While the 2011 NBA Playoffs are underway, the NBA Draft Lottery teams will be getting into high gear to figure out who they will be able to draft. In SB Nation's latest 2011 NBA mock draft, Duke point guard Kyrie Irving once again goes No. 1 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves. With Jonny Flynn not working out and Ricky Rubio not looking to make the NBA jump anytime soon, the Wolves could try for another point guard--or they could have kept Ty Lawson instead of trading him to the Nuggets. Ah, forget about that.
Anyway, Kyrie played just 11 games as a freshman, missing the vast majority of the regular season due to injury. But he was impressive in three NCAA Tournament games, capping it with 28 points against Arizona. As for other picks in the lottery, BYU's Jimmer Fredette seems destined to go to the Utah Jazz.
Right now the Nuggets hold the No. 22 pick, but we'll need to look elsewhere for a complete mock to see who they could draft. In DraftExpress' latest mock, Richmond power forward Justin Harper is the Nuggets' selection. He helped the Spiders reach the Sweet 16, but lost to the Kansas Jayhawks in that round. He put up 22 points and nine rebounds against a tough Kansas team. A 6-foot-10 power forward, Harper is not out of the realm of possibilities for the Nuggets.
NBADraft.net projects a center/power forward as well: Jordan Williams from Maryland. Williams, a sophomore, has already declared for the draft, but has not signed with an agent. He has until May 8 to stay in the draft, as result.
Colorado's star point/shooting guard Alec Burks will announce his decision on the draft on Wednesday, April 20.