2017 NBA Draft: Top Prospects and Pre-Lottery 1st-Round Order

With the combine over and teams hours away from finding out where they'll be selecting in June, the 2017 NBA draft is starting to take shape. 

The lottery, of course, is the most important part. Basketball is rather static in its evaluations, and the guys we thought were going to be at the top of this draft will likely be come June 22.

UCLA's Lonzo Ball and Washington's Markelle Fultz sit atop nearly every draft board. Fultz has been considered the likeliest No. 1 selection since the regular season ended, but Ball is reportedly closing in. ESPN.com's Chad Ford reported Fultz has roughly a 57 percent chance of going first, as some teams have taken to Ball's playmaking skills. 

With the combine out of the way, let's take a look at the draft's top prospects and assess where everything stands heading into the lottery.

Pick	Team	Odds of No. 1 Pick
1	Boston Celtics (from BKN)	25.0%
2	Phoenix Suns	19.9%
3	Los Angeles Lakers	15.6%
4	Philadelphia 76ers	11.9%
5	Orlando Magic	8.8%
6	New York Knicks	5.3%
7	Minnesota Timberwolves	5.3%
8	Sacramento Kings	2.8%
9	Dallas Mavericks	1.7%
10	Sacramento Kings (from NO)	1.1%
11	Charlotte Hornets	0.8%
12	Detroit Pistons	0.7%
13	Denver Nuggets	0.6%
14	Miami Heat	0.5%
15	Portland Trail Blazers	N/A
16	Chicago Bulls	N/A
17	Indiana Pacers	N/A
18	Milwaukee Bucks	N/A
19	Atlanta Hawks	N/A
20	Portland Trail Blazers (from MEM)	N/A
21	Oklahoma City Thunder	N/A
22	Brooklyn Nets (from WAS)	N/A
23	Toronto Raptors	N/A
24	Utah Jazz	N/A
25	Orlando Magic (from LA Clippers)	N/A
26	Portland Trail Blazers (from CLE)	N/A
27	Brooklyn Nets (from BOS)	N/A
28	Los Angeles Lakers (from HOU)	N/A
29	San Antonio Spurs	N/A
30	Utah Jazz (from GSW)	N/A

Scenarios of note

• The Lakers hand their pick to the Sixers if it falls outside the top three.
• The Kings convey their pick to the Bulls if it falls outside the top 10.
• Philadelphia holds pick-swap rights with Sacramento.

Ranking	Player	Position	School
1	Markelle Fultz	PG	Washington
2	Josh Jackson	SF	Kansas
3	Jayson Tatum	SF	Duke
4	Lonzo Ball	PG	UCLA
5	Jonathan Isaac	F	Florida State
6	Frank Ntilikina	PG	France
7	De'Aaron Fox	PG	Kentucky
8	Malik Monk	SG	Kentucky
9	Lauri Markkanen	PF	Arizona
10	Dennis Smith	PG	N.C. State
11	Zach Collins	C	Gonzaga
12	TJ Leaf	SF	UCLA
13	Harry Giles	PF	Duke
14	Justin Patton	C	Creighton
15	OG Anunoby	SF	Indiana
16	Caleb Swanigan	PF	Purdue
17	Luke Kennard	SG	Duke
18	Terrance Ferguson	SG	Australia
19	Ivan Rabb	PF	Cal
20	Jarrett Allen	C	Texas
21	Isaiah Hartenstein	PF	Germany
22	Robert Williams	PF/C	Texas A&M
23	Donovan Mitchell	SG	Louisville
24	Rodions Kurucs	SF	Latvia
25	Tony Bradley	C	North Carolina
26	Tyler Lydon	SF	Syracuse
27	John Collins	PF	Wake Forest
28	Edrice Adebayo	PF/C	Kentucky
29	Marques Bolden	C	Duke
30	Josh Hart	SG	Villanova
31	Ike Anigbogu	C	UCLA
32	Jordan Bell	PF	Oregon
33	Justin Jackson	SF	North Carolina
34	Jonathan Jeanne	C	France
35	Alec Peters	SF	Valparaiso
36	Moritz Wagner	PF	Michigan
37	Thomas Bryant	C	Indiana
38	Kostja Mushidi	SG	Belgium
39	Jaron Blossomgame	SF	Clemson
40	Juwun Evans	PG	Missouri

Stocks of Interest

PG Lonzo Ball, UCLA

For a second, let's take away all of Ball's outside influences. There is some reason for concern about how he translates to the NBA. His unorthodox shot might be hard to get off in space against players with NBA length/athleticism, and his frame needs to add some bulk if he's going to be able to defend both guard positions.

Then, there's the whole LaVar thing. 

It'd be unfair to knock Lonzo for his father's, erm, boisterous nature but his presence is going to be a factor with some teams. One general manager told Sporting News' Sean Deveney:

"It doesn't help, all this stuff with his father. I don't know what is gained for the kid by putting that much pressure on him. Nobody from the league has been meeting with (Lonzo Ball) or anything, but that is going to be another thing to look at when it comes to due diligence before the draft. How does he handle his dad, is it just something he laughs about, or is it real pressure on him?"

Ball is in a sticky situation, whereby he either becomes a star or is endlessly mocked on Basketball Twitter.

LaVar Ball has essentially created a scenario where Lonzo simply being an average NBA starter will be seen as a failure. Doing things like trying to launch an apparel company before playing a game is admirable in theory—and will pay massive dividends if Lonzo is great—but it creates a pressure-packed environment some teams may not want.

PF Harry Giles, Duke

Jeff Haynes/Getty Images

With Giles, it's all about the medical reports. The former Duke forward's only collegiate season was mostly a bust, as he was attempting to come back from multiple knee surgeries. He averaged 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game and showed only occasional flashes of the player who was once considered the consensus top player in his class.

"It's frustrating. Just something you go through in your mind, like 'Man, I know I could do this if it wasn't for the injuries.' But at the same time, you've got to understand where you're at. Accept and move on from there," Giles told Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.

For now, Giles seems to be hanging out in the discussion at the latter half of the lottery. His stock could rise once teams see him in individual workouts and have their own doctors check out the structure of his knees. A general manager told Howard-Cooper that Giles would have been a candidate for the No. 1 overall pick if he were fully healthy.

As it stands, we might be heading toward a Nerlens Noel-type situation. Noel was the consensus top player in the 2013 draft but dropped over concerns after suffering an ACL tear. But while Noel had to sit out a season for recovery, Giles has essentially done all the recovering he can—he's ready to play.

Don't be surprised if Giles sneaks into the No. 5-7 conversation if his medicals check out.

Combine Risers

F Jordan Bell, Oregon

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Just like he did in the NCAA tournament, Jordan Bell impressed at the combine with high-energy play on both ends of the floor in Chicago. He finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five blocks during the first game of 5-on-5 action Thursday, posted the best lane agility time among big men and posted a 37-inch vertical leap.

While being 6'8.5" in shoes is a bit of a knock, Bell's locked himself into high second-round status and might wind up going in the late first if his individual workouts keep going well. He has potential to be a special defender and will be a valuable bench cog someday if he can start knocking down an occasional outside shot.

SG Donovan Mitchell, Louisville

Mitchell was a big winner from a measurements standpoint, posting a 6'10" wingspan that should give teams faith about him defending both guard positions despite a 6'3" frame. He has Avery Bradley-level potential as a defender and made huge strides last season as a shot creator and shooter from distance.

While he's still developing from a skills perspective, guys with his combination of length and athleticism at the 2 are rare. He's clearly a first-round pick at this point after entering the combine on the fringe.

You'll start hearing the proverbial 3-and-D thrown around a lot if he starts knocking down some shots in workouts. 

Overseas Check In

PG Frank Ntilikina, France

Clearly the best international talent in this class, Ntilikina has been unfortunately overshadowed by college stars in a deep point guard draft. Familiarity may force four point guards to go off the board before him on draft night, but he's a sensational prospect who's a jump shot away from potential superstar status.

Similar to De'Aaron Fox and Dennis Smith, Ntilikina bursts off the screen with his lightning quickness and athleticism. He can get to the rim at will and shows a preternatural ability to use changes of pace to his advantage—he's not always going at a breakneck speed. 

Listed at 6'5" with elite athleticism, Ntilikina has all the makings of a stellar on-ball defender. A Dennis Schroder type feels like the very basement of his potential, which will make him attractive to teams in the high lottery.

SG Terrance Ferguson, Australia

Ferguson isn't a prospect who will make an immediate impact at the NBA level. His game is still lacking in polish, and he's coming off an underwhelming season in Australia. A team will gamble on his athleticism and three-point stroke—he's mechanically sound despite having streaky tendencies—sometime in the 15-25 range.

But Ferguson is a guy who will probably spend a full year, maybe even two, learning how to be an actual basketball player in the G-League.