Mock Draft 1.0: First look at projecting the draft lottery

The New York Knicks continue their decades-long search for a point guard, as Immanuel Quickley looks like a high-level backup but a relatively low=impact starter. TyTy Washington was having an excellent freshman season at Kentucky before a midseason injury knocked him askew, and his finish was much shakier. He can create his own shot and takes advantage of bending defenses to dime up his teammates, but he had trouble finishing in any sort of traffic and took just 89 3-pointers for the entire season, hitting just 33.7 percent of them.

Onetime the No. 1 player in his class, Jalen Duran reclassified to make his debut at Memphis this season. The results were up-and-down, with plenty of massive block totals but also disappointing losses at the team level. He can finish inside off of the roll, and while outside his passing can prop up a nonexistent jumper game. He is raw and will take a lot of work, but the Thunder aren’t in a hurry. In this scenario they would get two blue-chip prospects at positions of need, a draft-day coup for the team.

The Duke Blue Devils had some talented offensive players on their team this season, but they made a run to the Final Four because of their defense. That started with Mark Williams, the massive 7-footer inside who blocked shots and deterred them to begin with, his elite length and timing a tremendous sight to see.

Williams can score inside, rebounds well and plays incredible defense inside. He even flashed a jumper at times this season and hit 74.6 percent of his free-throws. That suggests some untapped potential that he could grow into something even more. For Charlotte, this is easy — they desperately need a defensive center, and Williams could step in and do that now.