NBA Mock Draft 1: Sixers add some scoring punch

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The NBA draft is less than a month away (June 28 in Newark, N.J.) and after Wednesday's draft lottery, we now know the order in which teams will be picking at the top of the draft. So without wasting any time, here is the first version of the CSNPhilly.com Mock Draft.

The 2012 draft has a superstar in waiting at the top and plenty of NBA-ready talent in the 10-20 pick range, but is short on elite point guards and international players -- there is just one foreign player listed below.

The big question on CSNPhilly fans' minds: who can help the 76ers take another step toward becoming a serious contender in the Eastern Conference?
1. New Orleans Hornets - Anthony Davis - 6-10, 220, PF, Kentucky
The Hornets beat the odds in the lottery, moving up from the fourth spot to land the first overall pick. Their reward: the only can't miss prospect in this year's draft in Davis. The 2012 consensus College Player of the Year enters the NBA as an elite defender, shot blocker and rebounder. Davis is the rare player who can impact a game without scoring and he's just scratching the surface on the offensive end. Davis spent most of his youth playing on the perimeter before growing eight inches in high school, giving him outstanding ball skills and shooting touch for a post player. He arrives at just the right time for the Hornets, who are under brand new ownership and desperately need a face of the franchise after trading Chris Paul before the start of last season.
2. Charlotte Bobcats - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - 6-7, 210, SF, Kentucky
The lottery was not kind to Michael Jordan's Bobcats, who failed to grab the top pick despite a historically bad 7-59 season. This isn't a good year to be picking No. 2 either -- Davis is widely considered the only sure thing in the draft. Charlotte will take Kidd-Gilchrist, giving them another versatile athlete on the wing and a tremendous perimeter defender. Davis received all the accolades, but Kidd-Gilchrist was the key to Kentucky's national championship. He's capable of scoring 20 points a night, but sacrificed numbers for the success of the team. That's something NBA executives notice. Kidd-Gilchrist needs to improve his outside shooting, but count on him getting to the basket, developing into a lockdown defender, and bringing maximum effort and energy every night.
3. Washington Wizards - Bradley Beal - 6-5, 205, SG, Florida
The Wizards have a decision to make here -- go big or set their backcourt for the next 10 years. I think they'll do the latter and select Beal, the perfect complement to John Wall. Beal is a silky smooth shooter who can also get to the rim. He'll have no trouble scoring from the minute he enters the NBA. He made tremendous strides during his only collegiate season at Florida, and will continue to improve at the pro level. He has All-Star written all over him.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers - Andre Drummond - 6-11, 270, C, Connecticut
The Cavs will have their pick of big men and they'll roll the dice with Drummond, the ultimate boom or bust prospect. Drummond has all the physical tools NBA executives crave in a post player -- size, athleticism, good feet and soft hands. But his work ethic, or as scouts refer to it, motor, is a giant question mark. Drummond came to UConn hailed as the next great college big man. He proceeded to put up pedestrian numbers and worse yet seemed disengaged most of the time. To his credit, he's lost 20 pounds since the end of his freshman season. But will that extra weight resurface once he starts cashing NBA paychecks? One of the many unknowns when it comes to Drummond.
5. Sacramento Kings - Thomas Robinson - 6-9, 240, PF, Kansas
The Kings will take the anti-Andre Drummond in Thomas Robinson. The power forward brings it each and every night and got the most out of his talents during a superb three-year career at Kansas. Robinson's character and work ethic will go a long way in a Kings locker room not exactly brimming with team-first guys. He is a tad undersized, but is extremely athletic and has a nose for the ball. Robinson was a double-double machine in college, and there's no reason that shouldn't continue in the NBA.

6. Portland Trail Blazers - Harrison Barnes, 6-8, 210, SF, North Carolina
The Blazers could decide to go point guard here, but the instant offense that Barnes will bring is too much to pass up. Barnes has no trouble getting his own shot, and his percentages went up as a sophomore at North Carolina. He was far too inconsistent in college, however, and will need to elevate his game on the defensive end. But in the NBA, it's all about putting the ball in the hole, something Barnes specializes in.

7. Golden State Warriors - Damian Lillard - 6-2, 190, PG, Weber State
The Warriors will bolster their backcourt with Lillard, a classic shoot-first point guard who averaged 24.5 points as a junior at Weber State. Lillard will provide some of the offensive firepower the Warriors lost in the Monta Ellis trade. He's the best point guard in a weak crop in this year's draft and would enable Golden State to play Stephen Curry off the ball more often. Lillard is also an outstanding long-range shooter. The biggest question: Can he produce against competition far better than he faced playing in the Big Sky Conference?

8. Toronto Raptors - Jared Sullinger - 6-9, 265, PF, Ohio State
The Raptors will take Sullinger here over other more enticing prospects like Perry Jones and Jeremy Lamb for one reason: you know what you're getting with Sullinger. He won't wow you with his athleticism or playmaking ability, he'll just put up steady numbers and compete every night. I see a lot of Elton Brand in Sullinger -- good hands, good footwork and touch around the basket. He's also a capable rebounder and a reliable shooter from 15-18 feet.

9. Detroit Pistons - Dion Waiters - 6-5, 215, SG, Syracuse
Waiters has been shooting up draft boards thanks to very impressive workouts in the past few weeks. He's one of the best pure athletes in the draft and able to get to the basket at will and a very good finisher. Waiters' mid-range game is solid, but he'll need to improve his three-point shooting. The biggest knock on Waiters is his character, something he began to address by agreeing to come off the bench last season at Syracuse. The Dwyane Wade comparison is a popular one, but Waiters is much more raw than Wade was when he entered the league.

10. New Orleans Hornets - Perry Jones - 6-10, 235, PF, Baylor
After taking a sure thing with the first pick of the draft, the Hornets will gamble on Jones here. Everyone has been waiting for Jones to emerge into a star from the moment he arrived at Baylor ... and they're still waiting. Jones is similar to Drummond in that he has all the tools, but hasn't come close to producing consistently. Jones is the prototypical power forward. He's athletic, able to step out and shoot from the perimeter, and excels on the fast break. It's just a matter of does he want to be great? If he does, the Hornets are set on the frontline for years to come.
11. Portland Trail Blazers - Tyler Zeller - 6-11, 240, PF, North Carolina
While he doesn't have the same upside as other big men in this draft like Davis or Drummond, Zeller will satisfy whichever team drafts him. Last season's ACC Player of the Year is very skilled on the low block and can also get out and fill the lane in transition. Zeller will need to extend his shooting range in the NBA, but he'll be a solid rotation guy who should develop into a starter for the next 8-10 years.

12. Milwaukee Bucks - Terrence Jones - 6-8, 245, SF, Kentucky
Jones is one of a handful of players in this draft -- Sullinger and Barnes are the others -- who would have been selected higher if they chose to come out following their freshman season. Jones often took a backseat to Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist as a sophomore at Kentucky. He has a tendency to fall in love with the outside shot rather than attack the basket. Still, he is an elite athlete who will offer some much-needed scoring punch to a Bucks team on the verge of making a big step forward in the Eastern Conference.

13. Phoenix Suns - Kendall Marshall - 6-4, 200, PG, North Carolina
The time has come for the Suns to replace Steve Nash and they could do worse than Marshall, who will fall this far because of concerns about his scoring ability. Marshall silenced that criticism toward the end of last season and in the postseason at North Carolina. While questions persist over his shot-making prowess, one thing is certain: he'll be among the league's best facilitators from the moment he puts on an NBA uniform. His court vision and passing ability bring to mind Jason Kidd. Marshall's value was evident following his wrist injury in the NCAA tournament, when top-seeded and ultra-talented North Carolina failed to advance to the Final Four.

14. Houston Rockets - Jeremy Lamb - 6-5, 190, SG, Connecticut
Lamb is projected to go anywhere from seventh to 15th, and would be a great value pick if he falls to the Rockets here. Lamb was expected to take the torch from Kemba Walker and run with it at UConn, but things never really panned out. He was inconsistent as a sophomore and appeared disinterested on occasion. But when he's in the right frame of mind, Lamb can take over a game with his scoring ability. In the right situation, he has the potential to develop into a very solid NBA wing player.

15. Philadelphia 76ers - Austin Rivers - 6-4, 200, SG, Duke
In last year's CSNPhilly.com mock draft, I had the 76ers taking Kenny Faried out of Morehead St. with the 16th pick. The line of thinking was simple: the 76ers were killed on the boards and lacked interior toughness in their first round playoff loss to the Heat a year ago, and Faried best addressed those deficiencies. This postseason it was obvious the 76ers had trouble scoring on a consistent basis. They couldn't overcome those prolonged droughts when four to five minutes passed without a field goal. Rivers is a natural-born-scorer and if he's available at 15, Doug Collins and company should jump all over him.

Rivers was hot and cold in his only collegiate season at Duke. For every breathtaking drive to the basket, there was a head-scratching poor decision. But his game is tailor-made for the NBA. He is a knock down shooter with range well beyond the NBA three-point line and can get to the basket whenever he wants. As we saw in Duke's game at North Carolina, he certainly isn't afraid of the big moment. His father is Celtics head coach and former NBA point guard Doc Rivers, so the NBA lifestyle won't be anything new for Austin.

Don't underestimate the relationship between the Collins and Rivers families when it's time to make this pick. Doug and Doc are very close, and Doug's son, Chris Collins, recruited Austin at Duke. Doug knows exactly what kind of person he's getting in Austin.

There is one factor that needs to be addressed. If the quartet of Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams all return, minutes will be hard to come by for Rivers. I don't see that happening. Iguodala and Williams are the most likely to leave. If it's Williams, Rivers transitions seamlessly into the role of providing scoring punch of the bench. If it's Iguodala, Turner can be moved to small forward to clear the way for Rivers at shooting guard. If by some chance everyone comes back, they'll still be happy with Rivers. As we found out the past three weeks, you can never have enough scoring.

16. Houston Rockets - Meyers Leonard - 7-0, 245, C, Illinois
17. Dallas Mavericks - Terrence Ross - 6-6, 200, SG, Washington
18. Minnesota - John Henson - 6-10, 220, PF, North Carolina
19. Orlando Magic - Arnett Moultrie - 6-10, 235, PF, Mississippi St
20. Denver Nuggets - Royce White - 6-8, 250, PF, Iowa St.
21. Boston Celtics - Moe Harkless - 6-8, 220, SF, St. John's
22. Boston Celtics - Andrew Nicholson - 6-9, 225, PF, St. Bonaventure
23. Atlanta Hawks - Marquis Teague - 6-2, 190, PG, Kentucky
24. Cleveland Cavaliers - Jeffrey Taylor - 6-7, 230, SF, Vanderbilt
25. Memphis Grizzlies - Quincy Miller - 6-9, 210, SF, Baylor
26. Indiana Pacers - Doron Lamb - 6-4, 200, SG, Kentucky
27. Miami Heat - Fab Melo - 7-0, 255, C, Syracuse
28. Oklahoma City Thunder - Draymond Green - 6-7, 235, SF, Michigan St.
29. Chicago Bulls - John Jenkins - 6-4, 210, SG, Vanderbilt
30. Golden State Warriors - Evan Fournier - 6-6, 190, SF, France

Sean Kane is a producer as Comcast SportsNet. E-mail him at skane@comcastsportsnet.com.

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