NBA Draft 2017: Latest Mock Draft with NCAA Tournament Underway
The NCAA tournament's round of 64 began Thursday, and not much happened that was out of the ordinary. There were two upsets out of the 16-game slate, a far cry from the seven that occurred in 2016 on the first day of the round of 64.
For some people, though, March Madness is mainly just an opportunity to scout out potential NBA studs. A player's performance in pressure-packed situations tells the league's scouts a lot about him.
Let's predict the first round of the 2017 draft, then focus on potential fits for a few elite prospects who could lead their high-seeded teams to deep tournament runs.
| 1 | Celtics (via Nets) | Markelle Fultz (Washington, PG, Freshman) |
| 2 | Lakers | Lonzo Ball (UCLA, PG, Freshman) |
| 3 | Suns | Josh Jackson (Kansas, SF, Freshman) |
| 4 | Magic | Jayson Tatum (Duke, SF, Freshman) |
| 5 | 76ers | Malik Monk (Kentucky, SG, Freshman) |
| 6 | Knicks | Dennis Smith Jr. (NC State, PG, Freshman) |
| 7 | Kings (via Pelicans) | Jonathan Isaac (Florida State, SF/PF, Freshman) |
| 8 | Kings | De'Aaron Fox (Kentucky, PG, Freshman) |
| 9 | Timberwolves | Miles Bridges (Michigan State, PF, Freshman) |
| 10 | Hornets | Robert Williams (Texas A&M, PF/C, Freshman) |
| 11 | Mavericks | Lauri Markkanen (Arizona, PF, Freshman) |
| 12 | Trail Blazers | Isaiah Hartenstein (Germany, PF, 1998) |
| 13 | Bulls | Frank Ntilikina (France, PG, 1998) |
| 14 | Heat | John Collins (Wake Forest, PF, Sophomore) |
| 15 | Pistons | Justin Jackson (North Carolina, SF, Junior) |
| 16 | Nuggets | OG Anunoby (Indiana, SF, Sophomore) |
| 17 | Bucks | Justin Patton (Creighton, C, Freshman) |
| 18 | Pacers | Terrance Ferguson (Adelaide 36ers, SG/SF, 1998) |
| 19 | Hawks | Jarrett Allen (Texas, C, Freshman) |
| 20 | Trail Blazers (via Grizzlies) | Rodions Kurucs (Latvia, SF, 1998) |
| 21 | Raptors | Ivan Rabb (California, PF, Sophomore) |
| 22 | Thunder | Luke Kennard (Duke, SG, Sophomore) |
| 23 | Magic (via Clippers) | Donovan Mitchell (Louisville, SG, Sophomore) |
| 24 | Nets (via Wizards) | Harry Giles (Duke, PF, Freshman) |
| 25 | Jazz | Dwayne Bacon (Florida State, SG/SF, Sophomore) |
| 26 | Nets (via Celtics) | Ike Anigbogu (UCLA, C, Freshman) |
| 27 | Trail Blazers (via Cavaliers) | Grayson Allen (Duke, SG, Junior) |
| 28 | Lakers (via Rockets) | TJ Leaf (UCLA, PF, Freshman) |
| 29 | Spurs | Josh Hart (Villanova, SG, Senior) |
| 30 | Jazz (via Warriors) | Caleb Swanigan (Purdue, PF/C, Sophomore) |
Potential Fits For First-Round Prospects
Josh Jackson to the Phoenix Suns at No. 3
It's not hard to decide what position the Phoenix Suns should be targeting with their high lottery pick. It's small forward, given that the team has point guard Eric Bledsoe, shooting guard Devin Booker and post players Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender as its main building blocks.
In this mock, Phoenix gets a choice between Kansas' Josh Jackson and Duke's Jayson Tatum, the two best wings in the draft class. Jackson is the better choice, given his better fit with the Suns' fast-paced offense and defensive weaknesses. He's also been a bit better than his fellow freshman this season.
| Josh Jackson | Kansas | 21.3 | 9.4 | 4.0 | 55.5 | 24.0 | 10.5 | 0.177 |
| Jayson Tatum | Duke | 20.3 | 8.8 | 2.6 | 56.8 | 22.2 | 8.0 | 0.173 |
The Suns would love to have a big, athletic wing like Jackson, who enjoys bothering offensive players on the perimeter. Booker and T.J. Warren haven't shown they can do that, and it's a major reason the Suns defense is so poor.
Finally, Jackson's underrated playmaking ability would significantly help a team that doesn't move the ball well. According to NBA.com, just 48.6 percent of Phoenix's made baskets this season have come off an assist, which ranks second-to-last in the NBA. Jackson can be a capable secondary creator after Bledsoe.
Jayson Tatum to the Orlando Magic at No. 4
The Orlando Magic need to find a true No. 1 offensive option at some point. Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic are the closest things to that right now, so it's no surprise the squad ranks second-to-last in the NBA in offensive efficiency (100.8 points per 100 possessions), per NBA.com.
Tatum might be the best one-on-one scorer in the draft, and he's projected to go somewhere around where the Magic are slated to pick. He fits a positional need at small forward for Orlando. So this match makes a whole lot of sense.
Orlando is also without the floor spacing that most good offenses have. No one on its healthy roster shoots better than 38.9 percent from three-point range, and the squad as a whole is last in the NBA in terms of downtown accuracy (32.4 percent).
Tatum is by no means an elite shooter from deep, but he has knocked down 18 of his 50 three-point attempts (36 percent) in his last 10 games. He has the mechanics to become an excellent sniper from outside, though he's traditionally been more focused on scoring in the mid-range areas.
Jonathan Isaac and De'Aaron Fox to the Sacramento Kings at Nos. 7 and No. 8
OK, that DeMarcus Cousins trade still doesn't look great for the Sacramento Kings. But right now, they're in line to pick seventh and eighth in a strong draft class. If Sacramento ends up picking in that range, it should seriously consider Florida State's Jonathan Isaac and Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox.
Like all teams picking in the lottery, the Kings will need to take into account their team needs when making their decision. They seem relatively set at the big men slots, with young post players Willie Cauley-Stein and Skal Labissiere both stepping up their games since Cousins left. Buddy Hield is firmly entrenched at the starting shooting guard spot, if Kings owner Vivek Ranadive saying Hield has "Steph Curry potential" is any indication.
That leaves small forward and point guard as the two main positions of need. Sacramento can go all-in on a super athletic young core designed to run opponents off the floor by tabbing Isaac and Fox here.
Isaac is a mobile 6'10" wing with three-point range who can finish on the fast break. He stuffs the stat sheet in several categories, as he showed once again by posting 17 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals in an 86-80 win against Florida Gulf Coast University on Thursday night.
Fox, meanwhile, is a blur in transition and has good vision to find open teammates. The prospect of him leading the break with Isaac, Labissiere and Cauley-Stein as potential finishers and Hield readying himself for a transition three is frightening.
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