2017 NBA Mock Draft, Week 22: College basketball is over

After trading for Nerlens Noel and seemingly growing comfortable with Harrison Barnes playing as a small ball power forward, the Dallas Mavericks could look for help in the backcourt in the 2017 draft. Frank Ntilikina is a combo guard who could ultimately develop into the Mavericks’ next lead guard or a 3-and-D style shooting guard. At 6-foot-5, he has the size to do either comfortably.

As an 18-year old playing in France, Ntilikina is playing 17.2 minutes per game across all competitions while averaging 5.7 points per game. He has grown as a 3-point shooter this season, making 41.3 percent of his 3s this season and substantially increasing his number of attempts. It is a change that has significantly improved his overall efficiency as he’s posting a 58.5 true shooting percentage this season.

In youth international competitions with France, Ntilikina has shown off more of his ball-handling skills. He can run a pick-and-roll and flashes the ability to get the basket. The 18-year old needs to likely improve as a distributor to run an offense, but the potential is there.

Finally, because of his length, Ntilikina’s defensive game is prized. Most notably, he’s used his long arms to amass a 2.1 percent steal rate this season.

Learn more about Frank Ntilikina at The Step Back.