NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 16: Lonzo Ball to the Lakers

Duke’s Jayson Tatum is one of the best isolation scorers in college basketball, averaging 1.02 points per possession (85th percentile) on those plays, per Synergy Sports. He’s a tough shot maker with a significant reliance on his mid-range game and ability to get fouled to put points on the board. After a recent hot streak, though, Tatum is now also shooting nearly 40 percent from behind the 3-point arc, a skill that will be the key to opening up his offensive game in the NBA.

Defensively, Tatum has done a nice job creating box score events this season. He’s averaging 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per 40 minutes for a Duke team that largely struggles on defense. Tatum’s defense outside of these events is more questionable. He doesn’t do a great job of fighting over screens or staying in front of his man, but with additional coaching, that should come around.

Tatum’s fit on the Minnesota Timberwolves is a reasonable question because of where he would play relative to Andrew Wiggins, a similar offensive piece. At 6-foot-8, Tatum has the size of a modern power forward. That’s also the role he’s played in college, so it seems like that the two of them could co-exist in a starting lineup. Tatum is also a capable, though not always willing passer, who can be a ball mover when asked to. There would no doubt be some growing pains here, but Tatum is the best talent left on the board and could give Minnesota a bit of flexibility going forward.

Learn more about Jayson Tatum at The Step Back.