The Mock To Knock The Other Mocks Out — Lottery Edition

Alt: NBA logo with Draft 2026 written next to it

It’s that time of the year again where we all pretend we know what will happen in regards to the future of young men. Young men who will have to overcome a barrage of challenges to make a name for themselves at the highest level of basketball. Here is what I would do if I was GM of each team:

Get Football Librettist’s stories in your inbox

Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.

Remember me for faster sign in
1. Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa — You’d be crazy not to pick Dybantsa at 1 based on what we know. When I first saw he was being comped to T-Mac, I laughed and thought about how out-of-hand these draft experts are. This time, they may have it right. I see the vision and the footwork in particular had me drooling. Add this to the fact the Wizards already have frontcourt and backcourt sorted to some degreee and it really is a no brainer.
2. Utah Jazz: Darryn Peterson — Glad to see some draft sites climbing down from the ridiculous “Kobe” comparisons and going with a far more reasonable “Devin Booker”. I would be wary to make this pick for certain teams, but given where the Jazz lineup is, this is a high upside pick they can more than afford to take a shot at.
3. Memphis Grizzlies: Caleb Wilson — I know some will be aghast and I had Boozer as my number one all year as the best player in college, but Wilson when they matched up put a thought in my mind I couldn’t stray from. Put simply, do you want Al Horford or KG? I personally love Al Horford and would comfortably put him in the Hall of Fame if it were up to me, so this is no slight on him. I can’t in good conscience though take Boozer trying to project his career, when Caleb Wilson is there and he could be the closest approximation to KG we have seen. People will say the Grizzlies need stability and Boozer can no doubt bring that, but I just want the best player available that I believe will translate to the NBA and to me, that’s Wilson.
4. Chicago Bulls: Mikel Brown Jr — I am of the belief that if Brown did not have the back issues that kept him out of March Madness (which he is now apparently completely over), he would have led his team much further than they went and he would have had far more admirers in terms of his draft stock. At his best, which is what the draft should be about especially this high, he’s the best PG on this board. He flashes the upside scoring and range of Damian Lillard and he has less physical questions to answer than Kingston Flemings whom I also like a lot.
5. Los Angeles Clipppers: Cam Boozer — I’m not as interested in high upside with the Clippers because I know Big Daddy Steve is going to go out and spend, legally or otherwise, and I probably am about to lose a few draft picks (trade with the Clippers!). So a reliable player like Boozer who is a foundational piece that you can put stars around and who if not relied upon to be the first option can be a perfect foil? That’s the pick.
6. Brooklyn Nets: Keaton Wagler — I love watching him play. He thinks the game on a level few players can let alone college kids are able to and his ability to use tempo to overcome his physical limitations at times is a joy to watch. Now imagine you get him in an NBA weight room, you give him time to grow and you work on his passing technique. His ability to create his own shot is invaluable in the modern NBA and coupled with his processing speed, recent drastic improvement and that jumper? My concern with him is he can’t play the point because he has neither the handle nor the passing technique to be a primary facilitator, but that is no concern here. He create a dream backcourt with Egor who people are somehow still sleeping on even now.
7. Sacramento Kings: Kingston Flemings — I want the best player available and I believe that player is Kingston Flemings. The player I pick here is the player that I am building it all around and given Flemings is giving me serious Tyrese Maxey vibes and I have said on numerous occasions that I absolutely love Maxey and VJ, why would I ever pass up on the chance to draft the closest thing to one of them? After the ping pong balls continued to screw the city of Sacramento, they will soon find out that Flemings is no one’s consolation prize.
8. Atlanta Hawks: Aday Mara - 7'3 floor spacer with touch at the rim and in the passing game who can lock down the paint and allow Okongwu to leverage his size at the 4? Yeah, this pick makes itself.
9. Dallas Mavericks: Labaron Philon — Philon can do as much or as little as you ask him to and has shown by returning to college he has a maturity and now versatility to his game that teams should covet. I think he will be an excellent foil to the Cooper Flagg experience.
10. Milwaukee Bucks: Brayden Burries — The Bucks will be looking for an identity when Giannis inevitably cashes in his chips and Burries is the kind of player that can give you that. Him and Rollins would make an extremely likeable backcourt.
11. Golden State Warriors: Darius Acuff Jr — The one place I am finally willing to give a guard who I have serious defensive worries about but who will potentially be an incredible scorer. We have seen this script before and with Steph Curry to sit behind, learn from, and then potentially take over from when the time comes, this is a smart destination for me.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder: Hannes Steinbach — It is all about cap management now for the Thunder and the big one on the horizon is Isaiah Hartenstein. Why not replace one German when the time comes with another who is a carbon copy. They can’t keep getting away with this!
13. Miami Heat: Ebuka Okorie — If I thought for a second I could move up and get a Brown Jr or Flemings for the Heat, I absolutely would. I need to take a shot here and land a point guard. Ebuka Okorie may not be the best PG in this class, but as one of the younger, smaller, and slighter guards, I believe there is a perfect fit for him in Miami. Imagine the scene, Ebuka drives to the basket after splitting the pick and roll which he does with scary ease and attempts one of his insanely difficult layups only for it to agonisingly miss despite how impressive an attempt it is. Oh look here comes Bam or Kel’el for a putback dunk. 2 easy points. Okorie may not fill the stat sheet himself, but he is going to make it far easier for the two players seen as the franchise right now, and two of the best dunkers in the NBA, to do exactly that!
14. Charlotte Hornets: Karim Lopez — I have floor spacers galore and I have time to develop players, anyone who thinks this Hornets team is ready is kidding themselves. Lopez is one of the most intriguing prospects in this draft and I am seeing a lot of Tristan Da Silva shouts. No offense to the German, but I rate Lopez far far higher. I’ll give you a hot take, think more Aaron Gordon. Most years this kid would be coming out at least top 10 and probably closer to top 5. Da Silva was drafted 18 in a much weaker draft than this one and if Lopez makes it out of the top 20, someone made a big mistake in my book.

I hope you enjoyed what I would do with the first 14 picks in the NBA draft, I will no doubt be made to look back in horror years from now but that’s where the fun is, right? Anyway I’ll always have my “Doncic should go first in most drafts nevermind just this one” and “Wemby if he stays healthy has a chance to be the greatest of all time” takes to fall back on. I also wanted Steph Curry as well but not before Blake Griffin, James Harden or …. Ricky Rubio. Hey, you have to be honest. Over to you, Real GM’s.