NBA Mock Draft 4.0: Picks for the entire first round

After adding the basketball equivalent of Mr. Fantastic at pick No. 2, the Oklahoma City Thunder can look to turn a relative weakness into a true strength by pairing Chet Holmgren with another strong defender at the 4. Jeremy Sochan is a possibility if he is still here, but with Sochan off the board it is Tari Eason who is the pick here at No. 12.

Eason’s defensive production was insane, and his high number of “stocks” (steals plus blocks) suggests he can be a defensive weapon at the next level. He has some offensive upside, but the true impact will be as a defender and rebounder, making the Eason-Holmgren pairing a nasty one as the Thunder look to build a core that fits.

The Charlotte Hornets need a center, and they get their pick of the litter here between Mark Williams and Jalen Duren. Duren has the talent advantage and theoretically the upside to be more than a rim-runner, but the Hornets could really use a massive body who can get up for alley oops and protect the rim on defense. Williams is as massive as they come and would be a perfect match for LaMelo Ball on offense.

There is some talk of gamesmanship, that the Hornets may take a wing here and wait to take a center at 15 because the Cavaliers are unlikely to go for a big man at No. 14. That’s certainly a possibility, even more so if the Hornets do have both centers available, but the possibility that the Cavs trade out is too strong not to get their guy at 13.