2017 NBA Mock Draft, Week 11: Love and hate edition

What to love: At 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, Washington’s Markelle Fultz combines excellent size and athleticism at the point guard position with a well-rounded offensive attack that makes him the top prospect in the 2017 class. The freshman is averaging a pace adjusted 24.6 points, 6.7 assists and 6.4 rebounds per 40 minutes, according to DraftExpress’ stats database. Fultz plays with a sort of effortless fluidity, easily finding his way to spots on the floor within the defense where he can either put up a shot on his own or garner enough attention to find an open teammate. He sees the floor well and is skilled enough to take advantage of it.

What to hate: There are two things that stick out. First, Fultz’s defensive effort leaves much to be desired. He often lazily switches rather than fight through screens and his off-ball awareness is lacking. A decent bit of that may fall on the coaching staff at Washington, a program that has struggled defensively under Lorenzo Romar. Even if Fultz’s defense isn’t top-tier at the next level, his size should allow him to be hidden on the worst perimeter player on the opposing team.

The second concern is the 18-year old’s affinity for the mid-range game. Fultz has attempted 43.8 percent of his total field goal attempts somewhere between the rim and the 3-point arc, per Hoop-Math. Given the relative inefficiency of those attempts, it would be nice Fultz display a bit better shot selection.

Learn more about Markelle Fultz at The Step Back.