The 2014 NBA draft is a month away and on Tuesday mock drafts will start going crazy when the lottery winner is announced and names like Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Julius Randle, Marcus Smart and Dante Exum could be in the mix for teams like the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic, who are all looking to be the lottery winner for this year.
The lottery is coming on Tuesday night before the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers and the Bucks come in with the best chance to get the pick, as they had the worst record in the league. The Sixers, Magic and Jazz are next followed by the Celtics and Lakers and the latter two teams are just hoping they end up no lower than where there spots are, as this is a top heavy draft, but also a deep one. The top five picks all could turn into elite players and both storied franchises are hoping they can turn their pick into a superstar.
The Lakers are rarely in this position and they actually will have a first round pick and if they end up with someone names Exum, Randle, Smart or Aaron Gordon, the team will be very happy. Everyone wants the chance to have to decide between Wiggins and Parker, but teams will be fine if they end up in that third slot waiting to see what is available there. Wiggins and Parker have been talked about as the top pick in the draft for what feels like years now and teams will get the chance to pick them apart over the next month.
Wiggins was looked at as a guaranteed number one pick before the season, but after his year at Kansas he may end up as the number two pick. Parker played very well at Duke and he led the Blue Devils in scoring and rebounding and due to his size and set of skills, he could end up as the number one overall pick. Those two players did not go to the combine for working out and that followed last year's number one pick in Anthony Bennett, who also didn't due to a shoulder injury. If Wiggins is picked, it would be Canadian players taken number one for two consecutive years and that is impressive for the nation, who also has Steve Nash as a countryman.
The Lakers are hoping they can use this pick as a turnaround for the franchise, while the Celtics would love to convince Rajon Rondo to sign an extension and team with whoever they pick here to turn the team back to their successful ways. The lottery is always dramatic and this year the fortunes of a number of franchises could be changed by the results. Parker and Wiggins is the next great debate when it comes to taking players number one and the teams will have to make a major decision that could have repercussions for years.
Check here for the NBA mock draft and more from the lottery.
