Chad Ford NBA Draft 2017: Takeaways from ESPN Guru's 3rd Big Board
ESPN's NBA draft guru Chad Ford released his third big board of the season Wednesday, ranking the top collegiate prospects who will likely head to the pros in 2017.
In a class that NBA general managers and scouts described to Ford as the "strongest...in a decade," here is how he's ranked this year's prospect field so far:
| 1 | Markelle Fultz | Fr. | G | Washington |
| 2 | Lonzo Ball | Fr. | G | UCLA |
| 3 | Josh Jackson | Fr. | F | Kansas |
| 4 | Dennis Smith | Fr. | G | NC State |
| 5 | Jonathan Isaac | Fr. | F | Florida State |
| 6 | Malik Monk | Fr. | G | Kentucky |
| 7 | Jayson Tatum | Fr. | F | Duke |
| 8 | Harry Giles | Fr. | F | Duke |
| 9 | Lauri Markkanen | Fr. | F | Arizona |
| 10 | De'Aaron Fox | Fr. | G | Kentucky |
| 11 | Frank Ntilikina | N/A | G | France |
| 12 | Miles Bridges | Fr. | F | Michigan State |
| 13 | Justin Patton | Fr. | C | Creighton |
| 14 | Robert Williams | Fr. | F/C | Texas A&M |
| 15 | T.J. Leaf | Fr. | F | UCLA |
| 16 | Ivan Rabb | So. | F | California |
| 17 | OG Anunoby | So. | F | Indiana |
| 18 | Isaiah Hartenstein | N/A | F | Germany |
| 9 | Jarrett Allen | Fr. | C | Texas |
| 20 | Terrance Ferguson | N/A | G | Australia |
| 21 | Zach Collins | Fr. | C | Gonzaga |
| 22 | Tyler Lydon | So. | F | Syracuse |
| 23 | Rodions Kurucs | N/A | F | Latvia |
| 24 | John Collins | So. | F | Wake Forest |
| 25 | Andrew Jones | Fr. | G | Texas |
| 26 | Donovan Mitchell | So. | G | Louisville |
| 27 | Edrice Adebayo | Fr. | F | Kentucky |
| 28 | Luke Kennard | So. | G | Duke |
| 29 | Marques Bolden | Fr. | C | Duke |
| 30 | Tony Bradley | Fr. | C | North Carolina |
The Freshmen Dominate
Of the 30 players on Ford's big board, 20 of them are freshmen including 14 of the top 15. The one player in the top 15 who isn't currently plays in France. But Frank Ntilikina is just 18 years old, which is the same age as many collegiate freshmen.
Ford's top three remain unchanged in the process as Washington's Markelle Fultz, UCLA's Lonzo Ball and Kansas' Josh Jackson headline the 2017 draft class.
If this order holds throughout the year and into the summer, the record for most freshmen drafted in the first round will be crushed.
The 2015 draft holds that honor, as 13 freshmen went in the first round including Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves and D'Angelo Russell of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Markelle Fultz Remains the Top Prospect
Washington's star Fultz ranks in a tie for fourth in the country with 23.3 points per game as he immediately hit the ground running upon his arrival to the NCAA.
He scored 30 and 35 points, respectively, in the first two games of his Washington career and has recorded double-digit scoring outputs in 20 of 21 games.
One of those was a career-high 37-point effort against Colorado on Jan. 18:
The 6'4" guard has recorded four double-doubles on the season as he's shown a well-rounded game on the offensive end.
Not only can he slash to the basket and score from anywhere on the floor, but he can also facilitate, as he's averaged six assists per game.
Justin Patton Makes A Huge Jump
Creighton center Justin Patton was not even ranked on Ford's last big board, which was released Dec. 22.
In a little more than a month, he's made quite an impression, as he garnered the No. 13 spot on Wednesday's big board.
According to Hoop-Math.com, via Ford, the 7-foot big man is the most efficient shooter in college basketball. He is shooting 71.4 percent from the field and 82.5 percent at the rim.
More impressively though, he's hit six of 12 three-point attempts this year, showing plenty of range.
That kind of versatility will likely draw comparisons of NBA big men who can shoot from deep like Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks. If he's able to keep this kind of play up, though, Patton's draft stock could rise even more before the season ends.
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