2017 NBA Mock Draft, Week 23: The NBA Playoffs are upon us
By Chris Stone
New order, new destinations. This is our latest mock 2017 NBA Draft.
The NBA’s regular season has concluded, which means that the lottery odds are in place. For this week’s mock draft we’ve left the lottery in its normal order and noted the likelihood that each team could land the No. 1 pick. For ties in the draft order, we’ve simply broken them as we await the league’s tiebreaking procedures. Next week, we’ll start randomizing the lottery and taking looks
It’s also worth noting that Michigan State’s combo forward Miles Bridges announced that he plans on returning to school for his sophomore season. Bridges was previously a projected lottery pick.
Here’s a look at our latest mock draft.
Markelle Fultz
PG, Washington
Draft status: In with an agent
The Boston Celtics, via the Brooklyn Nets, officially have the best odds of winning the 2017 NBA Draft lottery and landing the top prospect in the class, Washington point guard Markelle Fultz. The 18-year old averaged 23.2 points, 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game on a 55.8 true shooting percentage for a struggling Huskies squad. However, Fultz’s NBA potential is tremendous because of his ability to seamlessly operate as a lead ball-handler.
Despite his young age, Fultz is already an excellent pick-and-roll ball-handler. At 1.042 points per possession, Fultz ranked in the 88th percentile for pick-and-roll derived offense in college basketball this season, per Synergy Sports. He’s terrific scoring on his own when he uses the screen as he can get to the rim or pull up for a jump shot. Fultz also finished in the 88th percentile in off the dribble jumpers in the half court, another skill that bolsters his status as the top prospect in this class. With those two skills in his pocket, he’s the most prepared lead guard in the class.
Fultz’s fit in Boston is obviously somewhat controversial given that the Celtics have a plethora of guards, including likely All-NBA selection Isaiah Thomas, but the 18-year old has the highest upside of any prospect in the draft and it would be a pretty big risk for the franchise to take a swing at one of the non-point guards at the top.