NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 19: March Madness edition

The No. 2 seed in the West Region, Arizona may face a potentially tough challenge in the second round from Saint Mary’s. The Gaels are a bit under-seeded based on their efficiency margin and could slow down the pace against the Wildcats to force a tight contest. Unfortunately, neither Saint Mary’s nor its first round opponent, VCU, have much in the way of pro prospects to do battle with 7-foot Lauri Markkanen.

The Arizona freshman is a smooth-shooting power forward who has made 43.2 of 155 3-point attempts this season. His peripheral numbers — an 82.4 free throw percentage and six attempts per 40 minutes — are excellent indicators that he’ll be able to continue to shoot it well at an NBA level. What’s enticing about Markkanen is that he’s not just a pick-and-pop scorer. He can come off of screens, catch-and-shoot on the run and even occasionally pull up off the dribble. That kind of offensive firepower is something that most power forwards simply aren’t used to defending.

For Minnesota, Markkanen is an obvious fit. He allows Karl-Anthony Towns to play his more natural center position and gives the team some much needed outside shooting to help open up space for Andrew Wiggins and even Ricky Rubio to operate.

Learn more about Lauri Markkanen at The Step Back.