NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 17: Portland uses three first round picks
By Chris Stone
Villanova’s Josh Hart has an opportunity to be the 2017 version of Malcolm Brogdon. The 6-foot-5 senior is a do-it-all guard who should be able to slot into a role right away in the NBA. Hart is one of the favorites to be college basketball’s National Player of the Year. He’s got the production to back it up, too, as he’s averaged 22.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per 40 minutes this season.
Offensively, Hart has been a centerpiece for the Wildcats, but projects more as a roleplayer at the next level. Over his college career, he’s improved his free throw shooting numbers, suggesting that his 3-point percentage is more likely to be closer to his 38.6 percent career mark than his worst seasons. Hart has also evolved into a competent secondary ball-handler. This season, he ranks in the 88th percentile nationally as the pick-and-roll ball-handler, averaging 0.95 points per possession.
On defense, Hart competes on every possession and can guard multiple positions at the college level. At worst, he should be able to guard both wing positions in the NBA while occasionally sliding down to defend smaller power forwards. Hart is a very good rebounder for his size and has also posted a steal rate above two percent in each of his last three seasons.
A deep March run could push Hart further up the board — somewhere I’ve had him in prior iterations of these mock drafts — but for now he slots in as a rotation piece for the Jazz late in the first round.
" >Josh Hart
SG, Villanova
Villanova’s Josh Hart has an opportunity to be the 2017 version of Malcolm Brogdon. The 6-foot-5 senior is a do-it-all guard who should be able to slot into a role right away in the NBA. Hart is one of the favorites to be college basketball’s National Player of the Year. He’s got the production to back it up, too, as he’s averaged 22.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per 40 minutes this season.
Offensively, Hart has been a centerpiece for the Wildcats, but projects more as a roleplayer at the next level. Over his college career, he’s improved his free throw shooting numbers, suggesting that his 3-point percentage is more likely to be closer to his 38.6 percent career mark than his worst seasons. Hart has also evolved into a competent secondary ball-handler. This season, he ranks in the 88th percentile nationally as the pick-and-roll ball-handler, averaging 0.95 points per possession.
On defense, Hart competes on every possession and can guard multiple positions at the college level. At worst, he should be able to guard both wing positions in the NBA while occasionally sliding down to defend smaller power forwards. Hart is a very good rebounder for his size and has also posted a steal rate above two percent in each of his last three seasons.
A deep March run could push Hart further up the board — somewhere I’ve had him in prior iterations of these mock drafts — but for now he slots in as a rotation piece for the Jazz late in the first round.