5 best NBA Draft prospects in the NCAA Tournament

By Ian Levy | Mar 19, 2019

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 16: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts after after a play on the way to defeating the Florida State Seminoles 73-63 in the championship game of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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EVANSVILLE, IN – MARCH 09: Murray State Racers Guard Ja Morant (12) walks across the court during the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Championship college basketball game between the Murray State Racers and the Belmont Bruins on March 9, 2019, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

4. Ja Morant, Guard, Murray State

Morant’s eye-popping stat lines and highlight dunks have garnered him plenty of attention this season and an upset or two in the tournament could help solidify his legend even further. However, as exciting as his upside might be, there are still plenty of questions about how well his game will translate. The Step Back’s Trevor Magnotti did a great job describing the concerns with Morant in his latest Big Board:

"Explosive point guards that are low on functional skill, are iffy shooters, and who struggle with control of the situation are guys who have much longer development curves than players like Lonzo Ball or Trae Young whose games are predicated on handle, shooting, and feel. It takes longer to become Russell Westbrook than it does to become Kyrie Irving, and it certainly takes more patience to do so. The floor is also lower — a guy like Ball can still be a potentially valuable rotation player even if he can’t shoot at all, while a guy in Morant’s mold that doesn’t click as an NBA decision-maker becomes Brandon Jennings."

Morant is averaging 24.6 points, 10.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game, getting to the free throw line at will and shooting 57.4 percent inside the arc. He’s also shooting 33.6 percent on 3-pointers and turning the ball over on a fifth of his possessions. Shooting and decision-making are where he needs to demonstrate he can grow.

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