The NBA draft lottery is less than a month away, and we will soon see how the draft order will shake out. We already have a much better idea of who the select are now that the regular season is over.
The league's worst teams are no doubt eagerly waiting to see where their pick will end up. After all, the prize at the top of the draft is being a generational prospect, but who will pick first? Next, we will take a look at the latest version of Hoops Habits mock draft.
1) New Orleans Pelicans—Cooper Flagg
Despite a 12% chance of winning the draft lottery, in this scenario, the New Orleans Pelicans would end up with the number one overall pick. That would allow them to draft Duke superstar Cooper Flagg. That would be a huge gift for the Pelicans, who had an awful season due to injuries and could get a fresh start by drafting Flagg. While they still have Zion Williamson, they could have options they don't currently have.
Zion has played impressively well since coming back from a calf injury. However, if he can't stay healthy, then the Pelicans could easily pivot to Flagg, who has NBA superstar written all over him. Even if Zion is able to stay healthy, he will have to share the stage with Flagg.
That should be fairly easy with them being solid fits in the frontcourt. While Zion is essentially a center in terms of spacing, he often plays next to a big man, and while Flagg could play center and small-ball lineups, he is a combo forward who could play the three if needed.
Whatever fit issues that would arise between Flagg and Zion would be a good problem to have, and the Pelicans could find workarounds. Assuming Zion is still a part of the long-term plans.
2) Utah Jazz—Dylan Harper
The Utah Jazz fail to secure the top pick in this mock draft, but they get a great consolation prize in Dylan Harper. The Rutgers point guard averaged an impressive 19.4 points and 4 assists despite playing on a wildly disappointing team. Harper and a fellow top-five projected pick failed to lead Rutgers to the NCAA tournament, but that likely won't affect either of their draft stocks.
Harper's size at 6-6 is a big selling point, with him drawing comparisons to Cade Cunningham as a big point guard. That's relatively accurate, though Harper is noticeably quicker attacking off the dribble and is a better finisher.
There are flashes of Jalen Brunson in Harper too. Specifically how he uses terrific footwork to get his shot off in the paint, utilizing his pivot foot to spin in the opposite direction to create separation.
He also shows flashes of being able to shoot off the dribble, though he shot just 33% from deep on 5.2 attempts per game. If he can improve as a shooter, including being able to create shots for himself from beyond the arc, then that would make him all the more appealing.
Betting on his talent at just 19, his pedigree with him being the son of former NBA player Ron Harper, and positional size makes sense for the Jazz. They won't be a contender overnight, but adding Harper and giving him time to hone his game could really pay off.