DRAFT WATCH #6 - Same names, different positions

Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., representatives of 13 teams will gather at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago for the annual Draft Lottery. The Nets of course won’t be there. Brooklyn’s pick is held by Cleveland. (The Clippers currently hold two picks, now slated at Nos. 12 and 13).

Nothing that happens tomorrow night will immediately affect the Nets. They’ll still pick at Nos. 29, 40 and 45 five weeks from now. But it’s a good time to review the mock drafts.

As we’ve said over and over, the only mock draft that really matters ... the Nets internal mock ... is the one held under lock and key at the HSS Training Center. And Gregg Polinsky, the Nets chief scout (Director of Player Personnel) told an Alabama radio station Monday they are nowhere near putting it together! Moreover, everything could change in the days leading up to the Draft (like it did last year) or on Draft Day itself (as it did in 2016.)

ALL that said, the big media mocks have been updated and revised and here they are. The one thing they have in common is that the names we’ve heard for months (in some cases for more than a year) are the media favorites.

ESPN

29. Moritz Wagner, 6’11” C, Michigan, Junior

40. Hamidou Diallo, 6’5” SG, Kentucky, Freshman

45. Rodions Kurucs, 6’9” PF, F.C. Barcelona, 20 years old

Tankathon

29. Chandler Hutchison, 6’7” SG, Boise State, Senior

40. Gary Clark, 6’8” SF, Cincinnati, Senior

45. Landry Shamet, 6’4” PG, Wichita, Sophomore

NBADraft.net

29. Aaron Holiday, 6’1’ PG, UCLA, Junior

40. Chimezie Metu, 6’11” PF, USC, Junior

45. Jose Okogie, 6’4” SG, Georgia Tech, Sophomore

Sports Illustrated

29. Jalen Brunson, 6’3” PG, Villanova, Junior

40. Elie Okobo, 6’4” PG, Pau-Orthez France, 20 years old

45. Tyus Battle, 6’7” SG, Syracuse, Sophomore

Basketball Insiders

29. Chandler Hutchison, 6’7” SG, Boise State, Senior

40. Travon Duval, 6’3” PG, Duke, Freshman

45. Kris Wilkes, 6’8”, SG, UCLA, Freshman

Bleacher Report

29. Anfernee Simons, 6’4” SG, IMG Academy, High School Senior

CBS Sports

29. De’Anthony Melton, 6’3” PG, USC, Sophomore

Sporting News

29. Shake Milton, 6’6” PG/SG, SMU, Junior

As you have written before, the mocks are mostly about the usual suspects, players who the Nets have reportedly liked in the past in some cases even worked out: Hamidou Diallo, Mo Wagner, Rodions Kurucs, Elie Okobo, Chandler Hutchison, Trevon Duval of Duke and Tyus Battle.

But now that we know that the Nets haven’t come up with their internal mock yet, that’s another reason to keep it short. Until tomorrow night!