Mock draft: With the 18th pick, the Indiana Pacers select…

Who should the Indiana Pacers take at No. 18? The 8 Points, 9 Seconds staff did a mock draft and ended up taking Grant Williams of Tennessee.

Who is getting picked in tonight’s NBA draft? Good question, but we went through the trouble of one last mock draft and letting you know who the Pacers would take.

And without further ado, with the 18th pick, the Indiana Pacers select…

Grant Williams, PF, Tennessee

No. 18 — Indiana Pacers

Dylan Hughes: This is a range where pretty much everyone has a glaring flaw one way or another. The only two guys remaining I would feel comfortable taking are Grant and Okeke. As a whole, I think the grouping of Washington, Williams, and Okeke is pretty close and the best choice may simply come down to the situation.

The Pacers probably benefit most from Williams. He would be an excellent fit next to Turner, working down low and defending on the perimeter. As I’ve written already, Williams’ and Sabonis’s skillsets overlap quite a bit — which may not be the worst thing, if they decide to trade Sabonis at some point or just simply would like that type of skillset on the floor for 48 minutes.

Ethan Krieger: Another guy that feels pretty safe and closer to a polished product than most. I’m totally on board with this selection. If the draft shakes out this way, I don’t think there’s anyone else I’d really argue taking over him. For me, it’s either take Williams, or try to trade back with a team like the Nets to get 27 and 31 with the hopes you can still snag Thybulle and Okeke.

Ben Gibson: If he develops a 3-pointer, then he’d really be set. He is below that Andre Iguodala Line (33.3%, I’m making fetch happen.), but that would create a situation for the Pacers where both of their bigs space the floor if they played him with Turner. But like Sabonis, he knows how to score enough already.
If Thaddeus Young is gone and the Pacers pick Williams, do you start Sabonis at PF or this rookie?

Krieger: Knowing the Pacers, they’d definitely go with Sabonis. Williams might be the better natural fit at the PF, but Indiana isn’t typically one to throw their rookies directly into the fire like that. At least recently, and excluding Myles to an extent, but he was a lotto pick.

Strictly based on size alone, I’m not sure if I’d go with a straight up comp to Sabonis. But there are similarities in certain ways for sure. Sabonis is a center, no matter what we try to do with him and Myles. Grant is a 4 in the NBA. I know we’re getting more and more “positionless,” but still.

Gibson: In positionless basketball, everyone plays a position… wait a minute…

If you’re in the camp that believes Sabonis and Turner can’t co-exist or the Pacers would be better off trading one of them to address another position, taking Grant is ideal since he wouldn’t create a redundancy there and offers a similar skill set. If Williams lives up to what Pfeifer and Tony East think he can be, he sounds like the guys people want Sabonis to be — an offensively-talented power forward.

What’s the realistic best and worst case with him?

Krieger: Best case is a totally viable replacement for Thad Young. Worst case is a totally viable replacement for TJ Leaf.

Gibson: Rude, but fair.

Hughes: I see a lot of similarities between Williams and Sabonis with post presence and passing. They are both incredibly good at reading the defense and finding open guys – mostly around the perimeter. They are both incredibly tough to contain in the paint. In different ways – Grant with power, Sabonis with footwork. But either way, they get the job done.

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• Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
• 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
• 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
• Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?

8p9s Mock Draft Results

No. 1 New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson, Duke
No. 2 — Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant, PG, Murray State
No. 3 — New York Knicks: RJ Barrett, G/F Duke
No. 4 — New Orleans Pelicans (via Lakers): Jarrett Culver, G, Texas Tech
No. 5 — Cleveland Cavaliers: De’Andre Hunter, SF ,Virginia
No. 6 — Phoenix Suns: Brandon Clarke, F, Gonzaga.
No. 7 — Chicago Bulls: Darius Garland, PG, Vanderbilt
No. 8 — Atlanta Hawks: Cam Reddish, Duke
No. 9 — Washington Wizards: Sekou Doumbouya, F, Guinea
No. 10 — Atlanta Hawks: Jaxon Hayes, C, Texas
No. 11 — Minnesota Timberwolves: Nassir Little, SF, UNC
No. 12 — Charlotte Hornets: Coby White, PG, UNC
No. 13 — Miami Heat: Romeo Langford, SG, Indiana
No. 14 — Boston Celtics: Bol Bol, C, Oregon
No. 15 — Detroit Pistons: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Virginia Tech
No. 16 — Orlando Magic: Kevin Porter Jr., SG, USC
No. 17 — Atlanta Hawks: P.J. Washington, PF, Kentucky
No. 18 — Indiana Pacers: Grant Williams, PF, Tennessee
No. 19 — San Antonio Spurs: Keldon Johnson, SF, Kentucky
No. 20 — Boston Celtics (via Clippers): Talen Horton-Tucker, SF, Iowa State
No. 21 — Oklahoma City Thunder: Cameron Johnson, SF, UNC
No. 22 — Boston Celtics: Ty Jerome, PG/SG, Virginia
No. 23 — Memphis Grizzlies (via Jazz): Matisse Thybulle, SF, Washington
No. 24 — Philadelphia 76ers: Rui Hachimura, PF, Gonzaga
No. 25 — Portland Trail Blazers: Goga Bitadze, C, Budućnos
No. 26 — Cleveland Cavaliers (via Rockets): Darius Bazley, F, Princeton High School
No. 27 — Brooklyn Nets (Via Nuggets): Luka Šamanić, PF,Petrol Olimpija
No. 28 — Golden State Warriors: Mfiondu Kabengele, C, Florida State
No. 29 — San Antonio Spurs (via Raptors): Nicolas Claxton, C, Georgia
No. 30 — Detroit Pistons (via Bucks): Dylan Windler, F, Belmont

We’ll know soon enough who goes where, but let us know what you think of the Pacers and everyone else’s picks.