By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
The NBA draft on July 29 will definitely have a Baylor tone to it. In fact, this draft has the potential to be the most promising in program annals because of who is available and where they are projected to go.
Baylor has not had a player selected in the draft since Taurean Prince went to Utah – later traded to Atlanta – at No. 12 in the first round in 2016. There have been some free agent signings, of course.
Scott Drew’s program has three draft candidates between guards Davion Mitchell, Jared Butler and MaCio Teague. The last time Baylor had three taken was in 2012 when Perry Jones (Oklahoma City) went in the first round and Quincy Acy (Toronto) and Quincy Miller (Denver) were chosen in the second round.
Butler’s situation changed for the better on July 17 when the NBA Panel for Fitness cleared him to be able to go through NBA activities and be draft worthy. As the draft approaches, let’s take a look at where Mitchell and Butler are projected to land. Teague will not be listed as none of these mock drafts going anywhere in the two rounds. But there’s still a chance he could go late in the second.
Look for more of these updates as the draft approaches. These mock drafts were issued within the last week:
Davion Mitchell
Yahoo Sports – No. 7 – Golden State
Why Golden State: Mitchell is one of the most well-rounded guards in this draft class and shot up draft boards when he led Baylor to a national title. He’s an excellent defender and shot the ball well during the tournament, shooting 51.6% from the field and averaging 5.6 assists per game (including 11 assists in a win over Houston). With Klay Thompson back next season, the Warriors will be in a win-now mode, and the addition of Mitchell in the backcourt will provide relief for Thompson and Steph Curry.
NBC Sports – No. 7 – Toronto in trade with Golden State
Why Toronto: First draft explosion! The Warriors make their win-now move by making a deal with the Raptors to try and gear up for a title run. Here's the trade:
WARRIORS GET: F Pascal Siakam, G De'Andre Bembry
RAPTORS GET: F Andrew Wiggins, Warriors' No. 7 Pick
The Raptors bring home the Canada kid and add a pick, while the Warriors add a potential All-Star piece who can do a lot of things well alongside Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Good start. The Raptors then go out and select Davion Mitchell, one of the more captivating players from this past spring's March Madness.
Sports Illustrated – No. 10 – New Orleans
Why New Orleans: As New Orleans prepares to mount a legitimate playoff run next season, expect the Pelicans to explore options involving this pick to improve the roster and expedite their rebuilding process, while revamping the supporting cast around Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Mitchell’s intangibles, defensive acumen and reputation as a gamer should hold obvious appeal to a team that has frequently struggled on the defensive end, and with late-game decision making. While New Orleans doesn’t necessarily need another guard, Mitchell’s skill set differs significantly from the offensive-minded Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kira Lewis. Mitchell could come off the board before this, with the Warriors thought to be heavily interested. But the fit here makes sense if the Pelicans stay put.
CBS Sports – No. 12 – San Antonio
Why San Antonio: Davion Mitchell's age (22), size (measured 6-foot in socks) and questions about whether his shooting last season was an anomaly might drop him to the back of the lottery, but the Spurs would be happy to get him into their system. Mitchell will be able to defend from day one, which will endear him to Gregg Popovich, and his shiftiness and finishing ability should translate right away. The Spurs are reportedly shopping Dejounte Murray and Derrick White, with DeMar DeRozan hitting free agency, so there could be ample opportunity in the San Antonio backcourt.
NBA.com – No. 7 – Golden State
Why Golden State: Steady hand guided Baylor to the NCAA title; displays solid shot-making, playmaking and on-ball defense, which should provide a high floor from whenever he first hits NBA hardwood
Jared Butler
Yahoo Sports – No. 23 – Houston
Note: Butler was not listed in the previous Yahoo Sports mock draft because of his health situation.
NBC Sports – No. 20 – Atlanta
Why Atlanta: The Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament from this past spring's March Madness, Butler was cleared earlier this week after initially being flagged by the NBA's fitness-to-play panel because of a heart condition he was first diagnosed with back in 2018. He'll immediately command minutes in Atlanta's plug-and-play offense around Trae Young.
Sports Illustrated – No. 26 – Denver
Why Denver: With the news that Butler has been medically cleared by the NBA, teams generally expect he’ll be drafted in the late first round or early second. The issue now is that team doctors will have to sign off on drafting him, which is a piece of the puzzle that can’t truly be gauged in a speculative sense, and will affect where he can and cannot land. The prospect of medical risk may cap how high he’ll go on draft night, but Butler is a clear first-round talent and a steady, proven contributor who can play both guard spots capably. Teams have always raved about his intangibles. Denver is a team that has historically been willing to take on risk, and Butler is arguably the best prospect available here in this scenario.
CBS Sports – No. 22 – Los Angeles Lakers
Why LA Lakers: The Lakers need as much shooting and playmaking as possible off the bench, and Jared Butler will bring those in spades (now that he's been cleared by the NBA's fitness-to-play panel). He's also a strong enough defender to hold his own on the league's best defensive team. Butler will be 22 when next season starts, and he's physically and mentally mature enough to contribute to a winning team right away.
Note: NBA.com only did a mock draft of the Top 14 selections. That's why Butler is not listed.
Publisher
The NBA draft on July 29 will definitely have a Baylor tone to it. In fact, this draft has the potential to be the most promising in program annals because of who is available and where they are projected to go.
Baylor has not had a player selected in the draft since Taurean Prince went to Utah – later traded to Atlanta – at No. 12 in the first round in 2016. There have been some free agent signings, of course.
Scott Drew’s program has three draft candidates between guards Davion Mitchell, Jared Butler and MaCio Teague. The last time Baylor had three taken was in 2012 when Perry Jones (Oklahoma City) went in the first round and Quincy Acy (Toronto) and Quincy Miller (Denver) were chosen in the second round.
Butler’s situation changed for the better on July 17 when the NBA Panel for Fitness cleared him to be able to go through NBA activities and be draft worthy. As the draft approaches, let’s take a look at where Mitchell and Butler are projected to land. Teague will not be listed as none of these mock drafts going anywhere in the two rounds. But there’s still a chance he could go late in the second.
Look for more of these updates as the draft approaches. These mock drafts were issued within the last week:
Davion Mitchell
Yahoo Sports – No. 7 – Golden State
Why Golden State: Mitchell is one of the most well-rounded guards in this draft class and shot up draft boards when he led Baylor to a national title. He’s an excellent defender and shot the ball well during the tournament, shooting 51.6% from the field and averaging 5.6 assists per game (including 11 assists in a win over Houston). With Klay Thompson back next season, the Warriors will be in a win-now mode, and the addition of Mitchell in the backcourt will provide relief for Thompson and Steph Curry.
NBC Sports – No. 7 – Toronto in trade with Golden State
Why Toronto: First draft explosion! The Warriors make their win-now move by making a deal with the Raptors to try and gear up for a title run. Here's the trade:
WARRIORS GET: F Pascal Siakam, G De'Andre Bembry
RAPTORS GET: F Andrew Wiggins, Warriors' No. 7 Pick
The Raptors bring home the Canada kid and add a pick, while the Warriors add a potential All-Star piece who can do a lot of things well alongside Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Good start. The Raptors then go out and select Davion Mitchell, one of the more captivating players from this past spring's March Madness.
Sports Illustrated – No. 10 – New Orleans
Why New Orleans: As New Orleans prepares to mount a legitimate playoff run next season, expect the Pelicans to explore options involving this pick to improve the roster and expedite their rebuilding process, while revamping the supporting cast around Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Mitchell’s intangibles, defensive acumen and reputation as a gamer should hold obvious appeal to a team that has frequently struggled on the defensive end, and with late-game decision making. While New Orleans doesn’t necessarily need another guard, Mitchell’s skill set differs significantly from the offensive-minded Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kira Lewis. Mitchell could come off the board before this, with the Warriors thought to be heavily interested. But the fit here makes sense if the Pelicans stay put.
CBS Sports – No. 12 – San Antonio
Why San Antonio: Davion Mitchell's age (22), size (measured 6-foot in socks) and questions about whether his shooting last season was an anomaly might drop him to the back of the lottery, but the Spurs would be happy to get him into their system. Mitchell will be able to defend from day one, which will endear him to Gregg Popovich, and his shiftiness and finishing ability should translate right away. The Spurs are reportedly shopping Dejounte Murray and Derrick White, with DeMar DeRozan hitting free agency, so there could be ample opportunity in the San Antonio backcourt.
NBA.com – No. 7 – Golden State
Why Golden State: Steady hand guided Baylor to the NCAA title; displays solid shot-making, playmaking and on-ball defense, which should provide a high floor from whenever he first hits NBA hardwood
Jared Butler
Yahoo Sports – No. 23 – Houston
Note: Butler was not listed in the previous Yahoo Sports mock draft because of his health situation.
NBC Sports – No. 20 – Atlanta
Why Atlanta: The Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament from this past spring's March Madness, Butler was cleared earlier this week after initially being flagged by the NBA's fitness-to-play panel because of a heart condition he was first diagnosed with back in 2018. He'll immediately command minutes in Atlanta's plug-and-play offense around Trae Young.
Sports Illustrated – No. 26 – Denver
Why Denver: With the news that Butler has been medically cleared by the NBA, teams generally expect he’ll be drafted in the late first round or early second. The issue now is that team doctors will have to sign off on drafting him, which is a piece of the puzzle that can’t truly be gauged in a speculative sense, and will affect where he can and cannot land. The prospect of medical risk may cap how high he’ll go on draft night, but Butler is a clear first-round talent and a steady, proven contributor who can play both guard spots capably. Teams have always raved about his intangibles. Denver is a team that has historically been willing to take on risk, and Butler is arguably the best prospect available here in this scenario.
CBS Sports – No. 22 – Los Angeles Lakers
Why LA Lakers: The Lakers need as much shooting and playmaking as possible off the bench, and Jared Butler will bring those in spades (now that he's been cleared by the NBA's fitness-to-play panel). He's also a strong enough defender to hold his own on the league's best defensive team. Butler will be 22 when next season starts, and he's physically and mentally mature enough to contribute to a winning team right away.
Note: NBA.com only did a mock draft of the Top 14 selections. That's why Butler is not listed.
