2017 NBA Mock Draft, Week 24: Time to randomize the lottery!
By Chris Stone
New order, new destinations. This is our latest mock 2017 NBA Draft.
With the lottery odds set, it’s time to have a little bit of fun with our weekly mock draft. Instead of proceeding in the expected lottery order, we’ve used Tankathon to randomize the lottery and get a look at how the draft order might actually go down. From the reader’s perspective, think of this as an opportunity to see how different players might fit with different teams even if the exact order doesn’t come to fruition.
With that said, the Phoenix Suns are on the clock with the No. 1 pick.
Markelle Fultz
PG, Washington
Draft status: In with an agent
About one out of every five times, the ping pong balls will award the Phoenix Suns with the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and the franchise worked hard to earn each combination they’ll have on lottery night. With nearly a month left in the regular season, Phoenix shut down Eric Bledsoe, a move that undoubtedly led to more losses and thus a greater chance of winning the lottery. Given the likelihood that the Suns could pick No. 1 on draft night, it’s worthwhile to explore what they might do should they land that coveted selection.
With Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and even Tyler Ulis on the roster, Phoenix obviously has quite a few point guards, but Washington’s Markelle Fultz is the type of player who could change the fortunes of a franchise, which is why he should still come off the board No. 1. Fultz was terrific for the Huskies this season, averaging 23.2 points, 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game on a 55.8 true shooting percentage. He can control the tempo of a game, get to his spots at will and is already a successful pick-and-roll point guard.
Much will be made about Fultz’s lack of success at Washington, but his supporting cast offered him little help. Without Fultz on the floor, the Huskies had a net rating of -22 points per 100 possessions, per Hoop Lens. With him on the court, Washington played its opponents to a tie on a per 100 possessions basis.