Despite a substantial amount of time remaining until the 2017 NBA draft, March Madness definitely plays a major part in deciding who the top picks will be by the time June comes around.
There are plenty of reasons to get excited, with the much talked about draft potentially looking deeper than ever, all the way through to the back end of the second round. Although only educated guesses can be made at this stage, players who have impressed before and during the NCAA Division 1 Tournament seem to already have one foot in the big-time.
There is only one place to start in terms of the draft, and despite being part of a team struggling for form throughout the season, Markelle Fultz has long been tipped as the number one overall pick. The do-it-all guard is looking to hold onto that position in spite of his team, Washington, not even qualifying for the tournament.
Possessing unbelievable physical, playmaking, and scoring attributes, the 6’4” 18-year-old held a 41.3% shooting mark from deep, further bolstering the chances of him being selected way early come draft time. The youngster has already demonstrated more than enough throughout the season to justify his number one ranking.
Meanwhile, having fully recovered from an ACL surgery last year, N.C. State’s Dennis Smith is another prospect set to garner loads of attention from scouts, with his burst to the rim and finishing ability as good as anyone in the college basketball scene this season.
With an average of 6.2 assists per game and 35.9% shooting from three, a whole host of NBA teams will certainly be keeping an eye on the point guard. However, like Fultz, Smith is part of a team that has struggled, something which may be of concern to the eyes of scouts since Smith is not in the same league as Fultz in terms of individual talent.
As one of the darkhorse teams in the NCAA Tournament, prior to being eliminated, based on odds by Bettingsports.com, Kansas owns a number of players who could potentially be heading to the NBA.
Josh Jackson is undoubtedly the standout player for the Jayhawks with the forward’s activity at both ends of the court. Despite concerns regarding his shooting, along with the fact that he uses his advanced years to bully opponents, Jackson is still among the top wing prospects in the draft.
Finally, one man who has come into contention over recent months is Malik Monk, with the guard having established himself as one of the most exciting players in college basketball this season. The Kentucky Wildcats stud is an athlete with an appetite for the outrageous — often making the most difficult of shots look easy. Despite question marks regarding his size and passing ability, Monk could very well end up among the better lottery choices in the draft.
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