2017 NBA Mock Draft: The 76ers lock up a point guard
By Chris Stone
Our new NBA mock draft has a point guard landing with the Philadelphia 76ers
The rumors surrounding the 2017 NBA Draft continue to fly as teams are increasingly becoming linked with prospects. Last week, we used those rumors to take a look at what the draft would look like if the Los Angeles Lakers abandoned the conventional wisdom and went with someone other than Lonzo Ball. This week, it’s the Philadelphia 76ers in the news.
As we noted in our first post-lottery mock draft, Philadelphia holds the keys that will determine the remainder of the draft order, so what they do at No. 3 is vitally important. The latest rumors have the 76ers linked with point guards Dennis Smith Jr. and De’Aaron Fox.
So, which one will they take this week and how will things shake out? Let’s take a look.
Markelle Fultz
PG, Washington
For starters, Fultz was an elite 3-point shooter for the Huskies this season, converting 41.3 percent of his 126 attempts. However, there are some reasons to be concerned about the sustainability of that number. That’s obviously a small sample size as nearly every sample is during the course of a college season. Fultz also struggled at the free throw line, converting 64.9 percent of his 168 attempts. That’s a concerning indicator as free throw percentage is one of the top predictors of NBA 3-point percentage.
The other concern regarding Fultz is his defense. Washington as a team was a total disaster on that end this season and Fultz certainly didn’t help things often lacking the necessary effort. His statistical indicators (1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks per 40 minutes) weren’t bad, but he’s far from a sure thing defensively. The question is how much that will matter if he can be an elite offensive player. Several other players in the league have succeeded with lagging defense because of the value of that offense.