2017 NBA Mock Draft: 1st-Round Predictions, Breaking Down Prospects on the Rise

Players in the 2017 NBA draft pool will rise up and fall down big boards in the coming months based on pre-draft workouts, interviews, news and rumors.

Some players seem solidified in their spots. For example, Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball and Josh Jackson are likely go to in the top three in some order. That's been the case for some time.

However, other players used fantastic late-season performances during the college basketball year to improve their draft stocks and rise up some big boards a few months before the draft on June 22.

Here's a look at a 2017 mock draft along with three prospects on the rise.

A quick note before diving into the mock draft: The NBA draft order will not be official until (a) coin flips to break ties occur and (b) the draft lottery is held on Tuesday, May 16, to decide the teams that will make the first three selections (although this NBA.com article is from last year, it provides a good explanation for how the lottery works).

The following teams will take part in coin flips to break ties: The Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks for sixth, the Portland Trail Blazers and Chicago Bulls for 15th, the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers for 17th, the Portland Trail Blazers (again) and Atlanta Hawks for 19th and the Portland Trail Blazers (one more time), Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic for 23rd.

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School or Pro Team
1	Boston Celtics	Markelle Fultz	PG	Washington
2	Phoenix Suns	Josh Jackson	SF	Kansas
3	Los Angeles Lakers	Lonzo Ball	PG	UCLA
4	Philadelphia 76ers	Malik Monk	SG	Kentucky
5	Orlando Magic	Jayson Tatum	SF	Duke
6	New York Knicks	De'Aaron Fox	PG	Kentucky
7	Minnesota Timberwolves	Jonathan Isaac	SF	Florida State
8	Dallas Mavericks	Lauri Markkanen	PF	Arizona
9	Sacramento Kings	Frank Ntilikina	PG	Strasbourg IG (France)
10	Sacramento Kings	Justin Jackson	SF	North Carolina
11	Charlotte Hornets	Zach Collins	C	Gonzaga
12	Detroit Pistons	Dennis Smith Jr.	PG	North Carolina State
13	Denver Nuggets	Rodions Kurucs	SF	FC Barcelona B (Spain)
14	Miami Heat	TJ Leaf	PF	UCLA
15	Chicago Bulls	Justin Patton	C	Creighton
16	Portland Trail Blazers	Isaiah Hartenstein	PF	Zalgiris (Lithuania)
17	Indiana Pacers	Harry Giles	PF	Duke
18	Milwaukee Bucks	Donovan Mitchell	SG	Louisville
19	Portland Trail Blazers	Terrance Ferguson	SG	Adelaide (Australia)
20	Atlanta Hawks	Luke Kennard	SG	Duke
21	Oklahoma City Thunder	Jordan Bell	PF	Oregon
22	Brooklyn Nets	Jawun Evans	PG	Oklahoma State
23	Utah Jazz	John Collins	PF	Wake Forest
24	Toronto Raptors	Semi Ojeleye	PF	SMU
25	Orlando Magic	Ivan Rabb	PF	Cal
26	Portland Trail Blazers	Josh Hart	SG	Villanova
27	Brooklyn Nets	Caleb Swanigan	PF	Purdue
28	Los Angeles Lakers	Jarrett Allen	C	Texas
29	San Antonio Spurs	Dillon Brooks	SF	Oregon
30	Utah Jazz	OG Anunoby	SF	Indiana

Breaking Down Prospects on the Rise

De'Aaron Fox

The former Kentucky point guard, who has been mocked to the New York Knicks in the No. 6-7 range numerous times this year, is now going top five seemingly everywhere, including DraftExpress, NBADraft.net and Bleacher Report.

It's no surprise why. Fox had a fantastic season in Lexington, most notably outplaying UCLA point guard and future top-three NBA draft pick Lonzo Ball in the Sweet 16 when he scored 39 points on 13-of-20 shooting in an 86-75 win.

Fox is a great slasher, ball-handler and defender, and he is also one the quickest and most athletic prospects in this year's draft. However, Fox needs to work on his outside jumper, as he only made 17 of 69 three-pointers this year for a 24.6-percent success rate.

Don't be surprised to see the Orlando Magic pick Fox. Orlando has Elfrid Payton running the point, but he's been up and down during his Magic tenure and even came off the bench at times this year.

Philadelphia could be a possibility, although the 76ers seem dead-set on putting the top pick from the 2016 NBA draft, Ben Simmons, at the point next year, per Rich Hofmann of PhillyVoice.

Ultimately, it'd be a surprise to see Fox fall below No. 5.

Zach Collins

The seven-foot center officially declared for the NBA draft on Tuesday, and since then, Collins' name has been placed in the lottery portion of many mock drafts: DraftExpress, NBADraft.net and Bleacher Report all have him in the top 11.

Collins had a tremendous freshman year at Gonzaga, scoring 10.0 points, grabbing 5.9 rebounds and blocking 1.8 shots per game.

The efficient Collins also made 65.2 percent of his shots and managed a double-digit scoring average even though he played just 17.2 minutes a night.

Collins' length and athleticism were on full display in the Final Four against South Carolina, as he played the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and told every Gamecock that they shall not pass by blocking six shots. He also scored 14 points and pulled down 13 boards for good measure.

You can't teach height, and Collins is just 19 years old. He'll be selected in the lottery portion of the draft.

John Collins

The Wake Forest big man seemingly willed the Demon Deacons off the bubble and into the NCAA tournament as an at-large team with his tremendous play in the paint down the stretch. In the process, he became a much hotter name for this year's NBA draft.

Most notably, Collins posted 25 points and 11 boards against No. 8 Louisville, one of the best defensive teams in the country last year, in an 88-81 win in March that gave Wake the signature victory it needed to make March Madness.

The 6'10", 235-pound sophomore was a beast in the paint, scoring 19.2 points and grabbing 9.8 rebounds on the season.

Collins is at a disadvantage compared to other big men in this draft class, as he's not as tall as players like Zach Collins and doesn't venture much outside the paint, which almost seems like a prerequisite to play center in the NBA these days.

However, he makes up for his height and lack of offensive versatility with phenomenal strength down low. Someone will take a first-round flier on him, and it won't be a surprise to see him go top 20.