Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox crack top 7 in new NBA Mock Draft; No Bam Adebayo

With the NBA Draft declaration deadline having passed, we now know who will, at the very least, be testing the draft waters this year.

The Kentucky Wildcats are once again losing a host of players to the draft, including De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Bam Adebayo and Isaiah Briscoe, all of whom have signed with an agent and locked themselves into the draft.

Unfortunately, there’s a decent chance only two of them hear their names called in Round 1, that being Monk and Fox, who should go in the top 10. The latest mock draft from SB Nation actually has them going back to back at No. 6 and 7:

6. Philadelphia 76ers — Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky

This would be an ideal situation for both the player and the team. Add Monk to a core with Embiid, Simmons, and Fultz, and suddenly Philly has an entire starting lineup of elite athletes who can create their own shot all over the floor. The rest of the NBA will officially be put on notice if this happens.

7. Orlando Magic — De’Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky

The Magic have been incredibly stale since the Dwight Howard trade in 2012. Fox could change that. He plays both ends of the floor as hard as anyone in this draft. He’ll be one of the fastest players in the league for the moment he plays his first game. He also just has a way of making winning plays. That’s been missing from the Magic for years.

However, there is no Bam in the first round, which has become a fairly common occurrence in mock drafts this offseason, which makes his decision to sign with an agent now seem questionable.

That doesn’t mean he won’t make it into Round 1, but it does show how shaky his stock is right now as a raw big man entering the NBA who played out of position for most of his freshman season.

Adebayo would probably be widely projected as a first-rounder if he played at his more natural power forward spot, but he was forced to be a center at Kentucky, which he won’t be in the NBA. I think once scouts get a look at him at the NBA Combine and in workouts, he’ll be a first-round pick by the time the draft begins.

And for what it’s worth, neither this nor any mock currently has Hamidou Diallo projected in any mock drafts right now after declaring on Sunday, but ESPN’s Chad Ford did offer this insight on Diallo’s draft stock:

Diallo enrolled in Kentucky this winter and practiced with the team, but never suited up for the Wildcats. He was widely regarded as a top-15 high school prospect thanks to elite athleticism, a strong motor and an aggressive offensive game based on attacking basket. His jump shot is the biggest question mark for scouts. He'd likely be a late-lottery to mid-first-round pick in 2018 after playing at Kentucky next season. If he stays in this draft, he'll get looks in the late first round and would be a likely second-round pick.

I doubt Diallo wants to be a second-round pick, and he may not even want to be a late first-round selection if he realizes he can go much high in next year’s draft.