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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 Malik Monk (5) dunks the ball 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 Malik Monk (5) dunks the ball during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Malik Monk — University of Kentucky

The second member of Kentucky’s star-studded backcourt is another name to watch for in the NCAA Tournament. Malik Monk might have had an even more impressive start to the season than his teammate Fox did. Just take a look at his stat lines from the Wildcats’ first three games against ranked opponents: Michigan State — 23 points, 8-of-17 from the field, 7-of-11 on 3-pointers, and 6 rebounds; UCLA — 24 points, 10-of-19 from the field, 4-of-8 on 3-pointers, and 5 steals; UNC — 47 points, 18-of-28 from the field, 8-of-12 on 3-pointers, and the game-winning 3-pointer.

The 47-point performance (a Kentucky freshman record for most points in a game) really elevated him in the eyes’ of the basketball world. He looked utterly unstoppable and the Tar Heels had no answers for him. Monk was making shots off pin down screens, pull-up jumpers, catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, running off multiple screens and draining jump shots. Name a shot and Monk drilled it.

His play tapered up-and-down for the remainder of the year — if his shot was falling he was guaranteed to drop at least 20 points — but never fell off in the way that Fox’s did. Monk is not only a microwave-style scorer, but he is one of the best athletes in all of college basketball. He’s had numerous highlight dunks and just as many near-misses at highlight slams.

Monk’s shortcomings are just that, short. His height (6-foot-3), leaves questions as to whether or not he could excel as a shooting guard in an NBA where height and wingspan (Monk’s measured in at 6-foot-3.5 at Kentucky’s preseason combine) are the first things every team looks at. Bradley Beal’s name often gets brought up since he is also a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, but Beal has Monk beat in wingspan by four and a half inches.

Monk would fit best next to a bigger guard, which would allow him to defend the smaller of the two backcourt opponents (like how he’s fit in at Kentucky with Fox). If all a team is asking out of Monk is to get buckets then they surely won’t be disappointed with his production. For the season, Monk is knocking down 40.3 percent of his 3-pointers on nearly seven attempts per game. Put simply, this man knows how to put the ball through the net.

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