The order for the 2011 NBA Draft is set, with the Cleveland Cavaliers winning the No. 1 overall pick in Tuesday night's NBA Draft Lottery. They also the No. 4 pick, with the Timberwolves and Jazz sandwiched in between, with the second and third picks, respectively.
Now that we know which teams are are picking when -- the Boston Celtics have the No. 25 and No. 55 overall selections, by the way -- the focus immediately shifts to who the teams will pick with SB Nation's first 2011 NBA mock draft.
Tom Ziller has Duke's Kyrie Irving going No. 1 overall to the Cavs, calling the decision a "no-brainer." Arizona's Derrick Williams is projected to Minnesota while Connecticut's Kemba Walker "drops" to the fifth overall pick, where the Toronto Raptors will gladly scoop him up:
Walker is the second- or third-best perimeter player in the draft behind Irving and possibly Brandon Knight; while Toronto needs a true point guard to get that offense going, it's hard to pass up NBA-ready leadership that a player like Walker offers. The Raptors love shooting seemingly above all else, but Walker's dribble-creation will help boost the team in the short term while the rest of the roster is sorted out.
As for the Celtics and the No. 25 pick, Ziller has them eyeing some interior help in the form of Purdue's PF/C JaJuan Johnson.
The Celtics obviously need help in the middle; Nenad Krstic is not the answer, Jermaine O'Neal and Shaq may both retire, and Glen Davis was shown up in the playoffs. Johnson is more a blue chip handyman than a heralded prospect, but he could be a nice fit.
The 2011 NBA Draft is on June 23.