NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 17: Portland uses three first round picks

The Dallas Mavericks were active at the trade deadline, shipping off Justin Anderson and a first round pick (one that will likely be two second rounders eventually) for Nerlens Noel from the Philadelphia 76ers. With the frontcourt centerpiece of the future on board, Dallas can now look for help in the backcourt.

Strasbourg’s Frank Ntilikina is the top European prospect in the 2017 class. He has doubled his minutes played across all competitions this season. Most notably, Ntilikina has improved as an outside shooter while spending a lot of time off the ball. He’s made 39.4 percent of his attempts this season and now has a 57.4 true shooting percentage. Ntilkina’s upside lies at the point guard spot, though, where there’s hope that he’ll develop as an individual creator and pick-and-roll threat.

The 18-year old also has great defensive potential. At 6-foot-5, he’s on the bigger end of the spectrum for point guards and should be pretty switchable against NBA opponents once he adds strength to his frame. So far, he’s used his size to generate a reasonable number of steals for Strasbourg.

The Mavericks needs a long-term solution at the point guard spot and Ntilikina has the potential to be that. Plus, even if he fails to develop there, he seems to have a floor as an off-ball rotation piece.

Learn more about Frank Ntilikina at The Step Back.