2017 NBA Mock Draft: Analyzing Riskiest Prospects and 1st-Round Predictions

The Golden State Warriors look like they are going to waltz to their second NBA Finals win in three seasons after taking a 3-0 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

If the Warriors' core stays together, they will be a near-impossible team to beat for the rest of the decade.

The other 29 NBA teams are going to have to get a little creative to take the Dubs down, and one such method would be to draft high-reward (but high-risk) NBA draft prospects in the first round.

Here's a look at a new mock draft as well as three players who carry that label.

2017 NBA Mock Draft

1. Boston Celtics: Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington

2. Los Angeles Lakers: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA

3. Philadelphia 76ers: De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky

4. Phoenix Suns: Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas

5. Sacramento Kings: Jayson Tatum, SF, Duke

6. Orlando Magic: Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky

7. Minnesota Timberwolves: Jonathan Isaac, SF/PF, Florida State

8. New York Knicks: Frank Ntilikina, PG, SIG Strasbourg (France)

9. Dallas Mavericks: Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona

10. Sacramento Kings: Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga

11. Charlotte Hornets: Justin Jackson, SF, North Carolina

12. Detroit Pistons: Dennis Smith Jr., PG, N.C. State

13. Denver Nuggets: OG Anunoby, SF, Indiana

14. Miami Heat: Donovan Mitchell, SG, Louisville

15. Portland Trail Blazers: Harry Giles, PF, Duke

16. Chicago Bulls: Jarrett Allen, C, Texas

17. Milwaukee Bucks: Luke Kennard, SG, Duke

18. Indiana Pacers: John Collins, PF, Wake Forest

19. Atlanta Hawks: Justin Patton, C, Creighton

20. Portland Trail Blazers: Terrance Ferguson, SG, Adelaide (Australia)

21. Oklahoma City Thunder: Jordan Bell, PF, Oregon

22. Brooklyn Nets: Tyler Lydon, PF, Syracuse

23. Toronto Raptors: Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA

24. Utah Jazz: TJ Leaf, PF, UCLA

25. Orlando Magic: Isaiah Hartenstein, PF, Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania)

26. Portland Trail Blazers: Rodions Kurucs, SF, FC Barcelona B (Spain)

27. Brooklyn Nets: Jawun Evans, PG, Oklahoma State

28. Los Angeles Lakers: Bam Adebayo, PF, Kentucky

29. San Antonio Spurs: Jonathan Jeanne, C, SLUC Nancy (France)

30. Utah Jazz: Derrick White, PG, Colorado

Harry Giles

From 2013 through 2016, Giles underwent three knee surgeries. If Giles didn't suffer injuries to both of his knees, he may well be in the top-three prospect conversation.

It's impressive that Giles is even being talked about as a top-20 pick despite the adversity he has encountered, but the questions are how well he can recover and whether the injuries are a thing of the past.

Giles played sparingly in his one season at Duke, averaging just 11.5 minutes per game after missing the season's first 11 contests. He posted averages of 3.9 points and 3.8 boards during that time.

Still, the 6'10" Giles opened some eyes at the NBA Draft Combine, posting one of the fastest lane agility times (11.08 seconds) and a wingspan measuring 7'3 ¼".

No team is going to ask Giles to contribute right away. Expect a team in the 15-25 range to take a shot on Giles, redshirt him for a few years and then put him in a rotation. If Giles stays healthy, he might be the steal of his draft.

Ike Anigbogu

Anigbogu lands on this list simply because he didn't receive much playing time at UCLA last year, making him harder to project on the NBA level.

The 6'9 ¾", 252-pound forward only averaged 13.0 minutes per game in his one season at UCLA, posting 4.7 points, 4.0 and 1.2 blocks a night.

But one can't ignore his massive 7'6 ¼" wingspan, which was second among all prospects that went to this year's NBA Draft Combine.

Here are Mike Schmitz and Derek Bodner of DraftExpress with more on Anigbogu:

"[Anigbogu] is also quick on his feet, fast off the ground, changes direction well, has a very quick second jump, and brings a consistently high energy level, providing him with many of the attributes that NBA teams look for in the modern NBA big man. Those physical tools provide Anigbogu with a strong starting point, allowing him to make an impact even as his overall skill level catches up."

Also, Anigbogu does not even turn 19 years old until October 22, right before the 2017-18 NBA season begins.

He'll likely sit the bench for a few years as he develops and learns the NBA game, but a team taking a chance on him in the first round could reap the benefits.

Terrance Ferguson

The 6'7" shooting guard ranked No. 11 on the ESPN's list of the top 100 men's high school basketball players from the class of 2016, ahead of likely future first-round draft picks Jonathan Isaac, TJ Leaf and Jarrett Allen.  

He decommitted from Alabama and then Arizona before deciding to play overseas for the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League in (Australia.

Ferguson didn't receive much playing time for Adelaide, per DraftExpress, averaging just 15.1 minutes per game while scoring 4.6 points a night.

Therefore, Ferguson is a bit of an unknown heading into the 2017 NBA draft. Even the headline for an article from Neil Johnson of ESPN Analytics about Ferguson in February literally calls him a "mystery man."

The term three-and-D for Ferguson is being used to describe his potential skill set (seen here by Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report and Trevor Magnotti of FanSided). In an era where NBA teams shot 27.0 three-point attempts on average this season, per Basketball Reference (the most all-time and up from 24.1 last year), solid three-and-D prospects are hot commodities.

Ferguson will be picked before the end of the first round. However, like Giles and Anigbogu, don't expect any immediate contributions.