NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 16: Lonzo Ball to the Lakers
By Chris Stone
New order, new destinations. This is our latest mock 2017 NBA Draft.
With no games being played over the All-Star break, there was no movement in the standings, but the looming trade deadline produced plenty of drama in the first round as several picks changed hands. What follows is a projection of who might land in those picks, assuming that eligible players declare for the draft.
As is our usual practice, we’ve prepared the draft order using 538’s projection system for the average simulated season and made no adjustments to the lottery order. Trades, though, have been accounted for.
Here’s our latest mock draft.
Markelle Fultz
PG, Washington
Washington’s Markelle Fultz is the prospect most likely to hear his name called first in June. The 6-foot-4 point guard has great size for the position as the league has trended towards larger lead guards. His offensive game is characterized by its fluidity and creativity. While few would put Fultz on Lonzo Ball’s level in terms of the latter, he throws some imaginative passes and has the handles to get to where he needs to be on the floor. On defense, there are some questions about Fultz’s effort, but his size should make it easier to hide him against the worst perimeter player on opposing teams even if he never improves.
Selecting Fultz will certainly produce some difficult questions for the Celtics’ future with regards to point guard Isaiah Thomas who is a free agent after the 2017-18 season, but the Washington freshman is a talent worth drafting now and figuring out the answers to those questions later. It’s even possible that head coach Brad Stevens could roll out some Thomas-Fultz backcourt lineups given Fultz’s size and ability to guard non-point guards.