2018 NBA Mock Draft: Where did the prospects go?

Will we remember the 2017-18 NCAA season as the one in which Bridges returned to school and solidified his shooting to become a surefire top-ten pick in a more loaded draft than the one he bypassed in 2017, or will we think of it as a wasted season playing out of position for a team that ultimately underperformed?

A lot of the nuance in that conversation will play out in Bridges’ head, and he seems to have no regrets about giving coach Tom Izzo and the team one more chance to play for a national championship. Yet the question is important, as Bridges will now be one year older as he enters the 2018 draft, and the habits he developed playing the 3 this season will not necessarily be helpful as he translates into a power forward at the NBA level.

Bridges went 4-18 in the second round against Syracuse, taking the brunt of the defensive beatdown the Orange inflicted on the Spartans. He was also 3-12 from distance, giving pause to those who had decided he was a knockdown 3-point shooter based on evidence this year or who believed he could be a primary initiator already. Bridges is still young, but has more to work on than we probably thought last summer, which is how it works for guys who go back to school.

No one is untouchable in Charlotte, but if Bridges could grow alongside Malik Monk, that’s at least the beginning of a fun offensive team, presuming Monk can develop.