2018 NBA Mock Draft: Way too early edition

If you haven’t noticed yet, the 2018 draft class is loaded with big men at the top of it in a way similar to the 2017 draft class with point guards. Duke’s Wendell Carter is another one of the talents who could eventually be a starting center in the NBA.

Carter has the potential to be a unique player on the offensive end because of his basketball IQ, passing acumen and ability to make plays on the move. Despite having a massive frame, he’s comfortable attacking off the dribble. He is also a very good passer out of the post and could help direct traffic for an offense. The swing skill for Carter on offense will be his shooting ability. He’s not an elite athlete who projects as a pick-and-roll threat, so he’ll need that shooting range to offer some additional offensive value.

There are also some fair questions about how much of an impact he’ll make defensively. He’s smart and moves well in space, which bodes well for his ability to defend ball screens, but despite having a 7-foot-3 wingspan, he’s not an elite level rim protector.

Carter will be in an interesting situation at Duke next season as he might spend most of his time on the court with another big man in Marques Bolden. That will likely give us a pretty good idea of how well his jumper works in terms of spacing the floor for his teammates because the Blue Devils will need him to open up some space.