For a variety of reasons, perhaps no one should read too much into mock-draft projections for specific second-round picks – partly because even the draft sites themselves don’t.
“People can go overboard with trying to factor in team needs with picks,” NBADraft.net analyst Aran Smith explained recently of the difficulty of predicting NBA teams’ decisions on second-rounders. “A third of the second-round picks get sold or traded, and at some point the player value is more of a factor than the team picking at the spot.
“Obviously teams have needs and they attempt to address them with their picks.