NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Post-lottery predictions and shockers in the first-round

The basketball gods (through the ping-pong balls) have spoken. After the recently concluded NBA Draft Lottery, all teams now have a clearer picture of what the draft has in store for them. And of course, there’s no better way to deliberate on how the event will pan out and make well-backed simulations than our own NBA Mock Draft.

Not too far from the lottery is the NBA Draft Combine. Currently underway in Chicago, more than 60 draft hopefuls are showcasing their skills to all teams that are slated to be on deck or on the transaction panel come draft night. Aside from the consensus top picks, how this deep class of rookies will be selected is still up in the air, a testament to the extraordinary depth of the available talents up for grabs.

NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Rockets make a bold move, Pacers go for high upside

Holders of the first overall pick, the Detroit Pistons will get a possible generational talent with the consensus top pick. Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets will have an interesting decision to make with the second overall pick. Aside from two lottery surprises-ish in Cleveland and Toronto, the selection mostly panned out as expected, though selecting players in this incredible draft class will force teams to be more exhaustive than usual.

Without further ado, here is the third version of our NBA Mock Draft predicting how the first-round will fare for all teams. This time though, the Tankathon lever is out of the picture, with the lottery already fleshing out the order of selection.