2017 NBA Mock Draft, Week 23: The NBA Playoffs are upon us
By Chris Stone
TJ Leaf
PF, UCLA
The Los Angeles Lakers acquired a second first round pick by sending Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets at the trade deadline. It was a beneficial move that ensures the Lakers will still have some interest in the 2017 draft even if things go poorly for them in the lottery. It also gives them the ability to snag one of the many potential rotation players who make this draft class so deep. UCLA’s TJ Leaf is one such player.
Leaf averaged 21.7 points and 11.0 rebounds per 40 minutes in his lone college season. He was a highly efficient scoring option in the Bruins’ offense, posting a 66.0 true shooting percentage. Leaf was able to score from all three levels in the college game. He has a nice set of post moves to attack on the block, can face up and attack from the mid-range and even knocked down 46.6 percent of the 58 3-pointers he attempted.
He has pretty significant defensive limitations outside of his rebounding, though. Leaf really struggled to defend ball screens this season, although with the way UCLA guarded De’Aaron Fox in the Sweet Sixteen, that may have been as much about coaching as it was about his lack of athleticism. How he improves defensively will have a major effect on his viability as an NBA player.