2018 NBA Mock Draft: Way too early edition

Big, highly skilled wings have a role to play in the modern NBA, especially if they can create a bit of offensive and provide some defensive versatility. Frankfurt’s Isaac Bonga is one of the best of the bunch in the 2018 draft class at doing those things.

At nearly 6-foot-9, Bonga has the ability to initiate offense for a team. He uses his height to see over opposing defenders, has a very high basketball IQ and is already comfortable running pick-and-roll as the ball-handler. He plays hard on the defensive end, piling up box scores stats as a rebounder, shot blocker and disrupter of passing lanes. Few players have a similar two-way game.

As with most prospects, there are a couple of drawbacks that will concern NBA teams. For starters, Bonga is far from a shooter. His lack of a jump shot hinders his offensive game because defenses can sag off him both on and off the ball. While that’s less of a concern when he’s initiating the offense, it makes him a more difficult prospect to fit into a team. Bonga also isn’t a good athlete despite having good size. That could pose some problems when it comes to translating his playmaking to the NBA level.