The good news: the franchise seems to have a good group of back-court players to work with, but now it’s time to concentrate on the front court and most experts have the front office using all four selections on the forward and center positions.
USA Today has released its latest mock and has Cal’s Jaylen Brown as the top prospect. The 6’7″ small forward is solid on the offensive side of the court and has the athleticism and skills to become a terrific all-around player. Brown is a top-5 talent in the latest player rankings and fills a need, not something to take lightly for a squad that needs help getting the basketball through the net more often to win games.
With a pick midway through the opening round, its likely management will take a big man to help in the paint. Two names have been linked in recent reports, Skal Labissiere of Kentucky and Deyonta Davis of Michigan State.
Both of these youngsters didn’t perform as expected in their only year of college basketball, but both are very athletic for their size and have tremendous upside. Davis has more bulk and probably better to handle playing inside, but Labissiere can run the floor like a small forward and that could be tough to pass on if still available when the team takes the clock.
With two other picks, one late in the first round and the other in the front half of round two, the front office will have some luxury to take the players that best fit their needs and style of play. If they can get these picks right and possibly add a veteran to help in the learning process, a place in the playoffs in the next couple of years is highly probable, good news for the organization and their fans.
