{"id":3898,"date":"2017-01-26T08:00:04","date_gmt":"2017-01-26T13:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/?p=3898"},"modified":"2017-01-26T13:18:03","modified_gmt":"2017-01-26T18:18:03","slug":"2017-nba-draft-prospects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2017\/01\/26\/2017-nba-draft-prospects\/","title":{"rendered":"2017 NBA Draft Prospects: All Aboard the Fultz Train"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: With the NCAA basketball season in full swing, Lior Kozai<\/a>, senior editor at Last Word On Pro Basketball and freshman at the University of Miami, teamed up with Josh Aber, college basketball fanatic and freshman at the University of Western Ontario, to discuss the top 2017 NBA draft prospects.<\/em><\/p>\n

2017 NBA Draft Prospects: All Aboard the Fultz Train<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Josh<\/strong>: Markelle Fultz<\/strong> is the man.<\/p>\n

Lior<\/strong>: Is Fultz better than [UCLA\u2019s] Lonzo Ball<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: I think so. I love Fultz. He\u2019s on a bad team so his stats are inflated, but he has more potential than Ball.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: I\u2019ve only seen Fultz live once, in UW\u2019s game against Oregon.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: Ah, I missed that game.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Oregon played zone so Fultz couldn\u2019t really do anything.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: But it hurts Fultz that he has no teammates. Marquese Chriss<\/a><\/strong> should\u2019ve stayed another year.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Yeah, Washington stinks. Chriss just looks so skinny compared to the NBA guys.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: I hate when guys leave early just for the sake of it.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Got to secure that money.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: Think about how much better they could get in college with another year (cough, James Harden<\/a><\/strong>, cough).<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Yeah, look at Damian Lillard<\/a><\/strong>, a four-year player.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: Exactly. When you dominate like Anthony Davis<\/a><\/strong>, fine \u2013 leave. But guys like Skal Labissiere<\/strong>? What was he thinking?<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: I agree \u2013 if you\u2019re not NBA-ready, you should stay. Labissiere was only the 27th pick, too. Such a bad decision. Anyway, who else is going to be at the top of the 2017 draft?<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: Dennis Smith<\/strong> [NC State], Harry Giles<\/strong> [Duke], Jayson Tatum [Duke]. Josh Jackson<\/strong> [Kansas] is all potential. Kentucky\u2019s starting guards, Malik Monk<\/strong> and De\u2019Aaron Fox<\/strong>, are also great.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Doesn\u2019t Giles have, like, no ACLs? Monk went crazy in that UNC game. [Editor\u2019s note: Monk scored 47 points in a 103-100 Kentucky victory over North Carolina on December 16th.]<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: Yeah, he\u2019s insane.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: I like Fox, but it feels like he\u2019ll just follow the Marcus Smart<\/a><\/strong> trajectory \u2013 good college player, mediocre NBA player.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: I think he could be a nice player off the bench. Maybe not a starter, but at least a valuable contributor to a good NBA team.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: I agree. It\u2019s just that he has limited upside for a guy who\u2019s supposed to be a top ten pick.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: I think if his jumper improves, he has some solid upside. He could potentially be a good \u2018three and D\u2019 guy, except also an excellent playmaker. How about your boy, [Duke\u2019s] Grayson Allen<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Ha, I can\u2019t stand him. And he looks like Ted Cruz<\/a>.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: His teammate Luke Kennard<\/strong> is filthy, though. And [Arizona\u2019s] Lauri Markanen<\/strong> \u2013 the next Kristaps Porzingis<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Physically, he looks like Porzingis. His highlights make him seem pretty bad, though.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: He\u2019s a lock to be a lottery pick.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Looks more like Dragan Bender<\/a><\/strong> than Porzingis. Bender, with all of his eight minutes per game for Maccabi last year.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: I think Porzingis is a better comparison. At least, I hope.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: I bet the Heat will tank for one of these guys. All they have to do is trade Goran Dragic<\/a><\/strong> and play without a point guard \u2013 instant tank job. That team is so terrible already.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: It might be worth it. Fultz is just insane. He\u2019s the best PG prospect since Kyrie Irving<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Really?<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: Well, in my opinion. But he can\u2019t be too far off. He\u2019s around 6\u20194\u201d, with a 6\u20198\u201d wingspan and a huge vertical leap.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: He\u2019s unbelievably fast. Who does he play like? John Wall<\/a><\/strong>, maybe?<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: Honestly…a mix of Wall and Russell Westbrook<\/a><\/strong> and Kyrie.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Holy crap.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: Fultz is the best freshman I\u2019ve ever seen.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Seriously?<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: He dropped 37 against a zone defense, leading Washington to a double-OT win. [Editor\u2019s note: Fultz scored a career-high 37 points in an 85-83 win over Colorado on January 18th.] He\u2019s the only dude on his team. I can\u2019t even think of an NBA comparison for him. He\u2019s just a mix of a bunch of great PGs.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: He definitely reminds me of Wall \u2013 the body type, speed, athleticism, and defense. But his mid-range game and floaters are from Isaiah Thomas<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s bag of tricks \u2013 another UW guy.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: I\u2019m glad you like him. But I think he\u2019s bigger and longer than Wall. He looks at least 6\u20195\u201d. He\u2019s got a longer wingspan, no doubt. I still think he\u2019s some kind of mix of the three I mentioned \u2013 Wall, Westbrook, and Kyrie.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: That combination is nuts. I see some Kyrie, but definitely a lot of Wall. By the way, I came up with some tanking slogans for NBA teams this season: \u201cTake Ls for Markelle\u201d, \u201cNo-show for Lonzo\u201d, \u201cLoose them all for Ball\u201d, and \u201cWrithe for Smith\u201d. I\u2019ll have to work on that last one.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: The first three are great. I like Smith, although I think he\u2019s a couple levels below Lonzo and Markelle at this point.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Who else do you like?<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: I\u2019m impressed by\u00a0Jonathan Isaac<\/strong> of Florida State.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Ah, he\u2019s the enemy here at UMiami.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: NBADraft.net projects Miles Bridges<\/strong> to go to the Raptors! He’s one of the most\u00a0talented Michigan State players of the last several years.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: He\u2019s another all-around wing player, isn\u2019t he? The Spartans have had plenty of those.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: He\u2019s more athletic than the likes of Draymond Green<\/a><\/strong> and Denzel Valentine<\/a><\/strong>, though. And he has a nice shooting stroke for a pretty big guy.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: That would be an interesting fit with a team as good as Toronto. Can Bridges play some power forward?<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: I think so, as a stretch four.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: That would be huge \u2013 the Raps desperately need big men.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: Going back to Kentucky \u2013 Edrice \u201cBam\u201d Adebayo<\/strong> looked good against Tennessee in the other day.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: I was just going to mention him. He\u2019s massive.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: They don\u2019t call him Bam for nothing.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: How about our Canadian guy, Dillon Brooks<\/strong>? I like him; I think he could be a legit NBA player.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: Yeah, he\u2019s solid. I just keep going back to Markelle, though. Markelle is Jesus. He\u2019s the savior of basketball.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Ha, that’s great. But seriously, he\u2019d be unbelievable if he became a great three-point shooter, to go with everything else. Why did he pick UW, of all schools?<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: He was a late bloomer \u2013 he didn\u2019t even make the varsity team in his first two years of high school. I guess he really is Michael Jordan<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Wow. That\u2019s pretty incredible. Definitely surprising.<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: Man, he still could\u2019ve gone anywhere. He had offers from 22 very good basketball programs, including your school.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Final topic of interest: who gets picked first overall, Fultz or Ball?<\/p>\n

J<\/strong>: Fultz is so calm. I can see him averaging 20-8-8 not too long from now. But Lonzo is also really, really good. I honestly don\u2019t know who will go first.<\/p>\n

L<\/strong>: Regardless, I can\u2019t wait to see them in the NBA.<\/p>\n

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Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n