March Madness 2017: Elite Prospects Who Will Improve Draft Stock
March Madness is drawing closer and closer, and while head coaches are thinking about winning their next game, there may be some players who already have one eye fixated on this upcoming summer.
More specifically, the NBA draft.
Conference tournaments, along with the NCAA tournament, go a long way in determining an NBA prospect's future. How many people knew who Stephen Curry was before he led Davidson on a run in the Big Dance? Who can elevate their status or solidify themselves as top-tier talents before the draft?
The 2017 NBA draft is projected to be a deep, talent-rich pool of players, so distinguishing yourself as a top-three selection this summer won't be easy, but some players know when to shine when the spotlight is on them.
Prospects with a lot to gain in March
Markelle Fultz
You might be wondering why a virtual lock at the top of the draft in Markelle Fultz is first on this list, but there are good reasons why. For one, Fultz needs to show that he can lead his team to victory.
The Washington Huskies are a bad basketball team, even with the potential No. 1 pick in the draft averaging 23.2 points per game, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists, according to ESPN.com.
The Huskies are 9-20 this season and don't have a chance of getting into the NCAA tournament.
They are likely to be the 11th seed in the Pac-12 tournament, which gives Fultz one last shot at proving to NBA scouts why he is a franchise player who deserves to have his name called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver first instead of someone like Lonzo Ball.
Fultz is a special talent who should be a difference-maker at the next level. But if he wants to leave the collegiate game with good memories and not a disappointing experience like Ben Simmons had last year at LSU, then this month will be the testing ground for the NBA's next superstar.
Josh Jackson
There's a lot of discussion about the best player in the draft between Ball and Fultz, but many pundits are sleeping on the two-way potential of Kansas guard Josh Jackson.
Jackson has the size at 6'8" and 207 pounds, and he has above-the-rim athleticism, but that's only part of his developing game.
"Josh Jackson got WAY up! pic.twitter.com/Ie5ZpNgekl
— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) February 23, 2017"
There were some early questions marks at the beginning of the season about his stroke from three-point range, but he seems to have cooled down the chatter surrounding his ability to stretch the floor by shooting 37.3 percent from three.
He might not be winning any three-point contests in his future, but he's still a player you can't leave wide-open. Jackson has taken 75 attempts from deep this season; it's not a huge number, but it shows that he's not afraid to pull the trigger when given an opportunity.
Jackson's real strength is getting to the rim and creating space off the dribble where he shoots 50.4 percent from the field. The Kansas Jayhawks are looking at a possible No. 1 seed heading into the NCAA tournament, so Jackson will have plenty of chances to show off his game in front of the nation.
On the flip side, playing that many games can also have a negative impact on a player as scouts can begin nitpicking his game, saying how he might be too skinny for his size to make an impact right away in the Association or how he might struggle when he gets posted up.
But Jackson will prove his doubters wrong this month en route to solidifying himself as the best shooting guard/small forward in the draft.
Jonathan Isaac
There is a lot to like about Jonathan Isaac, including his 6'10" size and his ability to shoot 37.7 percent from three-point range. But the best thing about him? He won't be 20 years old until October.
Averaging 12.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, he doesn't exactly jump off the page as an athletic scorer based off the box score. But under closer examination, you'll find that he shoots 52.8 percent from the field and also averages 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals in just 25 minutes per game.
If there is one thing to point out, it's consistency. For Isaac to be taken seriously as a top-five player in this year's draft, he must start to produce consistent numbers that flirt with a double-double each game. And what better time to show that than during March Madness?
Isaac's Florida State Seminoles have a sneaky good team that could end up winning the ACC tournament if other teams overlook them and could find themselves with a high seed in the Big Dance. A player of Isaac's size and ability will be hard for other teams to defend against in the tournament, which could show NBA scouts how Isaac could take advantage of mismatches on the perimeter due to his frame.
He still has a lot of room to grow in his game, including his weight (210 lbs), but Isaac can be that athletic mismatch on the wing that teams in the NBA are salivating for.
All stats courtesy of ESPN.com.
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