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5 best NBA Draft prospects in the NCAA Tournament

By Brandon Jefferson

Mar 4, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) controls the ball against the Washington State Cougars in the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) controls the ball against the Washington State Cougars in the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 4, 2017; College Station, TX, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard De’Aaron Fox (0) brings the ball up the court during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; College Station, TX, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard De’Aaron Fox (0) brings the ball up the court during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

5. De’Aaron Fox — University of Kentucky

The latest lead guard for Kentucky is a throwback in a sense. When John Calipari was revolutionizing recruiting by piling up on five-star freshmen, it was John Wall of Raleigh, NC that finally jumpstarted his team from a group of talented kids to championship contenders. De’Aaron Fox has had that same type of impact in his first season in Lexington.

Fox, an athletic lefty that can change the game on both ends of the court, hit the ground running for the Wildcats this season. In his collegiate debut, he posted a double-double and before December rolled around he had already bested that with a triple-double against Arizona State. Despite Kentucky losing to UCLA, Fox outplayed fellow freshman phenom Lonzo Ball all game, and his 24-point, 10-assist game against North Carolina capped off a stellar first month for the 6-foot-5 point guard.

However, an ankle injury against South Carolina would hit the breaks on his breakout. Fox would miss only two of the Wildcats’ 11 final regular season games, but he just didn’t look the same post-injury. That all changed last week.

There was no player better during the SEC Tournament than Fox, who took home the MVP honors, and he looked more like the player we had seen at the beginning of the season. Fox’s 28 points against Alabama in the semifinals was a SEC Tournament record for a Kentucky freshmen. For a left-handed player, Fox is comfortable attacking the lane from either direction. He’ll often finish with his left at the rim, yet before he gets there he is creative enough to maneuver the ball and his body in different ways.

The main weakness in his game is his inability to hit perimeter shots. For the season, Fox shot 24.9 percent on 3-pointers. His form isn’t bad, but he struggles to be consistent with his release point. So the same looking shot could swish one time and then clank off the side of the backboard on the next attempt. During his red-hot SEC Tournament, he was surprisingly accurate from beyond the arc — on a limited sample, he made three of his five attempts.

Kentucky is primed to make another deep run in March and potential rematches against North Carolina and UCLA will make for great television. If Fox is able to keep playing like he’s been to start the postseason his name will surely be one of the first called this June at Barclays Center.

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