The all-time Big East NBA mock draft

No. 1 overall pick in 1985

1984-85 Georgetown stats (Senior): 14.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.6 blocks per game (Lost national title game to Villanova)

Rule number one in the NBA Draft has always been: If there’s a sure-thing big, take him. From Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to Hakeem Olajuwon, to Dwight Howard, to Karl-Anthony Towns, these generational big prospects are always worth whatever risk comes with them because they can change your franchise trajectory overnight. Ewing was on that list as well. He was Joel Embiid before Joel Embiid in terms of athleticism, able to jump out of the gym to swat shots to the point that the 1982 National Title game was decided on the back of Ewing being the victim of a questionable goaltending whistle five times. He was a phenomenal post presence, with advanced footwork and strength that he used to establish position with ease, and the combination of adept post passing and a soft turnaround jumper made him virtually unguardable. His vertical athleticism is also almost unmatched in NBA history for a guy his size, and that would have allowed him to become a potent pick-and-roll dive man as well in the modern game.

Ultimately, we would think differently of Ewing in an NBA context if he played today. The modern game is built at a better level for his skill set, as an elite rebounder and rim protector who can shoot and pass is a commodity so highly valued but yet so rare in the game today. He also likely would have just declared for the draft after that 1982 title game, instead of continuing to ply his trade in an admittedly limited but effective role at the college level. Ewing is one of the greatest college players of all time, but his NBA career was lacking. That probably flips a bit if he enters the NBA ready at 20 instead of 23. Either way, senior or freshman, he’s the best NBA prospect the Big East ever produced — an elite center on both ends of the floor who could single-handedly change the fortunes of a franchise.