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James Wiseman Center, United States
19.7 Points, 10.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.3 steals, 3.0 blocks, 77% fg, 0% 3pt, 23 mpg
After falling back to 2nd overall and missing out on James Wiseman in Pippen Ain’t Easy’s mock draft 4.0, the Warriors are able to land their guy with the 1st pick in the 5th edition of our mock draft series. Golden State will have to cross their fingers when the lottery rolls around, as outside of Wiseman this guard is very shallow with regard to wings and bigs.
The fit between Wiseman and the Warriors is simply too good. Golden State has never had a big as talented as the former Memphis Tiger, and with the addition of Andrew Wiggins to this roster, Golden State looks to be lethal once again in 2020-2021.
One of Wiseman’s bigger concerns, if any, is his jumper. Playing in Golden State would be a great starting point for him in that he can improve his jumper through help from the players around him, while at the same time not have to worry about spacing the floor and do what he does best: score inside.
Wiseman has superstar potential in this league, and by drafting him the Warriors could help resurrect their current dynasty while also building for a future one.
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Jaden McDaniels Forward, Washington
12.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.5 blocks, 39% FG, 31% 3pt, 32 mpg
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a very interesting spot here at second overall. In an extremely guard-heavy draft class, the Cavs will be unable to select one of these talented individuals due to the fact that they have drafted guards with top-ten picks in back-to-back drafts.
Making this a tradition in 2020 is simply not an option, meaning that Cleveland will have very limited options with this pick. Trading down is certainly an option for the Cavs here, but for now the team will settle with the incredibly talented Jaden McDaniels.
McDaniels is a very enticing project for NBA general managers, as his length and athleticism give him an incredibly high ceiling. He projects to be a scoring-minded point forward if he reaches full fruition, with the very real possibility that he develops into a franchise-level player that the Cavs are so desperately looking for.
Rolling the dice on him at second overall may not be the safest play, but if the pick is not moved the Cavs will not have much of a choice but to select him and hope he pans out.