NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 17: Portland uses three first round picks
By Chris Stone
Justin Patton
C, Creighton
Patton’s a redshirt freshman who was a top 50 recruit coming out of high school. He decided to take his first year of college to improve physically in order to prepare for the rigors of the college game. The time spent learning during that year has also translated on the court where Patton has become a good post player and excellent roll man. He has post moves and counter moves on the block, can face up his defender to attack off the bounce and plays above the rim in pick-and-roll. Patton’s offensive game will fit even better in the modern NBA if he’s able to develop his mid-range jumper.
On defense, there are concerns about Patton’s rebounding prowess and how his length will translate into rim protection at the next level. In college, though, he’s averaging 2.4 blocks per 40 minutes on a 6.1 percent block rate. Even if he’s not an elite rim protector in the NBA, he should at least be able to provide resistance at the rim. Patton is also athletic enough to switch onto smaller players for short periods of time when tasked with it.