NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 16: Lonzo Ball to the Lakers
By Chris Stone
Justin Patton
C, Creighton
Patton is an efficient scorer (71.3 effective field goal percentage) who can play both in the post and as a roll man. On the block, he has a nice array of post moves and has even shown a good number of counter moves to help create space at the basket. While post offense has gone out of style recently in the NBA, Patton at least provides the possibility. He is also a good roll man in ball screen actions. He’s athletic enough to finish around the rim and has nice hands on the catch. Long-term, it also seems possible that Patton will develop into a viable jump shooter with range away from the basket.
Defensively, Patton brings all of the tools to the table in terms of lateral movement and some potential rim protection. There are no official measurements on his wingspan, so I have some questions about how well his shot blocking will translate, but he should be able to provide at least a bit. Patton is athletic enough to get down in a stance and move when switched onto smaller guards, which should open up pick-and-roll coverages for his team as well.