NBA Draft 2018: Assessing Top Stars' Scouting Reports from Experts' Mock Drafts
With the NBA regular season coming to a conclusion and the NCAA men's basketball tournament over, the focus for certain teams and prospects is the 2018 NBA draft.
The Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks should have the best chances to land the No. 1 overall pick, but there's no guarantee that will happen because of the draft lottery.
While the order of the teams selecting in the top 13 picks has yet to be determined, there is a consensus on which players are going to be at the top of draft boards across the NBA.
Front offices will have already started to nitpick each prospect's qualities, and that is only going to continue as workouts help fill out scouting reports.
Below is a look at three of the top stars entering the NBA this summer and what the experts are saying about them.
DeAndre Ayton, C, Arizona
There is a good chance Arizona center DeAndre Ayton hears his name called first on June 21.
Fans of the collegiate game fell in love with the game of the 7-footer, who was a dominant force throughout the weak Pac-12 for Sean Miller's Wildcats.
Aran Smith of NBADraft.net called Ayton a "generational big man and one of the most dominant prospects to emerge at center in the last two to three decades."
While there's no doubt about the high level of talent he brings to the court, there are some concerns about Ayton after Arizona's first-round exit in the NCAA tournament at the hands of Buffalo.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman counted Ayton's defensive qualities, which were exposed against Buffalo, as a knock against him. But there is plenty of value in the Bahamas native's scoring ability.
Ayton is expected to thrive right away in the NBA based off his size and offensive dominance from his one season at Arizona.
In 35 games, Ayton averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, with double-doubles coming in 24 contests, including eight of his last nine games.
Ayton also displayed a little versatility in his shooting, as he made 34.3 percent of his three-point shots.
Although he never attempted more than four three-pointers in one game, Ayton is capable of drifting out to the perimeter on occasion to knock down a three-pointer.
The Arizona big man's top qualities come down low, and he is expected to make an immediate impact with whichever team lands the No. 1 overall pick.
There's a decent chance he stays in Arizona as a member of the Suns, as they possess the worst record in the NBA.
Luka Doncic, PG/SG, Slovenia
The only player challenging Ayton in draft conversations for the No. 1 pick is Luka Doncic.
Doncic, who plays for Real Madrid in Spain, is regarded as one of the best European prospects in quite some time, and he could leapfrog Ayton depending on the team selecting at No. 1.
ESPN's Mike Schmitz recently saw Doncic in person at a game in which he knocked down the game-winning shot.
In that contest, Doncic had 24 points, nine rebounds and four assists and looked the part of a top selection in the NBA draft, per Schmitz:
Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated noted Doncic's on-court intelligence as his best attribute and that his overall skill set would help turn around a franchise like the Grizzlies, who are the second-worst team in the NBA behind the Suns.
Doncic's NBA comparison from Smith at NBADraft.net is Toni Kukoc, who played in the Association from 1993 to 2006 with four teams, most notably shining on the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls championship squads.
With a combination of raw skill and professional experience from the European game, Doncic looks like one of the most NBA-ready players in the draft class, and he comes into the league with fewer flaws than most of the one-and-done athletes from college basketball.
Jaren Jackson, PF/C, Michigan State
Jaren Jackson Jr. is one of two Michigan State players expected to go in the top 10 of June's draft, with sophomore Miles Bridges being the other.
Although the Spartans didn't produce the end result most in East Lansing, Michigan, expected with a loaded roster led by Jackson, we still witnessed how the freshman's game is going to translate to the professional level.
Wasserman praised Jackson's defensive ceiling, shooting and low-post game in his latest mock draft as qualities that will put him into the top three or four selections.
SB Nation's Ricky O'Donnell and Matt Ellentuck described Jackson as a "center [who] fits in wonderfully in the modern NBA" in their latest mock.
Jackson averaged 10.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and three blocks per game in his only season at Michigan State, but we didn't get to see him shine on the biggest stage, as the Spartans experienced an early exit in the NCAA tournament.
The 18-year-old scored eight points in 33 minutes over two games in the Big Dance, and he was inexplicably left on the bench for the second-round loss to Syracuse as Tom Izzo's Spartans struggled with the zone.
In addition to his post game, Jackson isn't afraid to attempt shots from beyond the arc, as he showed in the February 13 win over Minnesota, during which he made five of his eight three-pointers.
If Jackson puts all of the evolving elements of his game together, he is going to end up as one of the best players from this draft class.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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