NBA front offices have long pegged Arizona freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat as first round picks in this year’s NBA Draft. It now appears that a third Wildcat could join them in being selected in the first round.
NBA Mock Drafts published this week by The Athletic and Bleacher Report have Arizona big man Motiejus Krivas being picked as a late first-rounder, giving Arizona three first round picks.
In the latest mock from The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, Burries is projected to go No. 10 to the Chicago
Bulls, followed by Peat at No. 11 to the San Antonio Spurs. Vecenie has Krivas being picked at No. 28 to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Further down, Vecenie projects point guard Jaden Bradley to be taken at No. 51 by the Washington Wizards, while former Wildcat turned North Carolina Tarheel Henri Veesaar is slated to go No. 32 to the New York Knicks.
Arizona’s four projected draft picks are the most of any program.
Jonathan Wasserman’s mock for Bleacher Report has Burries going No. 8 to the Memphis Grizzlies, Peat at No. 16 to the Miami Heat and Krivas at No. 29 to the Dallas Mavericks.
Losing Burries and Peat to the NBA was the expectation all along, but Krivas leaving would be a jolt to Arizona’s rebuilding efforts for next season. That’s not to say Krivas leaving would be a total surprise.
The Lithuanian caught the attention of NBA scouts well before his breakout junior season. ESPN projected the 7-foot-2 Krivas as a first round pick last season before he missed most of the year with a foot injury.
Krivas has bolstered his draft stock as one of the top defenders in the Big 12. Krivas is a consistent double-double threat and shoots free throws at an impressive 80% clip.
ESPN Big 12 commentator Fran Fraschilla weighed in this week on Krivas’ looming NBA Draft decision, saying that Krivas would benefit from another season in college. Fraschilla laid out several reasons why Krivas should return to Arizona.
“From talking with Wildcat folks, he loves his situation in Tucson,” Fraschilla wrote.
Fraschilla added a caveat: If Krivas leads Arizona to a national title and plays great in March, “Tommy Lloyd will push him out the door.”
That’s a deal most Arizona fans would take in a heartbeat, even if it means missing out on one Mo year.
