With the actual NBA Draft in flux, FanSided’s NBA Network site experts are looking back and reselecting the 2017 draft.
The FanSided NBA Network Mock Draft has become a yearly tradition, with our site experts from each of our NBA blogs sharing their team-focused expertise and making draft selections for the teams they represent. This year we decided to take things in a different direction, re-selecting the 2017 NBA Draft and following the spiderwebs to see just how different things could have been.
Make sure to follow FanSided on Instagram and Twitter and check back here each day from Apr. 20 to Apr. 29 to see who your favorite team should have picked and for expert analysis of each selection. In addition, check out The Step Back for more exploration of what the league might look like today if this was how things actually went.
(Ed. Note: For the sake of simplicity, we’re keeping any traded draft picks in deals that were completed before draft night but undoing any trades that were completed during the course of the actual draft.)
1. Philadelphia 76ers — Jayson Tatum, Forward, Duke
Selected by Lucas Johnson of The Sixer Sense
In 2017, the 76ers executed an enormous trade just before the draft to switch places with Boston and put themselves in position to nab Markelle Fultz. His injury problems made him a non-factor in Philadelphia and hindsight here is all Jayson Tatum. He’s already a borderline All-NBA player and his shooting and creation ability would have given Philadelphia exactly what they were looking for with Fultz. In addition, Tatum is an excellent defender and could have paired with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid to make the 76ers even more imposing at that end.
For more insight and analysis on the 76ers, visit The Sixer Sense.
2. Los Angeles Lakers — Donovan Mitchell, G, Louisville
Selected by Jason Reed of Lake Show Life
In the actual 2017 draft, the Los Angeles selected Lonzo Ball who seemed like a can’t miss prospect with the kind of flashy, up-tempo game that would help revive the Showtime Lakers. Ball has played well at times but hasn’t looked anything like the star he was thought to be. If Los Angeles could get a do-over, the pick is clearly Donovan Mitchell who has emerged into a top-tier offensive creator and would have made a perfect running partner for LeBron James (if they still coaxed him over.
For more insight and analysis on the Lakers, visit Lake Show Life.