NBA Draft 2017: 5 most overrated prospects

1. Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona

Lauri Markkanen has seen his stock fall considerably. His one-and-done season at Arizona was very productive, but he went from being the next Dirk Nowitzki to an afterthought. He’s still projected to go in the top 10, but there are plenty of questions surrounding whether someone as liable as he is defensively merits it.

Among Markkanen’s greatest strengths are his scoring. He has a strong finish around the rim and connected on 42 percent of his 3-pointers. Most of his points came on pick-and-pop situations, although he was adept at making shots off the dribble as well.

It’s his defense that raises a lot of questions. You would think that a 7-foot forward would average more than 0.5 blocks and 4.8 defensive rebounds a game. There were plenty of instances where he struggled to defend, and box out, bigs that were more physical than him.

Too many draft stocks change drastically during the NCAA Tournament, but Markkanen’s performance against Xavier left plenty to be desired. In the last 11 minutes, he didn’t attempt a single shot, while his shooting stroke disappeared — he shot 3 of 9 on field goal attempts, and 1 of 6 from 3-pointers. That shouldn’t undo the great shooting season he had, but people will remember that.

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There are plenty of obvious parallels you can draw between Markkanen and Ryan Anderson. Ryno’s a nice piece to have, and someone who added a lot to the Rockets offense, but his reputation as a sieve on defense has made him less appealing over time. Markkanen will probably go in the top 10, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him go through a draft-day slide.