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

What to love: Michigan State’s Miles Bridges is a versatile combo forward who offers intriguing upside because of his athleticism. Offensively, Bridges’ explosiveness is most valuable when he works as a slasher off the ball going to the rim. He’s got a good vertical leap that allows him to play above the rim. Bridges has also made 41.2 percent of his 51 3-point attempts this season. Defensively, he is strong enough and quick enough to be someone who can guard multiple positions. He has been a quality defensive rebounder for the Spartans as a freshman and is also averaging 2.1 blocks per 40 minutes.

What to hate: Bridges greatest strength is also his biggest liability. At 6-foot-6, he is a bit of a tweener in terms of size, which can certainly be seen as a positive, but there are reasonable questions about his adaptability playing both forward spots. As a small forward, Bridges isn’t much of a playmaker off the dribble and his 3-point shooting numbers should be viewed with some skepticism given his 62.5 free throw percentage. As a power forward, it’s not clear that he’ll be able to handle battling against bigger players full time at the next level. It’s possible that both of these issues may ultimately be proven moot by Bridges once he enters the league, but for now, the thing that makes him an intriguing prospect is also what should cause some hesitation.

Learn more about Miles Bridges at The Step Back.