Mock draft mania continues with a look at the Pac 12. If you have been following our recent mock drafts, then you know the drill by now. Each team picks six players (two guards, two forwards, one center, and one wildcard) and one must be a freshman. A combination of points, rebounds, and assists are the only stats used to generate a point total for each player. A lot of valuable data can be collected during mock drafts that will help you when the real thing comes along regarding top players, sleepers, and positional strengths/weaknesses. The one thing I was looking forward to the most was seeing how my preseason Top Ten rankings would look compared to the first couple of rounds. Let’s see how it held up.
Round 1
pac10guru: Reeves Nelson, UCLA, JR, F
BigChief: Aaron Fuller, USC, JR, F
UAWildcat: Allen Crabbe, Cal, SO, G
big5guy: Andre Roberson, Colorado, SO, G-F
rjaymoose: Jorge Gutierrez, Cal, SR, G
asatyss: Joshua Smith, UCLA, SO, C
For those of you that are really paying attention, you will notice that I picked Nelson first overall even though I have him sixth on my Top Ten list. There is an easy explanation for that. I showed up five minutes late and had to deal with the perils of the auto-draft. Or maybe I just wanted to see who the others in the draft room thought was worthy of the top spot. Nelson is probably the safest pick on the board as he is a double-double machine whose lack of steals and blocks won’t hurt me in this format. BigChief uses the second pick on Fuller whom I have ranked seventh. The transfer from Iowa should see plenty of minutes and put up some big numbers for the Trojans. Maybe my bosses are trying to send me a message about my rankings with these first two picks. UAWildcat restores my sanity by grabbing Crabbe third. The reigning Freshman of the Year is primed for a huge season and should challenge for the league’s scoring crown. His ability to board (5.6) for a guard is a bonus. Big5guy then takes Roberson which caused a few people to moan as he is one of the guys that could really blow up this season. Hopefully he keeps crashing the glass this year with the added scoring responsibility that will be heaped on his shoulders. Rjaymoose rolls the dice that Gutierrez will continue to fill up the box score even though he may find himself playing off the ball more this season. In this format the sacrifice of a couple assists may not be a bad thing if he can jack up his scoring average a little. Asatyss gets the SOD (steal of the draft) with Smith landing in his lap. Sure there are negatives (weight and foul trouble) but with the vast wasteland of centers available his positives outweigh those potential issues. He has the highest ceiling in the conference at the weakest position so it’s a slam dunk to me. I would have taken him first overall had I been on time.
Round 2
asatyss: Josh Owens, Stanford, SR, F-C
rjaymoose: Terrence Ross, Washington, SO, G-F
big5guy: Josiah Turner, Arizona, FR, G
UAWildcat: Harper Kamp, Cal, SR, F
BigChief: Dewayne Dedmon, USC, SO, C
pac10guru: Jahii Carson, Arizona State, FR, G
Asatyss continued his assault on the center position by taking Owens and immediately became the most hated guy in the room. Owens is a solid pick but there was more upside left on the board. Rjaymoose fills out his backcourt with Ross who could be a household name by December. It would not shock me a bit if he led the conference in scoring. Turner becomes the first freshman off the board as big5guy fills two holes with one pick. He is the first Arizona player picked off a stacked squad that may not have a star player but should have several productive ones. Maybe UAWildcat should change his name to UCBear after selecting Kamp with his second pick. He now has two Cal players but both seem like locks to average 15 points and five boards so maybe he is on to something. BigChief takes a flier on Dedmon hoping that the athletic seven-footer will give him a force in the middle. With the last pick I go with Carson who fills my freshman need and gives me an exciting player that could lead the Sun Devils in points and assists.
Round 3
pac10guru: Anthony Brown, Stanford, SO, G-F
BigChief: Olu Ashaolu, Oregon, SR, F
UAWildcat: Jabari Brown, Oregon, FR, G
big5guy: Abdul Gaddy, Washington, JR, G
rjaymoose: Tony Wroten, Washington, FR, G
asatyss: Jared Cunningham, Oregon State, JR, G
With two players on my Top Ten list still available, I decide to go in another direction and take Brown. He has dual eligibility which is always nice in a putting together a team and he should see plenty of opportunities to score with Jeremy Green off to the professional ranks. BigChief takes Ashaolu to round out a nice frontcourt. UAWildcat trades in the gold of the Bears for the yellow of the Ducks. Brown fills his freshman requirement and gives him a player that has plenty of upside. He averaged 15.4 points and 5.0 rebounds on a recent five-game Italian Tour. Taking a closer look at the stats shows he took 28 more shots than anyone else on the team. He is locked in as the first option for Oregon. Big5guy takes Gaddy hoping he is fully recovered from last year’s torn ACL and that he picks up where Isaiah Thomas left off. Rjaymoose, feeling the purple reign, stays in Seattle to take Wroten. He is talented but it’s not certain what his role on the team will be yet. Cunningham finally gets to leave the Green Room as the last player in my Top Ten selected. His biggest asset (steals) is neglected in this format so it’s easy to see why he slid.
Round 4
asatyss: Trent Lockett, Arizona State, JR, G
rjaymoose: Joe Burton, Oregon State, JR, F-C
big5guy: Maurice Jones, USC, SO, G
UAWildcat: Kevin Parrom, Arizona, JR, G-F
BigChief: Josh Watkins, Utah, SR, G
pac10guru: Carlon Brown, Colorado, SR, G
Lockett is a solid pick to start Round 4. He doesn’t do anything exceptionally well, but he fills up all three stat categories used in this format. Nice work by asatyss. Rjaymoose takes Burton to fill his center spot and he gets a guy that could occasionally post a double-double. The drop-off after Smith is becoming apparent to everyone still looking for a center. Big5guy keeps showing point guards love when he takes Jones. Jio Fontan’s injury should lock him into plenty of minutes and points and he is a nice sleeper. UAWildcat finally returns to Tucson to select Parrom, a highly efficient player looking to step up this year. He could approach 12 points, seven boards, and three assists. BigChief takes the leading returning scorer in the conference in Watkins. Nice value this late. I finish the round up with Brown, a transfer from Utah. The Buffaloes lost their top four scorers from last season so the opportunity will be there. With two Browns on my team now, let’s hope Brown can do something for me.
Round 5
pac10guru: Faisal Aden, Washington State, SR, G
BigChief: Angelo Chol, Arizona, FR, F
UAWildcat: Aziz N'Diaye, Washington, JR, C
big5guy: E.J. Singler, Oregon, JR, F
rjaymoose: Solomon Hill, Arizona, JR, F
asatyss: Norman Powell, UCLA, FR, G
Even though I’m still recovering from two knee surgeries this year, I add Aden and his knee problems to my team. He will be options number one, two, and three for the Cougars should he stay healthy. Field goal percentage isn’t used in this format so it won’t matter if it takes him 15 shots to get to 15 points. BigChief grabs Chol as his diaper dandy hoping that he can replace some of Derrick Williams’s production. Chol should be a defensive force right out of the gate but his offense might take some time to catch up. UAWildcat and I (an Arizona fan) then ridicule BigChief and tell him that we both expect Sidiki Johnson to be a better fantasy player for the Wildcats this year. After we have a good laugh, UAWildcat selects N’Diaye as his center. He had some big games last year but he was extremely inconsistent. Still with the dearth of big men, it’s not a horrible pick. (Is my pushing of Smith going first overall annoying yet?). Anyways, let’s move on. Thank to a rule that limits a team to three guards, Big5guy is forced to take another position. He selects Singler who is an intriguing player this year. He could be the best player for the Ducks this year or he could just fade into the background. I’m interested to see how he performs this year. Rjaymoose takes a chance on a Hill who has shown glimpses of putting it together in the last two years but has yet to do so for an extended period of time. The Bruins have plenty of question marks in the backcourt which could mean immediate playing time for the athletic Powell. Asatyss is hoping that is the case.
Round 6
asatyss: Dwight Powell, Stanford, SO, F
rjaymoose: Sidiki Johnson, Arizona, FR, F
big5guy: David Foster, Utah, SR, C
UAWildcat: Devon Collier, Oregon State, SO, F
BigChief: Reggie Moore, Washington State, JR, G
pac10guru: Tony Woods, Oregon, JR, C
Why have one Powell when you can have two? Asatyss goes back-to-back on surnames and takes the sophomore forward for Stanford. Dwight got off to a rough start last year but he is extremely talented and big guys usually can a little longer than guards to adjust to the college level. To quote my inner Bilas, this is a high upside pick. Rjaymoose covers his bases on Arizona forwards by taking Johnson. He is the third Wildcat freshman taken so far in what is on paper a very solid recruiting class. Big5guy takes a shot-blocking machine in Foster. Only problem is that blocks are meaningless in this format but then again there aren’t a ton of options. UAWildcat fills out his roster with Collier who should see his scoring increase into the teens this year. BigChief has been talking up Moore behind the scenes and he finally gets his man. With Klay Thompson in the NBA, it’s Moore’s show this year. I conclude the draft by going Woods. The Wake Forest transfer must been one of the few people in the world that liked the new Oregon floor last year. Deep in the Woods may take on a new meaning if he lives up to his potential. He averaged 8.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in the Ducks five-game Italian Tour.
UA Wildcat looks like the team to beat on paper. The Berkeley duo gives him a solid starting point and we know his freshman is going to be asked to carry the scoring load for the Ducks. If he gets anything out of Parrom or N'Diaye he is going to be hard to beat.
Email me at pac10guru@gmail.com and let me know who you think had the best draft.