NBA Mock Draft 1.0: Half-Way point check-in

NBA draft picks 26-30

Daishen Nix has an elite handle and passing intangibles. He is not much of a scoring threat at this point but his playmaking and rebounds from the guard position His time with the G-League Ignite has not been what they had hoped but the potential is clear. Get him with LeBron James and see him reach that potential.

Terrence Shannon Jr. is all about defense. For the Brooklyn Nets, adding additional defensive talent is the only option. There is no need to add more scoring. They have all of that and more so adding another defensive guard to do more of what Bruce Brown does on that side of the court is a great call, especially with the rim-protecting centers off the board.

The Philadelphia 76es learned this season that adding shooting and playmaking is the key to their success. Jared Butler is NBA-ready and can contribute immediately. He is shooting an absurd 44.4 percent from 3-point range this season for Baylor on 6.1 attempts per game. He is not an elite passer but can improve.

After passing on a third guard in the draft last year the Phoenix Suns will not make that mistake twice. Josh Giddey is 6’8” and rebounds and passes better than many of his peers. He is not a shooter (37.9 percent from the floor this season in Australia) but he does everything else well and would fit the pace of the Suns perfectly.

The Utah Jazz like to take seniors who are ready to compete immediately, especially now that they are ostensibly competing for an NBA championship. Christ Duarte is efficient and effective. He is sporting shooting splits of .533/.440/.806 this season. He is a smart team defender with decent length. Chris Duarte is definitely a Jazz kind of player.