NBA Draft 2017: 5 most overrated prospects

Heading into the NBA Draft, these highly rated prospects might end up becoming the cautionary tale of the 2017-18 season.

The NBA Draft is always a time when people who watched five total minutes of college basketball suddenly become experts on it. They try to predict the NBA potential of every player, when in reality that’s almost impossible to do. There are always going to be sleepers, and there are always going to be busts. But some of the busts of any class can often be found by reading the tea leaves.

These players aren’t necessarily bad, and just because they’re on this list doesn’t mean they’ll be surefire failures at the NBA level. For the most part, they’re here because they’re projected to go higher than they should.

5. Harry Giles, C, Duke

Giles feels like Skal Labissiere all over again. Here’s a player who came into college with all the hype in the world only to have it fizzle out before declaring for the draft. Obviously, Giles couldn’t help that he got hurt, and when he came back, finding playing time ahead of Amile Jefferson became scarce.

People who just look at Giles’ stats and injury history would think of him as a second-rounder, at best. But like Labissiere, it’s not his stats that stand out, but his physical frame. Anyone would love a big man who measured out at 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan. He proved to be very agile on the ball at the high school level, when he burst onto the scene, but he’s slowed down considerably since. Most of his touches at Duke came at the rim where he didn’t generate many chances on his own.

He’s still projected to go No. 20 on Draft Express, which is perhaps due to this perceived idea that he’ll display the same athleticism that he did at high school once he’s fully recovered. Some have compared his situation to Joel Embiid, but Embiid was worthy of a lottery selection because he still showed signs of explosiveness in college. Giles could be found money for whoever takes him in the draft, but he probably would’ve benefited from staying another year in school. And any team that reaches for him might be sorry.