By R.L. Bynum
Two months away from the NBA draft, Caleb Wilson is projected as high as No. 2 on mock drafts, while Henri Veesaar is a consensus second-round pick who three project to go in the first round.
Those projections show why there was never a question about whether Wilson would enter the draft and why Veesaar has a tough choice to make. Wilson knows his name will be called on the first day of the NBA draft at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on June 23. But if Veesaar enters the draft, he may not get picked until the second round.
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor pushed Wilson up to No. 2 overall to his hometown Atlanta Hawks in a mock draft released Wednesday, a notable jump in a class where the top tier has otherwise been stable.
ESPN’s most recent draft ranking on April 9 slotted him at No. 4. Rookiescale.com produces a consensus draft position using numerous mock drafts, and had Wilson No. 4 in its Wednesday update.
Veesaar has until 11:59 p.m. Friday to declare for the NBA draft, and faces tough decisions ahead. If he thinks he’ll be a first-round pick, he probably enters the draft and keeps his name there. That decision will have a dramatic effect on how Carolina’s roster will look next season.
Three projections have Veesaar going in the first round: NBA Draft Room has him going 28th to Minnesota, O’Connor has him going 29th to Cleveland and MyNBA Draft has him 30th to Dallas.
Rookiescale.com’s consensus has Veesaar at No. 32, and ESPN has him at No. 44.
A first-round draftee gets guaranteed money that a second-rounder doesn’t get.
“Veesaar’s combination of size and skill is valuable,” NBA draft analyst Matt Babcock said. “Continuing to develop his physical strength will be key.”
Veesaar is being evaluated as a modern big with touch and perimeter shooting skills, but also as a prospect whose exact placement can swing with team needs in the late first round.
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Mock draft projections
Caleb Wilson
— Consensus, according to rookiescale.com (Wednesday): No. 4
— Yahoo Sports (Kevin O’Connor, Wednesday): No. 2 overall
— NBA Draft Room (Wednesday): No. 3 overall
— ESPN (Jeremy Woo, April 9): No. 4 overall
— Bleacher Report (Jonathan Wasserman, Tuesday): No. 4 overall
— Tankathon (April 5): No. 4 overall
— MyNBA Draft (updated March 19): No. 4 overall
— Sports Illustrated (Thomas Carelli, Tuesday): No. 4 overall
— The Sports Bank (Monday): No. 4 overall
— Heavy (Sean Deveney, Wednesday): No. 6 overall
Henri Veesaar
— Consensus, according to rookiescale.com (Wednesday): No. 32
— NBA Draft Room (Wednesday): No. 28 overall
— Yahoo Sports (Kevin O’Connor; Wednesday): No. 29 overall
— MyNBA Draft (March 19): No. 30 overall
— Tankathon (April 5): No. 35 overall
— Bleacher Report (Jonathan Wasserman, Tuesday): No. 38 overall
— ESPN (Jeremy Woo, April 9): No. 44 overall
Photo by Smith Hardy
