The Athletic’s Vecenie has updated his NBA Mock Draft and has 2 Wildcats at the end of the Lottery, one on the inside, while the other is knocking on the door.
PJ Washington comes in at #14 while Tyler Herro is one spot out of the Lottery at #15.
Keldon Johnson has dropped to the bottom of the 1st round.
14. Boston Celtics (from SAC) — PJ Washington
6-7 forward/center, sophomore, Kentucky
The first of three Celtics picks, I’d expect the team to either move around the board a bit, or to stash players. The Anthony Davis rumors are obviously omnipresent with these picks. But here, we’re not projecting trades. With the way the board sets up here, the Celtics are in kind of a weird spot. They could go with more of an upside play, or could try to find role players to put around their stars. Here, they go with the latter. Marcus Morris has become an important piece for the team due to his shot-making and size, but will be a free agent this summer that the team likely won’t want to pay a substantial sum. Washington is more of a Patrick Patterson type who is more of a catch-and-shoot, post-up threat versus Morris who can create his own looks. But the size, length (he has a 7-foot-3 wingspan), and shooting ability could help make up for some of Morris’s production. Washington strikes me as a decade-long role player, and that is worthy of a lottery pick in this draft.
15. Detroit Pistons — Tyler Herro
6-5 off-guard, freshman, Kentucky
Under Dwane Casey, the Pistons took a lot of 3s but didn’t make them at a clip commensurate with that volume. They shot just under 35 percent, which saw them finish 23rd in the league. Additionally, the Pistons need help in the backcourt, both at lead guard and on the wing. Herro certainly is more of an off-guard than a lead. He’s elite at running around screens, and terrific at shooting off of movement. He can also put the ball on the deck and create a little bit. If you’re asking “what’s the difference between Herro and Luke Kennard?” the answer would be defense. Herro works hard defensively. There are still some concerns about his lateral quickness going up against the quickest players at the next level, but he battles and has a legitimate confidence and swagger about the way he plays. Herro might not be quite this high on my board, but he’s certainly in this large tier of players and would make sense for the Pistons.
20. Boston Celtics (from LAC) — Keldon Johnson
6-6 wing, freshman, Kentucky
Johnson is another player who drops a bit on this mock draft in comparison to last time. NBA evaluators wonder about the skill/athleticism combination right now. He’s not an elite athlete. His full-season 38 percent mark from 3 was good, but it dropped substantially down to 32.7 in tougher SEC play this season. His handle is strong, but largely resigned to only a straight line. Defensively, he has a great mindset, but can occasionally struggle to stay in front of guys that are quicker. Despite being a good passer at youth levels, that part of his game didn’t really show up within Kentucky’s offense. Still, Johnson is a young, attack-oriented wing with potential to play on both ends of the floor if he can keep working on his footwork. And at the next level, if the shooting translates at the full season number, there should be more space for him to attack in a straight line off of heavy closeouts. Plus, he has a great frame at 211 pounds already, and would be able to put up with the physicality of the NBA. I’m still relatively a fan of Johnson, but he’s definitely more of a role player prospect than a potential star right now. Why Boston? Well, they tend to buy into guys that are tough and have strong-willed outlooks. That propensity for working hard sometimes leads to better improvement down the road. Johnson certainly has the tools to make that leap.
Read “Vecenie: 2019 NBA Mock Draft, 3.0 — Post-early entry deadline edition” by clicking here.
