The Top 10 2017 NBA Draft Prospects in the Pac-12

The Pac-12 Conference had a strong regular season in 2015-16 that was followed by an unimpressive NCAA tournament performance. Oregon was the only one of its seven qualifiers to advance past the opening weekend, though the Ducks did reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2007.

That disappointing effort has also carried over to the NBA draft, as only six players who were in the Pac-12 this past season are among DraftExpress' top 100 prospects. The decisions of a few potential pros to return to school affected this total, but that also means that the crop the Pac-12 could send to the NBA in 2017 looks much stronger.

We've ranked the 10 best NBA prospects who are set to play in the Pac-12 in 2016-17, but one player not included is Terrance Ferguson. The Arizona signee is exploring the possibility of playing overseas rather than attending college, per 247Sports' Jerry Meyer, and thus may not end up being a part of the conference.

Honorable Mentions

Leon Bennett/Getty Images

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: Bennie Boatwright #25 of the USC Trojans handles the ball against the Utah Utes during a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament at MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 10, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Leon Ben

We've limited our list to 10 prospects, but the Pac-12 figures to have far more than that. Below are others who were considered but didn't make the cut. Don't be surprised if at least one of them turns a big 2016-17 season into a major rise in draft stock.

• Rawle Alkins, Fr., Arizona
• Jabari Bird, Sr., California
• Bennie Boatwright, So., USC
• Tyler Dorsey, So., Oregon
• Aaron Holiday, So., UCLA
• Kobi Simmons, Fr., Arizona

10. Kyle Kuzma, Jr., Utah

Chris Pietsch/Associated Press

Position: Power forward

Height, weight: 6'9”, 221 lbs

Jakob Poeltl was Utah's pro-level center, while Jordan Loveridge was the senior leader in the backcourt. In between those two stalwarts was Kyle Kuzma, who quietly put together a strong sophomore season with 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds in only 24.1 minutes per game.

With Poeltl heading to the NBA, the frontcourt belongs to Kuzma in 2016-17, and he can use that as a springboard to getting onto the 2017 draft radar. He and guard Lorezno Bonam are the only players Utah brings back who played at least 12 minutes per game, so expect Kuzma to get plenty of opportunities.

9. Chris Boucher, Sr., Oregon

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

Position: Power forward

Height, weight: 6'10”, 200 lbs

Chris Boucher went into his first season at Oregon thinking it would be the only one he'd get. Because he took an extra year to graduate and then spent time at junior college, he was considered a senior heading into 2015-16.

The NCAA granted a waiver in mid-March, returning him a year of eligibility, and after opting not to test the NBA draft waters, he'll get to be a senior for the second consecutive season. He can also use that time to tweak his overall game to beyond being that of a rather unique three-and-D player.

Boucher finished second nationally with 110 blocks last season, which obliterated the previous single-season school record of 94 set in 2014-15 by teammate Jordan Bell. And quite often, Boucher would follow up his defensive effort on one end by draining a long jumper on the other, as he hit 39 three-pointers at a 33.9 percent clip.

Overall, Boucher averaged 12.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks on 53.9 percent shooting.

The extra year is great for Oregon, though it will also make Boucher even older than most of the other prospects when he enters the 2017 NBA draft. He turned 23 in January.

8. Ray Smith, R-Fr., Arizona

Chris Coduto/Getty Images

Ray Smith, center, missed all of the 2015-16 season with a torn ACL.

Position: Small forward

Height, weight: 6'8”, 210 lbs

Arizona had big plans for Ray Smith in 2015-16, but three weeks before the season began, he tore the ACL in his right knee. That put him on the shelf for his freshman year, which instead became a redshirt campaign. Combined with a torn ACL in his left knee as a high school senior, this means when he plays this fall, it will be his first real action in two years.

Yet when the Wildcats' 2015-16 season ended with a first-round loss to Wichita State, Smith had to quash rumors that he would jump to the NBA without ever having played in college.

The time off enabled Smith to focus on building strength and bulk, going from the 185 pounds he was listed at when he enrolled at Arizona to his current weight of 210. With his mix of perimeter skills and post moves, he'll be a matchup nightmare on the wing once he gets onto the court.

7. Lauri Markkanen, Fr., Arizona

Position: Power forward

Height, weight: 7'0”, 225 lbs 

A native of Finland who might have been on draft boards for this year if he hadn't chosen to go the college route, Lauri Markkanen has shined on the international level with his country's under-16 and under-18 teams. At Arizona, he'll have a shot to be a mainstay in the frontcourt with the Wildcats graduating three big men.

Markkanen was supposed to compete for the World Team at the Nike Hoop Summit in Oregon but backed out because of an illness, and this summer he's expected to compete with the Finnish national team overseas, per Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star. That experience should help him be able to step right in and play as a freshman, and thus improve the chances of him leaving after one season.

Listed as the 26th pick in DraftExpress' latest 2017 mock draft, a strong performance in 2016-17 should see him rise up that list.

6. Dillon Brooks, Jr., Oregon

Lance King/Getty Images

Position: Small forward

Height, weight: 6'7”, 215 lbs 

Dillon Brooks was the driving force of Oregon's regular-season and conference tournament titles in the Pac-12, as well as a key part of the Ducks' run to the Elite Eight. That would have made for a great springboard to jump into the NBA, though he withdrew his name after going through the combine.

By doing so, he'll again be at the center of the Ducks' talented roster that also brought back potential NBA players Chris Boucher and Tyler Dorsey. Their familiarity with each other should keep Oregon at or near the top of the Pac-12 standings in 2016-17 and allow each to grow without having to work in many new players.

Not that Brooks isn't adaptable. According to Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller, Brooks was one of only eight non-seniors in Division I to average at least 16 points, five rebounds and three assists last season. Players who can contribute in a variety of ways always have a place in the NBA, and with another year of seasoning, Brooks is unlikely to forgo the pros again.

5. Allonzo Trier, So., Arizona

George Frey/Associated Press

Position: Shooting guard

Height, weight: 6'5”, 199 lbs 

Had he not broken a bone in his right (shooting) hand in January—which knocked him out for seven games and affected his shot the rest of the season—Allonzo Trier probably wouldn't be on this list because he'd have turned pro. Instead, he decided to come back for his sophomore year without first getting feedback through the draft process.

"I’m an all-in type of person," Trier said in April, per Ryan Kelapire of SB Nation. "If I decide to do something, I’m going to put my all into it, and I didn’t want to be one foot out the door, and one foot in with this university and this basketball team."

Trier was Arizona's third-leading scorer in 2015-16 at 14.8 points per game, and he shot 46.6 percent overall and 36.4 percent from three-point range. However, he shot only 40.3 percent from the field after returning from injury.

The overall numbers are likely to dip with Arizona overloaded with guards who will share the scoring, but as one of the veterans, he'll be called on for leadership that will add to his draft profile.

4. Chimezie Metu, So., USC

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Position: Power forward

Height, weight: 6'11”, 215 lbs

Chimezie Metu started only two games and averaged 18.5 minutes per game as a freshman, but when he was on the court, it was evident why the NBA is in his future.

"The flashes of NBA potential from Chimezie Metu are getting more frequent," Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg tweeted in mid-March during a USC loss to Utah in which he logged 20 minutes—much of that going against NBA-bound center Jakob Poeltl.

With each appearance he made, Metu showed more and more of his capability. His offensive skill set remains raw, but he's a fierce defender. He had 54 blocks and a 101.2 defensive rating, which isn't great from a national standpoint but was best among the Trojans' rotation players.

Nikola Jovanovic turning pro opens the door for Metu to move into the starting lineup, where he can get more touches on offense and develop into an all-around contributor.

3. Lonzo Ball, Fr., UCLA

Position: Point guard

Height, weight: 6'6”, 170 lbs 

UCLA had five players average double figures and three chip in at least three assists per game last season, yet it never felt like there was someone in charge on the court. Sometimes it was Bryce Alford, other times Isaac Hamilton dictated things and other occasions it was Aaron Holiday making the decisions.

Not surprisingly, the Bruins went 15-17 and finished in 10th place in the conference. Their 6-12 league mark was among the worst in program history.

All three of those aforementioned guards are back for this coming season, but the addition of Lonzo Ball will force the rest into more defined roles that don't involve being the floor leader. That's all his, and he's going to show that on every possession, with numerous NBA scouts likely on hand for each UCLA game.

Ball may not score that much with the number of weapons UCLA has at its disposal in 2016-17, but neither did Russell Westbrook in his breakthrough season as a Bruin in 2007-08.

2. Markelle Fultz, Fr., Washington

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Position: Combo guard

Height, weight: 6'5”, 186 lbs

Washington is in line to have a lottery pick on its roster for the second season in a row, with one-and-done forward Marquese Chriss projected by DraftExpress as the No. 3 pick later this month. If Markelle Fultz lives up to the hype, he could end up going just as high a year from now, though the Huskies are more interested in what he does for them and not afterward.

Chriss and forward Dejounte Murray turned pro after one season that saw Washington fail to make the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight year. That duo, along with senior guard Andrew Andrews, combined for 51.8 points, 17.1 rebounds, 10.1 assists and 4.1 steals per game.

Fultz could pick up the scoring slack and run the offense, distributing to a promising crop of forwards (including Noah Dickerson and Malik Dime) that will help him rack up strong assist numbers. His length is what NBA scouts enjoy most and why he's not likely to be in college for more than one season.

1. Ivan Rabb, So., California

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Position: Power forward

Height, weight: 6'10”, 215 lbs 

Ivan Rabb is the highest-rated player from the 2015 recruiting class who didn't turn pro after his freshman season. And he didn't even test the waters, with California announcing in late April he was coming back to school for another year.

Don't expect it to be for more than one more season, though, since Rabb was projected by many experts to be a lottery pick had he entered this draft. ESPN's Jeff Goodman wrote that he was “unlikely to fall past the 10th pick,” but just getting drafted wasn't all Rabb had in mind for his pro career.

"I didn't just want to be in the NBA," Rabb told Goodman. "I wanted to make sure I was ready when I got there."

With Cal saying goodbye to guards Jordan Mathews and Tyrone Wallace and wing Jaylen Brown, it's going to be the Ivan Rabb Show in Berkeley. The Golden Bears might not be as good as this past season, when they won 23 games and finished third in the Pac-12, but Rabb should easily improve on his freshman numbers (12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks) as a much larger piece of the attack.

All statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information from 247Sports unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.