NBA Mock Draft Roundup: Post-Lottery

The NBA Lottery took place on Tuesday night, so we know the order for the NBA Draft, which takes place on Thursday, June 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Former Michigan State Spartans stars, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Miles Bridges are projected by many to both be lottery picks, with Jackson often mocked as a top-five pick.

Let’s take a look at several post-lottery mock drafts and see where Jackson and Bridges are being projected to.

• Gary Parrish of CBS Sports slots Jackson at No. 5 overall to the Dallas Mavericks. He has Bridges going No. 11 overall to the Charlotte Hornets.
• ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Insider access required) has Jackson heading to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 4 overall to join fellow former Spartan Deyonta Davis. Meanwhile, he also has Bridges going to Charlotte at No. 11.
• SI.com’s Jeremy Woo sees Jackson going even higher, at No. 3 overall, to the Atlanta Hawks. He has Bridges going one pick higher than the previous writer as well, to the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 10 overall.
• SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell also likes Jackson heading to the ATL, and agrees with most that Bridges will be a Hornet.
• Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has a different landing spot for Bridges, as he puts him at No. 9 overall to the New York Knicks. Jackson is firmly locked in at No. 4 to Memphis here as well.
• NBADraft.net has Bridges just barely being selected as a lottery pick at No. 13 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers. Jackson remains in the top-five one again, as he is slotted to Memphis at No. 4.
• Mixing up the normal text-based mock drafts, The Ringer did a cool video-style mock. The Hawks once again land Jackson, while Bridges is reuniting with Denzel Valentine with the Chicago Bulls. This is the highest I’ve seen Bridges mocked to at No. 7 overall.
• The USA Today staff sends Jackson back to Memphis, and Bridges to the City of Brotherly Love with the talented 76ers.
• Nick Ashooh of NBC Sports likes Jackson to the Grizzlies as well, but has Bridges slipping to pick 13 and heading to the Clippers.
• And looking at it from an overall standpoint, Drew Packham of NBA.com put together a consensus mock draft using data from 10 different media outlets. Jackson is most mocked to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 4 overall, while Bridges in often mocked to the Charlotte Hornets at No. 11 overall. Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton is the consensus No. 1 overall pick to the Phoenix Suns.

So, what does it all mean? Both Jackson and Bridges are consensus lottery picks in every mock draft I looked at it. Jackson was never higher than No. 3 overall, but never lower than No. 5 overall. It is almost certain he will be a top-five selection. Bridges is a bit of a wild card. While he is considered a “lottery pick” (1-14), he went as high as No. 7 overall to the Bulls, and as low as No. 13 overall to the Clippers.

Bridges is considered a “safe” pick, due to his shooting ability, athleticism and explosiveness. However, there are questions about his NBA position (3 or a 4) and as we Spartan fans know all too well, his aggressiveness or “killer instinct” was lacking for much of the 2017-2018 season. Still, I don’t see him getting past Charlotte at No. 11.

Jackson is considered a “raw” prospect, and some people have an issue with his statistics not being incredible. But Jackson is only 18 years old (he turns 19 in September). His ceiling is sky high, his length is incredible, he has shooting touch and can play in the post, and his defensive prowess, which will only get better, is already solid. These are all reasons why Jackson is almost assured to be a top-five pick, and potentially even a top-three pick.

Still, you never know how these things will shake out. While mock drafts are fun to look at, they’e not always accurate.

Where do you think Bridges and Jackson end up? Let us know in the comments section below!