NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 14: Markelle Fultz is still no. 1

This is Brooklyn’s pick as a result of its pick swap with the Boston Celtics.

The Brooklyn Nets put themselves in an organizational hole when they made the 2013 trade for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce that left the organization without the necessary assets to get better. That means the Nets are in a position where they have to take some risks in the draft if they want to get better any time soon. Last season, Brooklyn drafted Michigan wing Caris LeVert, a lottery talent with an injury history after trading into the first round. This year, we’ll give them a high upside point guard who has been compared by more than one person to a younger Chris Paul — an obvious outlier possibility.

Oklahoma State’s Jawun Evans has been one of the top point guards in college basketball this season, averaging 26.6 points and 7.8 assists per 40 minutes with a 54.1 true shooting percentage. He is the focal point of the Cowboys’ offense, using 32.2 percent of possessions when he’s on the floor and assisting on another 39.1 percent of them. Evans is quick with the ball in his hands and probably the best pick-and-roll ball-handler in the country. The one concern with Evans on offense is his turnover rate. He’s committing 4.2 per 40 minutes as a sophomore. Some of that is likely a product of how big of a role he plays for Oklahoma State, but some of it is no doubt poor decision-making.

On defense, Evans won’t be very versatile because of his size (6-foot), but he should be able to handle controlling the point of attack. He plays hard and moves well plus he does a nice job of attacking passing lanes. Over two seasons — with two coaches and varying defensive styles — Evans is averaging 2.3 steals per 40 minutes.