Season Five Mock Draft 2.0

1. St. Louis Archers (via SD Surf) – Tyler Gaines, G (+2 from last mock)

The Archers may not keep this pick, given that they may be able to get Gaines lower, and if Jason Garcia re-signs, they won’t really need him. Nevertheless, they can’t really go wrong by picking Gaines. His three-point shooting and turnover-light style of play would greatly augment the Archers’ offense that was alternatingly prolific and parched from downtown, as well as one that turned the ball over at the second highest rate in the league, and he’s a pretty solid passer as well, giving them flexibility in their guard rotation. He’s the consensus #1 pick for a reason.

2. Atlanta Activists – Antony King, F (-1)

If King doesn’t go #1, the Activists have to take him #2. Yes, defense was a huge problem for last season, but three-point shooting was as well, as they got approximately none from the frontcourt. W.R. Asher will be a fine player capable of shooting well with time, but he is not a reliable starter at this point in his career. Marcus Damian showed potential this season, but figures to be a paint-first player. If Adobo Flakes stays, he will again figure in as a 4-spot forward. As such, King would address a major need for the Activists, and would also alleviate the offensive pressure on Felipe Santos and Zach Vega.

3. Vancouver Summit – Darren Taylor, F (+4)

The Summit’s fall in the draft lottery was extremely unfortunate, as Antony King was by far the pick that fit them best. In his absence, the SF position remains the one in need of most addressal, and Taylor would be a solid add for them there. A jack of all trades, he adds solid offense and defense and would be a fine secondary or tertiary option to Jaime Spencer/Tyrone Jackson/Melo Hayes.

4. Arizona 122 – Taog Gib, G (--)

Despite the shifts around Arizona, their pick remains the same, at least until the expansion draft. Although primarily a playmaker, Gib has shown a keen ability to create his own shots, and has a decent shooting stroke for a rookie. He is the class’ best passer, and should be able to start and contribute right away. Hard to analyze Arizona’s situation given that they have no players at the moment, however.

5. Indiana Overdrive – Beef Jerkey, C (--)

The Overdrive have no reason, at least at the moment, to shift from their previous selection, the talented and vocal Jerkey. Jerkey is clearly the best player left on the board, and they would be remiss not to scoop up someone of his stature. As talented as they come as an inside finisher, Jerkey showed an ability in college to take over games that many players simply lack. A talented all-around player with no real weaknesses save his shooting, he’s something of a steal at #5, though centers are a hot commodity these days.

6. New York Empire – Dominique Jakobs, G (--)

The shifts up above don’t really affect the Empire all too much, who still get a guy with a great fit here in Jakobs. With Aaron Ford testing free agency, the search for the successor to Carl Joseph continues. New York will not find that successor here, but Jakobs could point to the answer while also solving a number of big problems for New York. The league’s worst inside team last season, New York struggled to get to the rim and convert, ranking dead-last in FG%. They also ranked second-to-last in rebounds per game. Enter Jakobs, the draft’s best rebounder and a talented slasher. He slots in perfectly at the two for the Empire, shifting Chug to the one for their backcourt of the future. New York has had success with rebounding guards in the past—Scottie Thompson was nearly an All-Star in the orange and blue with Joseph at the one. Jakobs could in time bring them back to that halcyon age.

7. St. Louis Archers – Emmius One, G (+6)

Again, the Archers may not keep this pick, but they can pick up some good insurance with a no-downside selection in Emmius One. The talented two-way guard bolsters the depth of a team that was sorely lacking in it last season, regardless of whether both Garcia and/or Bas stay in town for the next season. His respectable shooting touch also figures to help them shore up what was an overall-weak performance from deep, and his perimeter defense will be a marked improvement over that of all the other guards on the team. He is a solid fit here, and they would have to think real hard before trading this pick, were he to be available here.

8. Portland Roses – Elijah Rose, C (--)

All the shifts above have no bearing on Portland; they still get their man in Rose. Portland is a team sorely needing veteran depth across the board, so Rose doesn’t meet their biggest need. That said, he does fit a big need for them—backup center. While back-end second rounder Brook Reid performed admirably behind Jamon Alexander and grSeatly improved under his tutelage, he simply did not have the skill to get it done on both ends. Enter Rose, a relatively league-ready center with a skillset similar to Alexander’s who can shore up the unit and let the offense play through him for stretches.

9. San Diego Surf – Markus Smith, C (--)

Even with everything else that has shifted above, Smith remains the best pick available to San Diego. Timothy Garcia Jr. may well leave in FA, and even if he does not, the Surf will likely lose Randall Ta to expansion, meaning they will be in the market for a center regardless. Smith would contribute right away as a defense-first 5 capable of scoring on his own at times, though only close to the basket at the moment. He also would add valuable rebounding skill to a team that ranked 10th in that statistic this past season.

10. Houston Cosmos – Lo Bot, F (--)

Bot probably won’t go to the Cosmos, but as of now, it makes the most sense. Joseph Canny took a big step back this year, and it hurt the Cosmos. With him not getting any younger, the Cosmos lack a three-point punch. Bot, as one of the best snipers in the draft, should be able to bail them out when they need a three. He is rather raw, and will need time to develop, so the Cosmos should look for more immediate solutions. At present, however, he will stop the bleeding.

11. San Diego Surf – Riccardo Buzzoni, G (NEW)

It’s hard to know what Flight Reacts will do for the Surf this coming offseason, but Buzzoni will help them out big-time regardless. As gifted of a scorer as they come, Buzzoni will add seriously sparky streak-scoring to the Surf’s generally curmudgeonly perimeter efforts. Buzzoni could also develop quite the rapport with BJ Vandeventer and/or Lukas Morawski, given time. He would have plenty of time and space to develop in the Surf’s long-term rebuilding project.

12. Los Angeles Stars -- Adrien Russell, F (-10)

If Russell falls here, he is the steal of the draft. The Stars don’t have many needs, but with Demar Langley and possibly Collin Adams out the door this coming FA period, the Stars have a dearth of backup forwards. Russell would more than fill that gap, and he may even challenge Julius Carter for the starting job. His gritty style of defense is perfect for a contending team, and he would integrate seamlessly into the Stars’ scheme.

13. Chicago Blues – Tobias DiPierri, F (-2)

DiPierri makes a lot of sense for the Blues if he is available here. He’s a very similar prospect to The Kryptonite, the guy they took in this slot last season, then dealt away. As a defense-first forward with a decent shooting touch, he’d fit well into their bench unit, and would be an upgrade over Sergio Fric while shoring up the crew in the event Clement Hamel departs in FA. They can also stash him in the D-League for development purposes if necessary.

14. Boston Charms – Olo Fresh, G (--)

As was said before, Boston figures to only have one major need this coming offseason, and its one they seem more likely to address in FA—backup PG. Regardless, Fresh would be a fine pick here. A defense-first guard who will always look to pass before shooting and who has decent ball control is just what the doctor ordered for the Charms’ vaunted backup unit. He can also sit in the D-League if necessary.

Round Two

15. Vancouver Summit – Carlton Hollis, F (-4)

Even after drafting Darren Taylor with The Kryptonite and Joshua Owens in tow, the Summit’s biggest need remains at the forward position. Though veteran help is likely better for them, they’d be remiss not to take Hollis nonetheless, as he is a talented scorer with a decent all-around skillset that can both contribute right away and develop in the D-League as needed.

16. Atlanta Activists – Zay Kyten, G (NEW)

The Activists are set to need a backup PG with Fred Fredericks likely gone, and Kyten can be that for them with time. He’s a pass-first guard with a fair all-around composition, but his most attractive trait is probably his penchant for holding on to the ball, given that Atlanta led the league in turnovers this past season.

17. San Diego Surf – James Ridge, F (NEW)

If Lamarcus Howard and Francisco Gerbi leave in the offseason, the Surf will be in pretty dire need of some forward depth. Though this forward class is relatively weak, Ridge could be a good find for them. He’s a decent offensive player as is, and has the skillset to develop into a fine all-around player with time. He’d add a good piece to their rebuilding efforts.

18. Indiana Overdrive – Renn Alex, G (NEW)

Hard to assess what exactly Indiana will do here, so they may as well pick for talent. Alex is certainly the best left on the board here; his diverse skillset parallels that of Roses second round pick King Ntilikina from last season. He can do a lot of things well already, and will aid any team looking to contend off the bat.

19. Arizona 122 – Jordan Covington, G (NEW)

You can never have too many scoring guards, regardless of what team you are, so Covington makes a lot of sense for Arizona. A shoot-first guard who can score in bunches and do little else, he is extremely situationally useful. He could be a sleeper ROTY pick wherever he goes.

20. New York Empire – Monte Ice, G (NEW)

If New York is indeed in need of a new PG, Ice probably won’t be able to do that just yet, but he’s a very solid player as is. As a pass-first guard with a predilection for perimeter defense, he should bolster the backup guard group right away.

21. San Francisco Quakes – Sir Shooter, C (NEW)

The Quakes outright confirmed that they will be parting ways with Yeetus McGeetus this coming off-season, and Nathan Korst seems quite ready to graduate from the D-League, given that he won the DPOY award in the minors last year. As such, the Quakes could use a new development center, and Sir Shooter would be an excellent fit. His attributes are similar to those of Korst’s, and he very closely resembles New York Empire C Jesus James as well, a favorable comparison. He would be a stash player, but a good one indeed.

22. Atlanta Activists – Dami Lee Pittman Jr., C (NEW)

In terms of potential, Pittman is certainly the best on the board here, so while he doesn’t necessarily fill a huge need for the Activists, he is a solid pickup. Tyler Moore isn’t getting any younger, after all, and Atlanta could use someone to back up Zach Vega who can shoot fairly well. It would be interesting to see how his passing touch contributed to the Activists’ unusual offensive makeup.

23. San Francisco Quakes – Jaylen Quadri, G (NEW)

Whether or not one or both of Jake Robinson/Benji Phillips departs in FA, the Quakes will need some guard depth, and Quadri is the best available here. He is extremely raw, but has a relatively high ceiling for a pick this low. He could also contribute right away in limited appearances solely due to his passing prowess.

24. Houston Cosmos – Jexx Uzamaki, F (NEW)

Former Cosmos draftee Gozie Nwosu excelled with the Fort Worth Apollos last season. Uzamaki, whose build is similar, could do the same. He won’t add much to Houston right away, but could in time develop into a solid scorer and glass cleaner. Houston is in desperate need of youth talent, so anything helps, including Uzamaki.

25. Miami Tides – Jerami Junior, G (NEW)

The Tides only have one pick, but they don’t have a ton of needs to address. Junior would give them some valuable guard depth in case starting guard Sage Jackson departs. He profiles very similarly to Tides development product Daren Scorpio—a defense-first guard with offensive upside. He is quite raw, but in time, could be a very solid player.

26. Los Angeles Stars – Kimani White, F (NEW)

A few years ago, the Stars picked up a raw all-around forward as an undrafted free agent. That player became Collin Adams, who has become an integral member of the Stars’ bench unit. White could be a similar piece for Los Angeles—a draft and stash forward who, in time, could become a valuable contributor. Given how well the Stars have drafted and developed, it would be expected.

27. Chicago Blues – Pres Manu, F (NEW)

The Blues needed perimeter support for Walter Yensid, and they’ll likely be losing some with Rajah Rose likely out the door this coming offseason. Manu has one of the best shots in the draft, and would allow the Blues some 3-point insurance off the bench. Manu is raw, and will likely see little to no action in his first season, but the Blues are known for finding diamonds in the rough.

28. Boston Charms – Bobby Shmurda, C (NEW)

The Charms have basically no needs, and will probably deal this pick. If they don’t, however, why not take a flyer on Shmurda? He’s a defense-first center who is as raw as red meat, making him an ideal fit for the Charms, who are set on centers at the moment and have plenty of space to develop a prospect. He could rotate in, in time, when they need a good defender.