is not Kyle oh there we go well congratulations to your huskies and pairing that uh with Victor wyam I like that they would be on the same timeline too in terms of their age and this is exactly they definitely need some back Fort help so uh congratulations to the San Antonio Spurs all right the Detroit Pistons the worst team in basketball last year 14 and 68 Under New Management Tran Langdon is in Troy Weaver is out Kade Cunningham Jaylen durren I think those are your two main building blocks your mileage may vary on Jaden Ivy and then after that assar Thompson started out hot and then Monty decided uh you know what I like I don’t like him playing so well I’m going to take away his minutes and give them to buan bogdanovich for reason surpassing understanding but now he’s in New York so maybe they’ll re reinsert him into the lineup here uh Adam the Pistons they could use a zillion things which way are they going they’re gonna go with Matas buellis and full disclosure Ron Holland is the highest ranked player on my board but I’m going with buellis here because I think when you look at this Pistons lineup the real glaring hole is at the four spot right I mean you mentioned Jaylen Duran you mentioned Cade Cunningham Jaden Ivy but who plays the four long term as much as uh as much as they tried to play two centers at one time I’m not sure that Isaiah Stewart is the long-term answer what they get with buellis is a is a mismatch foran he’s got really good size he’s someone who made his Mark in high school as a big playmaker believe it or not a lot of the draft Community is kind of talking about him like he’s a shooter shooting numbers were not good this year with Ignite but if you watched him in high school this he actually played with the ball in his hands in the ebll with Expressions Elite last season so I think he’s got a lot of mismatch potential and although he’s always wanted to hear he’s a guard he’s wanted to hear he’s a three when you put him at the four that’s when that mismatch ability becomes that much more deadly and I I’ll also say this this is a player who historically has not been as competitive as he needs to be on the defensive end of the floor but has a playmaking upside when he’s motivated he can fly around the court he can get his hand on hands on a lot of different balls he can block shots get in passing Lanes the whole gamut if Monty Williams can get him to buy into that and then allow him to utilize his full offense versatility he could be a really good fit with some of the other good young pieces Detroit has John began this part of the conversation the mock draft talk about how they’re the worst team in the NBA that’s not just on the floor and they were bad on the floor now hopefully this new front office knows what they’re doing because this is a rebuild coming off of a rebuild they’ve got to be getting this Pi these picks right the good news is at five in this draft unlike maybe five in other drafts if other gmms have made some mistakes as we’ve talked about it the margin between one and five and maybe even for some folks one to seven isn’t that vast so hopefully this is the beginning of a long process but at least a successful process in Detroit yeah I like Tron langon too but he definitely has his work cut out for him we’ll see what he can pull off here all right moving along to the Charlotte Hornets who are picking six uh perennially a terrible franchise 21 and 61 13th in the East Steve Clifford is out as head coach he’s moving into a front office capacity as an adviser Charles Lee is in Jeff Peterson is the new president of basketball Ops we’ll see if bill has some insight there Lamela ball just cannot stay healthy he only played 22 games last year he had an ankle just 36 the year before the only bright spot for this team is Brandon Miller First Team all rookie I thought he looked really good he his favorite player is Paul George he’s a little bit of a Paul George starter kit uh they could use everything so Kyle which way are they going yeah I considered nicoa topic here U just with the playmaking the size but I’m gonna go with Ron Holland who finlin just mentioned a minute ago he led G League ignite in scoring and in steals this past season he is the highest rated Prospect still on the board right now I think he has the best mixtape of all the prospects in this class he’s a dynamic playmaker he’s very athletic uh if you watch his highlight I mean just the way that he’s able to get up uh and put some dunks through is really impressive um and at the NBA draft combine I think he was posed a question like about the fact that there is no consensus number one in this class and he kind of snarled like Hey I’m dude and I like kind of the Swagger that he carries himself with he’s very confident made some strides this past season and I think he’s going to end up going somewhere in this range in this draft this is an organization that again this is why you’re drafting High total reset at every level of the organization you’re right John lamelo cannot stay healthy but his dad assured us here on the podcast talking to me that everything’s gonna be fine so are you’re not buying what he’s selling and I do know that that in Charlotte look you don’t have a lot of choices if you’re this organization you’re not a destination for free agents you have to get it right in the draft they want to believe that lamelo ball can stay healthy and be a key piece because they have to believe it and if they can have him and Brandon Miller be two guys that can play 80 games together and you add some Wing play and you get some depth over the years they think that that’s a formula that they can use for Success so I like the pick it all still hinges largely on whether ball can be healthy it’s a question mark but when you’re in Charlotte guys you don’t have a choice with that Talent you gotta hope he finds a way to stay healthy and you hope this pick works out as a as an addition to what they’ve already got bill I can’t believe that you would you would think that Lavar ball was selling you a bill of goods that was an excellent interview by people should go back and and check that out that’s on our YouTube page which you can find at Beyond The Arc CBS and you can check out Bill’s interview with Lavar ball uh subscribe hit the like button while you’re there too and by the way Kyle you know your audience you’ve come to the right place when you mention the words mixtape and highlight reel bill will tell you I watched about 25 seconds of bronnie James shooting in an empty gym and all of a sudden I’m in we’re going to get to bronny later on but but I do love a mixtape but I do love a highlight rail uh all right we’re going to continue our mock draft the Wizards are going to be on the clock after we take a short break this is beyond the arc on CBS Sports Network all right welcome back to Beyond The Arc you’re watching us on CBS Sports Network you can also find us wherever you get your favorite podcast please download And subscribe all right we’re continuing with our mock draft here in this universe that we have created the Wizards who had the second pick have moved back they need too much stuff so now they’re going to pick seven and 14 uh they were 15 and 67 last year 14th in a bad Eastern Conference Michael wi Winger is running basketball Ops Brian ke is now the new head coach Kyle kosma this is a team that Kyle kozma got a chance to leave and go to the Mavs and he said no I need to be a wizard for reason surpassing understanding Jordan p is also on this team a perennial shaked in a fool candidate really bad I mean they’ve got Denny and B kibali and not a Cory Chris but your mileage may vary uh not a great roster here Adam what do you think they need which way are they going yeah so they’re gonna draft Reed Shepard and reason being and Bill I’m gonna be curious of your take I think they have three players longterm like I think this is the worst roster in the NBA I know they didn’t necessarily have the worst record but in Reed Shepard they get arguably the most reliable human being in this draft I mean in terms of the intangible in terms of the competitiveness the basketball IQ all of that stuff is absolutely indisputable and off the charts on top of that the shooting splits he put up last year at Kentucky were almost unprecedented now what’s going to be interesting is if he can continue that in the NBA because that is not what we saw in high school quite frankly then you had the defensive metrics this guy is phenomenal with his hands last but not least a 42 inch standing vertical this was the surprise of the NBA Combine because Reed Shepard was the best vertical athlete in the NBA draft combine and as much as he surprised everybody this year at Kentucky that was absolutely just the cherry on top I at least speaking for myself did not see that coming so you get somebody who can play onoff ball who’s going to compete and lead on both ends of the floor and I think for a Washington team that is just really really bad you can’t pass that up at this spot Adam I think your avaluation of their roster largely matches their evaluation of their roster and they believe Michael Winger believes talking to sources and this can be a dangerous game sometimes in Washington he thinks he’s got three years or or four years he thinks he’s been given a mandate to take time talk to one of his top talent evaluators the other day they believe like a lot of people and we’ve talked about this that while there’s not a a key guy a certain guy at one to five that if you’re smarter than everybody else and every Talent evaluator thinks they are including this guy you can find some guys in the lottery who are GNA work if you out think and out Scout some of the other organizations so it would make sense they would want some extra picks and this feels like something they would they a guy would invest in they don’t like what they have but they feel like they can fill out a roster this year and next year to the draft and being smarter than everybody else and have more time their owner tends not to provide that but this is what they think and this pick makes sense in that context congratulations to Kyle kzo for sticking around to build something lasting with Reed Shepard it’s going to go great all right moving on to the Spurs This is their second pick in the lottery had one a little bit earlier now we’re going to go back to Kyle which way are they going with their second pick here at number eight Kyle yeah we picked Stefan castle at number four so we’re going to come back here with tijon salon at number eight uh we’re going to give vikor wiama another Frenchman to play with here and the two actually know each other uh their sisters played together on the U6 FBA circuit uh wimy earlier this year basically gave like a ringing endorsement of Salon saying like I’m very confident in his in his work ethic and his ability um he’s you know 6′ n a big Wing I think can play multiple positions someone who can defend multiple spots uh kind of a highlevel uh type of wing who I think can fit into what the Spurs are building long term size and length the guy speaks the same language as wemi maybe they can start a book club together you just want to keep that guy H happy and put Talent around him I like it Kyle I like it two Frenchmen in San Antonio San Antonio now the Paris of the Southwest that’s what everybody saying uh moving on to pick number nine the Memphis Grizzlies weird year for them 27 and 55 last year 13th in the East name somebody on that team they were hurt last year John Morant was hurt he also had a 25 game suspension to start then he got injured Desmond Bane Marcus Smart Brandon Clark Stephen Adams who got traded all of them were hurt they did however kind of hit on GG Jackson who I like a little bit and then jiren Jackson Jr uh not as good defensively last year but I still think a very useful player could be a bounceback season for them Adam uh what are they going to do here I think in this scenario uh Dalton connect is someone that makes a lot of sense because he is in my opinion the most NBA ready scorer maybe in the entire draft certainly after you get outside the first three or four picks this guy went to kentu I’m sorry this guy went to Tennessee last year Kentucky wishes they went there and he put up major major numbers showing Extreme shot making ability not just from behind the three-point line but off the dribble as well and he’s going to be able to impact the game at the NBA level in a very similar way so you’re talking about a guy who fits that accelerated timeline in terms of being able to come in and impact winning right away the biggest questions are on the defensive end of the floor uh but I think he’s going to be passable on that end competent if you will never going to be a standout but it’s just about being able to hold your own and being able to hide them a little bit if the offense will overcome make it worthwhile to have him on the floor and and deal with some of those defensive shortcomings but I will say this guys I think that an ideal scenario for this team is to get up and draft a center I think if there’s any way they can move up and Target Donovan kinging he would make a lot of sense next to jiren Jackson that is going to be a storyline that Memphis fans will want to follow heading into this draft Adam is right they absolutely need a center but but if if this player this guy is ready to contribute now it hits on a really important point for Memphis I think more so than any team that’s in the lottery they have to not just play well next year the expectations in that front office when everybody is healthy and jaw’s back and all those guys are out there is that they’re they think they’re a top they need to be a top four team in the Western Conference talking to people in that organization that is a hefty order now the West is really hard there’s going to be several teams that think think that they’re a top four team that are five or six or seven I mean they might go the West 13 maybe 14 teams deep so they need a center but it does make sense you would find somebody who can help in some facet immediately because Memphis does not have time to develop a player or wait for somebody to figure out the NBA yeah Adam I laughed a little bit when you said that he was NBA ready because I looked at his age he’s 23 uh this guy will be collecting Social Security pretty soon so he has to get into the league as soon as possible but yeah I would I would rather see them go with a big man because after they move on from Step Adams they need somebody to take some of that load off of jiren Jackson in the front court all right moving on to pick number 10 the Jazz uh dealer Danny a she’s always got something up his sleeve 31 and 51 last year for a second there bill and I thought that maybe they’d make a play in push and then all of a sudden we were like no of course not they’re going to tank out of this thing and uh probably fall back in as Bill mentioned a very loaded Western Conference still got lri Markin in Colin seon had a good year last year I’m I’m a big believer in Keon George I think he’s very good but there’s some other pieces they could move on from here uh could go any number of directions here Kyle which way what do you think Danny a is going to do here yeah we’re going to take uh Nia toic here at number 10 I think he’s a very important connective tissue a a piece that you know is number five on the CBS Sports big board so I think there’s some value here as well uh the best passer I think in this draft class someone who’s proven himself uh playing overseas at at a high level already um Elite pick and roll weapon uh can distribute at a high level can pass can create so checks a number of boxes doesn’t feel like the Jazz necessarily have someone who plays like his style um and so I think this would be a nice uh a way to add kind of some playmaking some scoring a number of different things that can complement Keon George Colin ston what they already have in place Colin seon is a is a nice player but we’ve talked about some teams that have maybe a two or three year window Utah’s building something we know what Danny AG is about it’s not next year the West is tough so if you can bring a guy who’s the right playmaker if they’ve identified a person maybe who can grow into being the point guard of the future and you have some time to develop him that makes a lot of sense for youah yeah I’m really interested to see what the Jazz do because as we’ve mentioned so many times the West is so loaded and they’re not going to be contenders next year they’re probably not going to be in the playoffs next year they’ve got lri Markin and are you just sitting on him for the next couple of years are you going to move on from him a lot of uh things for Danny a to decide this off season all right we got 10 picks in the books already for our mock draft that leaves four more to go we’re going to finish this off coming up after a quick break this is beyond the arc on CBS Sports Network welcome back to be on the arc it’s our mock draft special John Gonzalez Bill Ryder our two draft experts Adam and Kyle are here Kyle classing up the place with a TI we appreciate that Kyle uh the Bulls pick number 11 no seriously I mean bill and I would do it in a burlap sack of if we could they won’t this is me dressed up right here this is us dressed up right here uh pick number 11 we got four more To Go Gang pick number 11 is the Chicago Bulls who are just always in that Purgatory of not terrible but not good either ninth in the East last year Zack LaVine missed a big chunk of the season with a foot injury Demar de r rozen’s a free agent Nicola vich getting a little uh long in the tooth we’ll say a little older Alex cariso had a nice season and then Lonzo ball bill will report back on what Lavar thinks about him Lonzo Ball’s been out for forever as well uh Adam yeah it’s everything’s great he’s fine everything’s great all his sons to see all his sons are doing great yeah uh Adam what are the Bulls gonna do here with pick number 11 well I know they’re not all gonna wear Lonzo shoes that’s for sure um what what I think they’re gonna do is they’re gonna stick to their their theme here which is you know there are higher upside guys still on the board here but Devin Carter feels to me like a very Bulls kind of guy who can help them keep fighting for that play in spot keep fighting to try and make the playoffs uh because Devin Carter is ready to make an impact he is arguably the most competitive player in this draft he’s also one of the most athletic players in this draft the son of longtime NBA player Anthony Carter current NBA assistant coach and he comes from that pedigree this guy just knows what it’s about he knows how to work he knows how to impact the game on both ends of the floor this year at Providence he he took proved that he could take on a signature role offensively he answered a lot of questions about his shooting um but this is something someone who’s going to come in and just will his way into getting himself on the floor and you add that to some of the nice young pieces that I think Chicago has started to like subtly accumulate on the perimeter and I think they’ve starting to get you know they’re they’re walking that fine line of staying competitive and adding some long-term pieces and I think Devin Carter kind of fits in line with that philosophy the bull should blow it up I don’t know what they’re doing uh pick pick pick number 12 here the Oklahoma City Thunder uh excellent season for them first in the west youngest one seed in NBA history sgaa was an MVP candidate they got ched homr and Jaylen Williams but they need a couple things here Kyle they need some size both in terms of height and in terms of strength and they could use some rebounding they weren’t a very good rebounding team here are you addressing any of those issues with pick number 12 I am not I am not I’m going to take Cody Williams here uh I’m going to address the Vibes John I think the Vibes are Immaculate in Oklahoma City you’re add Cody Williams the younger brother of Jaylen Williams who as you mentioned is an All-Star for the Thunder he was really good as a freshman at Colorado shot 41 and a half% from three-point range uh 95th percentile as a catch and shoot weapon uh I I think he’s someone who eventually can can play a really important role in this back court I love his length I love his kind of mindset and I think eventually this is a guy who could fit in very nicely with OKC and it’s young core not enough people addressing The Vibes I actually like this I like your you’re teaming up the two brothers all right moving on to pick number 13 the Sacramento Kings also in that kind of purgatory area good team just couldn’t really move up out of that play in Mike Brown got an extension they’ve got dearon Fox and damont sabonis to Bild dur and also Keegan Murray uh Adam back to you Kings on the clock at number 13 yeah Rob Dillingham in this mock he has slid maybe farther than he will on actual draft night there’s some concerns about his St about his size and lack of physicality but some people are mocking him as high as five or six right now so if he’s available at 13 Sacramento would jump all over him especially given the fact that Malik’s Monk’s future is far from certain so this is an instant offense type of guard one of the most skilled guards in the class he’s a dynamic shot maker he can really handle the ball the questions are twofold they’re about the the physicality and the size and then they are about the defensive end I mean this guy is a major liability defensively but when he gets it going offensively he can do things with the ball in his hands that maybe no one else in this draft can he is super Dynamic is is absolutely the word here with what he can do with the ball in his hand so it makes sense if he falls it makes sense given the the uncertainty around Malik monk things could definitely use some extra offense that’s for sure all right moving on to 14 our last pick in the lottery uh it wouldn’t be the Wizards in the real world but right now in our alternate universe that we’ve created the Wizards traded back they got two picks this is the second of their picks that they got with that deal with the between them and the Blazers Kyle round out the lottery for us yeah Mr fleein took Reed Shepard at number seven uh for the Wizards I think that was a very safe pick I’m gonna take a big swing here and and literally I’m G to take Zack Edy he’s 7 foot4 uh 300 pounds he was the best player in college basketball the last two seasons LED college basketball in rebounds LED college basketball in points last season uh LED college basketball in box plus minus every single stat you name it he was dominating last season it’s probably a little bit higher than where I would personally take Zach Eed but given the fact that the Wizards again in this fake scenario have two top 14 picks um you know I think the chance that Zach eedi is eventually a really good potential uh starter at the NBA level with his size and the way he impacts the game I’m willing to take a swing on him here at number 14 listen let the record show if Boon is right on this he will uh he can have all the flowers because I think Zack Edy while he was the most dominant college player in the country last year is a backup big who can solely play Drop coverage in pick and roll defense that’s my case my NBA evaluation will overlap with Adams I I said earlier that Michael Winger believes he’s got a lot of runway in Washington DC running basketball operations if he makes this draft pick that is no longer true and the runway evaporates there’s no Runway anymore that’s my NBA analysis oh bill that is what did I promise I promised trenchant NBA analysis and you delivered it I’m fascinated to see what this guy look nicely done I’m fascinated to see what he looks like in the NBA because he doesn’t really fit uh with the modern NBA but who knows maybe uh he develops into a solid NBA player but look at that the four of us four wide for the first time ever uh on Beyond The Arc and we have done the first ever mock draft it is in the books but there’s one name that we did not mention that’s bronny James we’re going to discuss him at length coming up on Beyond The Arc this is CBS Sports Network [Music] [Music] all right welcome back to be on the arc wrapping up our special mock draft Edition guy that didn’t get taken by either Adam or Kyle in the lottery very hot topic bronnie James decided to leave school I thought he should have gone back but I’m not his dad he decides to stay in the draft uh there’s been a lot of conversation about this we’ve discussed it bill and I was at bill was at the NBA draft combine we talked about how he looked I am very susceptible to you guys mentioned Ron Holland’s highlight videos I watched bronnie James jump in the gym and then shoot three-pointers by himself and as somebody who every offseason when Ben Simmons was with the Sixers would see him shoot in an empty gym and was convinced that he would then develop a three-pointer I’m kind of in on bronny James uh Adam where are you on bronny here’s what what I will say and I’ve been saying this and and Boon can can back me up here I’ve been saying this for the better part of the last year I I don’t think it’s possible to uh remove Brony from LeBron Bron’s in this draft because he’s LeBron’s son I think he’s gonna be on the Lakers because he is LeBron’s son to be clear that is not a criticism of his ability I think he held his own at the combine as he did last year at the McDonald’s All-American Game but this is something that is rooted in history it’s been over two years now since LeBron James started to tell us that the last thing he wanted to do in his NBA career was to play with his son he said that on multiple occasions and when LeBron James speaks I think there’s a reason behind it I think history has shown that so he said it multiple times then this past winter he said bronny could help us right now now they’ve tried to walk back that narrative in the last couple of weeks and months but if you look at some of the things that have happened like uh you know bronnie is supposedly only going to work out for the Lakers and the Suns he supposedly only wants a guaranteed deal as opposed to Rich Paul those are all indicators that they are discouraging other people from taking him in the second round so I’m going to continue just to scream it from the rooftops bronny James is going to be a member of the Lakers next year I think it’s right in front of our face I’m not sure why more people aren’t acknowledging it and it just is what it is and people are going to say like oh we averaged this many points at USC last year it doesn’t matter people LeBron James is going into potential free agency if he Ops out of this contract he’s got all the leverage in the world and as I’ve said before this guy’s like the Tom Brady of the NBA he defies age and right now he looks like he’s going to continue to be an impact player and command a multi-year three I believe is the max he can get another multi-year contract why wouldn’t the Lakers take Rony James at 55 or whatever it is it just it just the risk uh far far outweighs the reward of saying you know what I think we’re going to take a flyer on somebody else in the second round I I’m not sure we’ve ever had a story that better def how LeBron James breaks and and redefines the physics of how things are supposed to work think about this everything Adam said Is Right LeBron James is pulling every lever he has to make sure teams don’t draft a player who shouldn’t even be in the draft and is not a first or a second round talent I mean that that’s the fact every person I’ve talked to and it’s a lot of top level NBA guys who Scout for a living or in front offices who have come out to LA when bronnie was at USC said basically what johnon really good NBA Prospect go to college another year or two I I will say this though Adam you’re right there is zero chance in hell the Lakers are passing at 55 on Brony I can’t tell if they’re messing with me or not but I’ve certainly talked to people in the NBA with there’s some snark in there who have said there might be a world where someone will take Brony before 55 either because they you you control them I mean how much leverage does LeBron have on you if he’s not in your in your organization very little you draft bronny he he’s not going to play in Europe and so I think it’s 95% he’s going to be a Laker but if and S presy would have to move around because he’s not in the right position to do this but San pry doesn’t care about being popular whatsoever and he’s got a lot of picks he’s not going to use in the years ahead Pat Riley is still and I have a lot of sources in Miami for my days covering the heat very mad at LeBron James it might be Petty to draft bronny James but but he’s Petty when it comes to to Bron’s Bron’s dad so I I do think there’s a a small chance where someone God I hope it wouldn’t be the first round maybe early in the second round thinking that they could take bronnie turn him into a developmental project L dad maybe not this year but in a year or two because LeBron has that player option is in the realm of possibilities but but Adam’s right LeBron plans for him to be a Laker the Lakers I think plan for him to be a Laker and presuming he’s there at 55 he will be a Laker all right I I gotta ask this can I jump Bo let me and I promise I will give you the floor but like go for it the team that takes him you’re basically like say because clutch isn’t going to support it so your basic clutch is the agency that that represents bronnie LeBron is very closely associated with they represent LeBron like you’re basically defying clutch if you take them again I just don’t think that is worth it for anybody but I I defer to Boon on the rest of the point yeah I would not take Brony James with a first round pick I think it’s okay to take him with a second round pick um you know ultimately I think this is a guy who should have came back to college averaged 4.8 points 2.1 assists per game last season but I think the context is important like this is a guy who suffered Cardiac Arrest uh last season before his freshman year at USC wasn’t cleared to start the year um and had has had a really good admittedly a really good pre-draft process had a 40.5 inch Max standing vertical leap um you know as John mentioned he looked really good shooting in an empty gym when no one was defending him I watched him in person in the in the the star three-point shooting drill and obviously yes the the three the three-point shooting drill uh does not project how well an NBA a player is going to Faire in the NBA but I’m kind of in on him too you he’s had a really good pre-draft process I think he’s worked his way into being a potential top 60 Prospect in this class and you know if he gets picked higher than that wouldn’t totally surprise me I think 55 to the Lakers would make a lot of sense picking him higher though um you know I think it’s a it’s a risky proposition you know Ben Simmons would disagree with you that the the shooting drills don’t uh forecast some sort of improvement uh this is going to be the season by the way for Ben Simmons quickly Bill he had invites to work with 10 teams or to work out with 10 teams and he’s only gonna visit the two I hate that look I hate it too and I hear what Adam said about clutch and you’re right but you’re right for now there’s a lot of resentment out there toward clutch Sports and LeBron by extension and the control that he has there’s gonna come a point where I think there’s going to be there’s going to be blowback and this just adds to that the fact that the young man won’t even go do the work and just go through the motions you’re right John I I don’t think it reflects well on him I don’t think it reflects well on his dad and I know his dad does not care all right well that’s it for us today for Adam and Kyle and Bill we’ll see what happens with bronnie but for now uh we’ll be back tomorrow with Ashley Nicole Moss thank you so much for tuning in to Beyond The Arc and this is CBS Sports Network

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We return to CBSSN for this Monday show and are joined by Adam Finkelstein & Kyle Boone for our Mock Lottery! We break down the entire lottery and even have a trade! Then, we finish with a roundtable discussion about where Bronny James ends up!

0:00 Intro
1:06 Hawks select Zaccharie Risscher
4:45 Blazers Move Up & select Donovan Clingan
9:12 Rockets select Alex Sarr
12:44 Spurs select Stephon Castle
14:58 Pistons select Matas Buzelis
17:30 Hornets select Ron Holland
20:50 Wizards select Reed Sheppard
23:40 Spurs select Tidjane Salaun
24:45 Grizzlies select Dalton Knect
27:25 Jazz select Nikola topic
30:00 Bulls select Devin Carter
31:50 Thunder select Cody Williams
32:50 Kings select Rob Dillingham
34:05 Wizards select Zach Edey
36:35 Bronny James Roundtable