NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 14: Markelle Fultz is still no. 1
By Chris Stone
Bam Adebayo
C, Kentucky
Kentucky’s Bam Adebayo — at his best — can be an athletic, physically imposing center. He outclasses nearly all of his collegiate competition with size and speed, often muscling his way to the rim for a crowd-pleasing dunk. This season, Adebayo is averaging 18.6 points per 40 minutes and shooting better than 60 percent from the field. He has a good understanding of positioning and can play well in the pick-and-roll.
There are plenty of concerns about how Adebayo will translate at the next level, though, especially in some skills that are requisite for successful big men. At 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, the Kentucky freshman really has power forward size with a center skill set. While he’s been a decent rim protector in college (2.3 blocks per 40 minutes; 5.5 percent block rate), it’s not clear how well that will convey in the NBA because of his lack of elite length. Perhaps his athleticism will make up for it, perhaps not. Adebayo also isn’t much of a defensive rebounder. He’s posted a defensive rebounding rate of just 15.3 percent this season despite his physical advantages.
Because he’s young and already a good player, Adebayo warrants first round consideration, but I have serious concerns about how well his skill set will play against bigger and better competition.