2018 NBA Mock Draft: Full two-round, postseason mock
By Connor Harr
PG. Jalen Brunson. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Villanova. 23. 100
After capturing a national championship this season, Brunson will be leaving for the NBA. He was overly efficient shooting the basketball this season and it’s easy to overlook his athletic shortcomings. Brunson is a proven winner, exceptional leader, and almost always makes the right play with the ball in his hands.
With Darren Collison in a contract year and Cory Joseph having a player option for the upcoming season, it’s not totally impossible for the Pacers’ only point guard on their roster to be Edmund Sumner and whoever they can scrape up with mid-level exception money at the last minute. Brunson should benefit from not being relied on to do too much with emergence of Victor Oladipo. Brunson will be a point guard in the league for a long time, even though he almost certainly will never be a great one.
34. Pick Analysis. Wichita State. Landry Shamet. 24. player. Scouting Report. SG/PG
After a strong sophomore season, Shamet came back his junior season and continued to shoot the lights out. Shamet is probably the best shooter in the entire draft class next to Trae Young. Shamet can shoot from a spot-up off the catch, coming off a screen or pulling up. He’s a high-IQ player and his height as a ball-dominant player for Wichita State this season helped him see the court tremendously and average 5.2 assists per game.
Even with Shabazz Napier finally coming into his own this season, the Portland Trail Blazers still need more shooters on the wing to complement Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. This dynamic duo paired with Landry Shamet would be something for Blazers fans to be excited about next season. Shamet needs to work on his frame and improve his on-ball defense, which is kind of overrated in my opinion, but these are easy fixes for a player as smart as he is.