Mock Draft 2.0: Highlighting team needs for the lottery

Team Needs: Starting small forward, wings and forwards

The Sacramento Kings seem committed to the pairing of De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell in the backcourt, and they just traded their best young player for Domantas Sabonis to start at center. Harrison Barnes is in place at the 4 for now. That leaves a gaping hole at small forward that they may look to fill with players like A.J. Griffin or even Shaedon Sharpe depending on how the draft plays out.

Long-term Barnes will likely need to be replaced, and this version of the lottery sees the Kings leap into that coveted Top 4, where the top tier of players doesn’t contain a true small forward. The value of a player like Paolo Banchero is too good to pass up, and for a team that doesn’t need Jaden Ivey (or at least thinks it doesn’t) he is the obvious choice. His ability to create his own shot will mitigate the lack of a true precision point guard on this roster (farewell Tyrese) and he could be the best player on the roster in just a couple of years. The Kings can get away with starting Banchero at the 4 and moving Barnes to the 3.

Team Needs: High-end talent, everything but center

The Indiana Pacers have embraced a rebuild for the first time in…well, perhaps the first time in franchise history. They have a true building block in Tyrese Haliburton and are stocked three-deep at center even after trading Domantas Sabonis, but otherwise need high-end talent to put around them. Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. McConnell are both solid veterans to keep in the rotation, but as the Pacers embrace their rebuild they are looking far into the future.

That future could involve pairing Haliburton and Jaden Ivey in the backcourt. Haliburton is solid as an on-ball scorer but his best gifts are as a passer and shooter, which pairs perfectly with an explosive shotmaker like Ivey. Ivey’s lack of an outside shot can be mitigated by playing a 5-out system with Myles Turner able to space the floor from the center position.