The 2018 NBA Draft is less than two months away, and by now, we are all familiar with names like Trae Young, DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley, and Mo Bamba to name a few top prospects. But how about the other guys, the players with considerable potentials but are being given little to zero buzz at all?
Below are five draft hopefuls who continue to fly under the radar despite respectable showings in the last NCAA season, but could be big-time contributors in the NBA.
5. Lonnie Walker
Lonnie Walker is not generating loud noises ahead of the 2018 NBA Draft, which sounds apt considering that a few scouting reports describe him as a quiet guy on the floor.
In addition, Miami has never been a top producer of NBA talents. Per Basketball Reference, there have only been 13 players in the history of the NBA who played for the University of Miami. Once Walker gets drafted, he’ll be joining the exclusive group of luminaries such as Shane Larkin, John Salmons, and James Jones.
It’s Walker’s massive potential that does most of the talking for him. Potential is a hackneyed term used to analyze a prospect, but it feels wrong not to talk about Walker’s ceiling.
In his only season in Miami, Walker averaged 11.5 points per game. That’s not much to write home about, but it should be considered that Walker played in Jim Larranaga’s system. One that prioritizes a deliberately-paced game flow over a high-octane one, as evidenced by Miami finishing the 2017-18 NCAA season 233rd in the nation in KenPom’s adjusted tempo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMA9dYP08EI
Walker should further excel in the NBA’s up-tempo environment.
His mediocre scoring average also fails to illustrate the extent of his offensive capabilities. He shot 34.6 percent from the 3-point area despite, at times, taking difficult off-the-dribble, J.R. Smith-esque long-range shots. The 6-foot-4 wing can also deal damage inside with his blend of strength, length, explosiveness, and freakish athleticism. Defensively, he could also be an asset, as his length allows him to guard multiple positions.
4. Jontay Porter
Jontay is probably known more for being the brother of Michael Porter Jr., who is a potential top overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, than being a solid all-around player for the Missouri Tigers.
In his freshman season, Jontay Porter averaged 9.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.7 blocks. As what that stat line suggests, Porter can make his presence felt all over the court. He contributes to his team in more ways than one.
For a 6-foot-11 biggie, Porter also has a nice 3-point touch, shooting 36.4 shooting percentage from distance (1.2 makes on 3.3 attempts per game). He is also viewed as a reliable free throw shooter, as he went 75.0 percent from the charity stripe in 2017-18.
While Porter lacks the willingness to operate down low (only 16.8 percent of his shots were taken at the rim), he will make opponents pay for leaving him open in the perimeter, where he connected on 45.5 percent of his two-point jumpers.
3. Mike Daum
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits were not able to go far in the national tournament this year, as they were eliminated by the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round. A disappointment because basketball fans deserve more than one dose of Daum in the tournament.
Against Ohio State, Daum went toe-to-toe with elite NBA prospect and Buckeyes big man Keita Bates-Diop. Despite the loss, Daum scored a game-high 27 points.
It’s a shame that only a few know who Daum is. But the lack of popularity was never an obstacle for him to wreak havoc and cause nightmares on Jackrabbits opponents. This dude can flat-out score, and with a 6-foot-9 frame and a 7-foot-3 wingspan, he’s got the right NBA size and foundation to believe that transitioning his game into the pros will be seamless.
Last season, Daum averaged 23.9 points on a 46.2 field goal shooting percentage for a Jackrabbits’ offense that was 12th nationally in points with 83.0 per game. Daum could shoot from anywhere on the floor. Armed with a dangerous touch from deep, he looks ready for the pace-and-space ways of the NBA.
He took 38.5 percent of his shots from downtown and made an astonishing 42.5 percent of them. He’s terrific in finding spots where his teammates could easily find him as 94.8 percent of his 3-point baskets, were made off of assists. He’s more than just an outside scorer, though, as he could also force the issue inside on his own with only 32.3 percent of his field goals at the rim were through feeds from his teammates. Mike Daum is not called The Dauminator for nothing.
2. Khyri Thomas
Khyri Thomas is not a clone of Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas. Let’s get that out of the way first.
There is a lot to love in the Creighton Bluejay product despite a number of qualities that drags his draft stock down. For one, Thomas is a fierce one-on-one defender.
One of the knocks on Thomas is that he stands just 6-foot-3, but he has a ridiculous 6-foot-10 wingspan, which reminds some of Malcolm Brogdon (6’5”, 6’10” wingspan) and Tony Allen (6’4”, 6’9” wingspan). He is going to be a pest for perimeter operators players in the NBA, who will try to use their size advantage against Thomas but will also be susceptible to committing turnovers or getting their shots blocked upon underestimating Thomas’ length and quickness.
And unlike Allen, Thomas is a far more dangerous player on offense. While Thomas’ offensive skill set is limited, he still scored 16.4 points in three seasons in Creighton and shot 51.1 percent from the field. Furthermore, Thomas also knocked down 1.9 of 4.7 attempts from distance for a 40.6 percent clip.
He’s not going to be a lottery pick in the upcoming draft, but the team that will land Thomas will have a solid rotation player – at least – who could defend and shoot (3-and-D).
1. Landry Shamet
When Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet left Wichita State, it opened the door for Landry Shamet to carry the torch for great, but virtually unknown Shockers guards.
Similar to Baker and VanVleet, Shamet does not possess electrifying athleticism but makes up for it with efficiency as a shooter and a high basketball IQ. Last season, Shamet averaged 14.9 points on 48.9 shooting from the field. Per KenPom, he finished the season 22nd in offensive efficiency with 1.28 points per possession.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvvvGUkdfzE
Shamet is a deadly 3-point shooter with an above-average 44.2 shooting percentage from behind the arc. He’s also a fantastic scorer inside the rainbow line with a 54.2 percent two-point shooting percentage in his college career. As for setting the table on offense, he averaged 5.2 assists per game against just 2.5 turnovers last season for Wichita State and also had solid 28.8 assist percentage.
Shamet has the tools to make a big impact in the NBA.
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