Miles Bridges and Allonzo Trier announcing that they're staying in school removed one lottery pick -- and possibly two first-round picks -- from the pool of talent that'll be available in the 2017 NBA Draft. That's great for Michigan State and Arizona but less than ideal for the 30 NBA franchises. Either way, this draft will be loaded. There are future stars available and enough quality prospects to fill the first round, which isn't always the case.
The best prospect?
I still believe it's Markelle Fultz.
I still think he'll be the first player selected.
But future All-Stars will be selected below him, guaranteed.
Gary Parrish's NBA Mock Draft
| 1 |  |
| Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington: The Celtics will wisely opt for the best prospect regardless of position or need. To most, that's Fultz -- the one-and-done point guard who averaged 23.2 points, 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range for Lorenzo Romar's Huskies. | |
| 2 |  |
| Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas: The Suns could obviously go many directions with this pick. But if they don't take one of the elite point guards the selection should be Jackson. The 6-foot-8 wing is a top-shelf athlete who averaged 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and three assists in his lone year of college. He projects as a high-level contributor on both ends of the court. | |
| 3 |  |
| Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA: Ball was raised in the Los Angeles area and has made it clear he would prefer to be a Laker. Whether he would be able to transform that franchise the way he transformed UCLA by averaging 14.6 points, 7.6 assists and six rebounds is up for debate. But the 6-6 point guard as the face of Magic Johnson's franchise would be quite the storyline. | |
| 4 |  |
| Dennis Smith Jr., PG, NC State: The Sixers have interesting pieces in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. But the point guard position could use an upgrade. Smith is an obvious upgrade. He averaged 18.1 points, 6.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds in one season at NC State. He tore an ACL in high school. But you would never know that by watching him now. | |
| 5 |  |
| Malik Monk, PG, Kentucky: The Magic need shooting in the worst way. Monk would provide it. The athletic combo guard made 39.7 percent of his 3-point attempts in his one season at Kentucky while averaging 19.8 points. | |
| 6 |  |
| Jayson Tatum, SF, Duke: Tatum closed strong and developed into Duke's most dynamic player this season. He averaged 16.8 points and 7.3 rebounds while leading Duke to an ACC tournament title. He should be a high-level scorer at the NBA level. | |
| 7 |  |
| Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona: Markkanen is a modern-day stretch-4 who shot 42.3 percent from 3-point range this season. It's hard to imagine him slipping outside of the top 10. | |
| 8 |  |
| Jonathan Isaac, SF, Florida State: Isaac averaged 12.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for a team that won 26 games. He has one of the biggest upsides of any prospect in this draft because he's a long forward who can play around the rim or all the way out to the 3-point line. | |
| 9 |  |
| De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky: The Mavericks need point guard help and Fox would provide it. He was sensational in Kentucky's Sweet 16 win over UCLA. The only thing he's missing is a reliable jumper, which can theoretically be developed over time. | |
| 10 | |
| Justin Jackson, SF, North Carolina: Jackson shot a career-high 37 percent from 3-point range this season, which greatly enhanced his NBA stock. He's a talented wing and national champion who should be able to contribute immediately. | |
| 11 |  |
| Justin Patton, C, Creighton: Patton is the rare one-and-done redshirt freshman. The 7-foot forward averaged 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in just 25.3 minutes for Creighton this season. He's a work in progress but a player with an undeniably high ceiling. | |
| 12 |  |
| Frank Ntilikina, PG, France: Ntilikina should be the first international player off the board. He's a big and strong point guard who signed his initial professional contract at the age of 15. The only reason he could be available outside of the top 10 is because of the quality of the American point guards in this draft. | |
| 13 |  |
| Zach Collins, PF, Gonzaga: Collins is the first one-and-done player in Gonzaga history. The 7-foot forward shot 47.6 percent from the 3-point line on the season -- and had 14 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks in the Zags' national semifinal win over South Carolina. | |
| 14 |  |
| OG Anunoby, SF, Indiana: Anunoby suffered a season-ending knee injury, which will cost him with some franchises. But the 6-8 wing remains a lottery talent and should be evaluated as such. He's probably a top-10 pick if not for the medical setback. | |
| 15 |  |
| TJ Leaf, PF, UCLA: Leaf averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds while shooting 46.6 percent from 3-point range. He was overshadowed by his teammates at UCLA but is still a statistical monster. He's a perfect stretch-4 for the modern-day NBA. | |
| 16 |  |
| Terrance Ferguson, SG, Australia: Ferguson is the former Arizona signee who skipped college and accepted a professional contract in Australia. No, he didn't produce at a high level. But that reality -- i.e., American teenagers failing to be relevant overseas -- has never prevented NBA franchises from drafting anybody in the first round. Brandon Jennings is the best example. | |
| 17 |  |
| Donovan Mitchell, SG, Louisville: Mitchell had a breakout season this season and averaged 15.6 points and 4.9 rebounds for a Louisville team that won 25 games. He's an undersized but strong shooting guard with above-average athleticism. | |
| 18 |  |
| Jarrett Allen, C, Texas: Allen was a better prospect than player in his one season at Texas. But the 6-11 athlete was consistently good from February on and showed flashes of why he's worthy of being selected in the top 20. | |
| 19 | |
| John Collins, PF, Wake Forest: Collins was ranked 230th in the Class of 2015, according to 247Sports. Still, he averaged 19.2 points and 9.8 rebounds this season and emerged as a legitimate NBA prospect -- which makes him one of basketball's most surprising stories. | |
| 20 |  |
| Harry Giles, PF, Duke: At some point somebody will take a flyer on Giles and rationalize it by stating he would've been a top-five pick a year ago. Will he ever become what so many projected him to become -- i.e., the next Chris Webber? I'm not sure. But he might. So he's worth a gamble. | |
| 21 |  |
| Isaiah Hartenstein, PF, Germany: Hartenstein should be the second non-American international player off the board. The 7-footer moves well for a player his size and could be a legitimate threat from the 3-point line, like Marc Gasol is now, in time. | |
| 22 |  |
| Ivan Rabb, PF, California: Rabb didn't improve his so-called stock by returning for his sophomore season, which was the plan. But he's still a first-round talent and intriguing prospect. The 6-11 forward averaged 14 points and 10.5 rebounds this season. | |
| 23 | |
| Tyler Lydon, SF, Syracuse: Lydon shot 40 percent from 3-point range in two seasons at Syracuse. The 6-9 forward averaged 13.2 points and 8.6 rebounds as a sophomore. He'll be a stretch-4 in the NBA and should be capable of cracking a rotation as a rookie. | |
| 24 |  |
| Luke Kennard, SG, Duke: Kennard was among college basketball's biggest breakout stars. He averaged 19.5 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 43.8 percent from 3-point range as a sophomore. In a league where shooting is invaluable, Kennard is a desired commodity. | |
| 25 |  |
| Semi Ojeleye, SF, SMU: Ojeleye started his college career at Duke, where he was just a bit player. But the 6-7 forward was tremendous at SMU this season. He averaged 19 points and 6.9 rebounds while leading the Mustangs to AAC regular-season and tournament titles. | |
| 26 | |
| Rodions Kurucs, SF, Spain: The Magic have two first-round picks. So they could use a draft-and-stash option. Kurucs, a 19-year-old from Latvia playing professionally in Spain, is a solid candidate for exactly that. | |
| 27 | |
| Josh Hart, SG, Villanova: Not every junior who returns for his senior year actually improves his reputation with NBA scouts. But Hart did. He averaged 18.7 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 40.4 percent from 3-point range for a Villanova team that was the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. | |
| 28 | |
| Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA: What Anigbogu lacks in offensive skills he makes up for with tenacity and toughness. He's a raw but interesting prospect who is still just 18 years old. | |
| 29 |  |
| Caleb Swanigan, PF, Purdue: There has to be a place in the NBA for anybody who produces at the high-major level the way Swanigan did this season. The 6-9 forward averaged 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds for the Big Ten champions and was a consensus first-team All-American. | |
| 30 | |
| Bam Adebayo, C, Kentucky: Adebayo doesn't have the skill set most NBA franchises prefer from power forwards these days. But he's a good rebounder with a great motor who finishes exceptionally around the rim. Throw it up, and he'll dunk it. | |
