NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 10: Markelle Fultz lands in Boston

By Chris Stone | Jan 5, 2017

Dec 11, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies guard Markelle Fultz (20) calls a play against the Nevada Wolf Pack during the second half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Nevada defeated Washington, 87-85. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

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Dec 21, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins forward TJ Leaf (22) dunks against the Western Michigan Broncos in the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

T.J. Leaf

PF, UCLA

While point guard John Wall has been excellent for the Washington Wizards this season, they still find themselves battling to get into the playoffs. UCLA’s TJ Leaf can add some scoring punch to the team’s frontcourt in order to help push them over the line in the future.

Leaf is a five-star freshman who many expected to spend at least a couple of years with the Bruins, but he’s performed admirably through 15 games this season. The most attractive thing about the 6-foot-10 forward is his efficient scoring. Leaf is a huge plus on the offensive end where he’s averaging 22.7 points per 40 minutes on a nearly 70.0 true shooting percentage. He has nice footwork in the post and operating off the bounce and has shown 3-point range this season by connecting on 16-of-33 attempts. The sustainability of that number is certainly in question, though, given his lackluster free throw numbers (60.0 percent).

Defensively, Leaf has provided the Bruins with quality defensive rebounding, a skill that should translate and he’s even brought some complimentary rim protection despite having a 6-foot-11 wingspan. He occasionally has problems with his footwork defending along the perimeter and with his awareness playing off the ball. He’ll need to improve on this end to be a valuable two-way option.