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

Duke’s Jayson Tatum has started to turn some heads after seemingly struggling to find his place in the Blue Devils’ offense once he got on the court this season. Over the last handful of games, Tatum has become a willing ball mover on offense, started to knock down his outside shot and seems more engaged on the defensive end. With more performances like that, it would be easy to see him moving into the top five of this draft. For now, though, he ends up with the Sacramento Kings via the New Orleans’ Pelicans first round pick that was traded as part of a deal for Demarcus Cousins.

Tatum still finds his home offensively in the mid-range and in isolation. It’s a habit that leads to a bunch of ugly looking long 2-pointers, but the freshman can make those on occasion. They’re just not efficient. Tatum’s move beyond the 3-point arc — where he’s now shooting 35.2 percent — is much more welcome. For now, he’s inconsistent from deep, but his free throw numbers (87.5 percent) suggest he should eventually be more accurate from there.

On the defensive end, Tatum continues to rack up steals, blocks and rebounds. His activity has been better lately, but it’s tough to get a great gauge on him because of how often Duke switches ball screens. Tatum is versatile because of his size, but there are still some questions about how well he can guard one-on-one.

Learn more about Jayson Tatum at The Step Back.