NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 19: March Madness edition
By Chris Stone
New order, new destinations. This is our latest mock 2017 NBA Draft.
The NCAA Tournament is upon us and with it come plenty of opportunities to scout the next generation of NBA talent. Although several top prospects like Markelle Fultz and Dennis Smith Jr. won’t suit up for March Madness there will still be enough guys on the court to hold your attention. Throughout this edition of the mock draft, I’ve identified intriguing matchups from opening weekend that you can keep your eyes on.
As usual, the order for the draft has been determined using FiveThirtyEight’s season-long projections and no changes have been made to the lottery order.
Here’s a look at the latest first round.
Markelle Fultz
PG, Washington
Like Ben Simmons, Fultz is a terrific individual talent who played on a college team hampered by a lack of cohesive talent and subpar coaching. His individual numbers — 23.2 points, 5.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game on a 53.9 true shooting percentage — are unmatched in at least the last 20 years of the sport. The 18-year old has a fantastic handle on the game. He can change pace, is shifty on the move and is creative with his dribble allowing him to frequently break down defenses. Fultz is a top-notch prospect in terms of two NBA-ready point guard skills. He’s an excellent pick-and-roll ball-handler and he’s comfortable shooting off the dribble.
If there’s a knock on Fultz’s game, it’s his defense. Although he does a good job of creating blocks and steals, he has mental lapses off the ball. Perhaps that will improve in a more competitive situation that actually involves receiving paychecks, but it’s an unknown at this point. At worst, Fultz is big enough at 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan that he can be hidden on a wide array of positions.
Boston receives this pick in a swap with Brooklyn as a result of their 2013 trade involving Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.