Here’s a prediction of what teams will do — not what they should do — in the lottery portion of Thursday night’s NBA Draft.
1. Philadelphia 76ers: Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington
The 76ers can become an Eastern Conference force in several years if Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid get healthy and stay healthy. Fultz is a score-first point guard, which pairs well with Simmons’ superb passing ability.
2. Los Angeles Lakers: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
Ball, a consensus All-American during his lone college season, has outstanding vision. It would take real courage for Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka to pass him up.
3. Boston Celtics: Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas
Jackson is the kind of player Celtics executive Danny Ainge favors. Jackson is hard-nosed, especially on the defensive end.
4. Phoenix Suns: De’Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky
The Suns get their point guard of the future. Fox is lightning fast, and he brings toughness to both ends of the floor. You could make a convincing argument that Fox, not Ball, is the second-best point guard in this draft. Remember, Fox outplayed Ball in a Kentucky win over UCLA in the NCAA Tournament.
5. Sacramento Kings: Jayson Tatum, SF, Duke
Tatum can score in bunches even though he only made 34.2 percent of his 3-pointers. He’ll be a good successor to Rudy Gay.
6. Orlando Magic: Jonathan Isaac, PF, FSU
Isaac fits the mold that new Magic executives Jeff Weltman and John Hammond prefer: He has length, athleticism and agility. Isaac doesn’t have an NBA-ready offensive skill, and he likely would require several seasons to develop. Still, it seems like Isaac will get the nod over Lauri Markkanen, Malik Monk and Dennis Smith Jr.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves: Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona
Three-point shooting has never been more important, and Markkanen might be this draft’s best long-range marksman. Now it’ll be up to Tom Thibodeau to coach Markkanen up on defense.
8. New York Knicks: Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky
Speaking of 3-point shooting, Monk is a prolific scorer and shooter, which are reasons the Magic should consider him. But at 6-feet-3, he’s undersized to play shooting guard in today’s NBA.
9. Dallas Mavericks: Frank Ntilikina, PG, Strasbourg (France)
The Mavericks are enamored with the 6-foot-5 Frenchman.
10. Sacramento Kings: Dennis Smith Jr., PG, NC State
A torn ACL prevented Smith from playing as a high-school senior, but he still displayed superb athleticism and explosiveness as a college freshman.
11. Charlotte Hornets: Donovan Mitchell, SG, Louisville
Perhaps no player has rocketed up draft boards in recent months more quickly than Mitchell, who is a tough defender. The Hornets need more defensive toughness, and Mitchell will provide it.
12. Detroit Pistons: Luke Kennard, SG, Duke
Kennard is a stellar 3-point shooter — a trait Stan Van Gundy values.
13. Denver Nuggets: Justin Jackson, SF, North Carolina
Jackson is a good scorer, and he played for the reigning NCAA Tournament champs. He might become the successor to Danilo Gallinari if Gallinari leaves in free agency.
14. Miami Heat: Zach Collins, PF, Gonzaga
This 7-footer averaged just 17.2 minutes per game during his lone college season, but the Heat can afford to develop him slowly.
jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.
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