2017 Prospect Profile

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6’9.5”, 225 lbs 6’11.25” wingspan 8’10.5” standing reach 33” no-step vertical 37.5” max vertical

33 games, 19.2 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 62.2 FG%, 74.5 FT%

Collins is expected to be a mid first-round pick.

Collins’ best game came in a 99-94 road loss to the Duke Blue Devils on Feb. 18. Despite the loss, Collins finished with 31 points, 15 rebounds and a steal. He shot an efficient 15-for-16 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.

Collins had a breakout season as a sophomore, becoming an offensive machine.

He might be a little undersized at power forward or center, but as we’ve seen, that doesn’t really matter in today’s NBA.

Collins, 19, has a pleothera of post moves and also has a nice midrange jumper, although the folks at the NBA level would like to extend that a bit.

He forces some plays offensively, including passes and shots. He does a solid job of getting to the free-throw line and has very soft hands for a big man.

The main concern with Collins is his defense. He gives up a lot of points and at times you’d like to see more effort from him.

Overall, Collins is young and is already a very talented offensive player. There’s plenty of potential for him at the next level.

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2017 Prospect Profile | John Collins

6’11.25”, 229 lbs 7’3” wingspan 9’3.5” standing reach 26-inch no-step vertical 30.5-inch max vertical

35 games, 25.3 MPG, 12.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 1.2 SPG, 67.6 FG%, 51.7 FT%

Patton is expected to be taken in the middle of the first round.

Patton’s best game came on Jan. 4 in an 85-72 road win over St. John’s. Patton finished with 25 points, nine rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal. He shot an efficient 11-for-14 from the field and 1-for-1 from the 3-point line.

Patton redshirted his freshman year at Creighton and it paid off for the 20-year-old. His per-game averages don’t tell the whole story.

Per 40 minutes, Patton averaged 20.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Patton is a very good athlete for his position.

He’s good at cutting to the rim and rolling to the basket. It’s even better because he has soft hands and is a decent jumper.

The promising thing about Patton is that he’s extremely active. He has a high motor and effort is rarely a problem, which is what you like to see from any young player.

With that being said, he isn’t a great rebounder and is pretty horrible at the free-throw line. He needs to add strength to his frame and needs to lay off the fouls.

He shows some potential from the 3-point line, making eight of 15 attempts last season, but it’s such a small sample size we probably can’t take much from that.

Overall, he’s a player that may need some developing, but he’s got tools that should make him successful at the next level.

Patton rose the draft boards and is projected as a late lottery pick right now. Even so, he hasn’t really had time to think about playing at the next level.

“Not yet,” Patton said. “Maybe when I get the contract… Right now, I haven’t really stopped to smell the roses.”

“It’s my dream to play in the NBA.”

Patton gave a solid answer on what he wants to improve on. He’s said that he’s asked teams what kind of player development programs they have. Mature answering.

“I’ve been getting good feedback,” Patton said. “One thing I’m looking forward to is developing.”

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2017 Prospect Profile | Justin Patton

6’5.5”, 196 lbs 6’5.25” wingspan 8’2.5” standing reach

37 games, 35.5 MPG, 19.5 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 49 FG%, 43.8 3P%, 85.6 FT%

Second-Team All-American First-Team All-ACC ACC Tournament MVP

Kennard is considered a mid to late lottery pick.

In a 94-55 home win over Maine on Dec. 3, Kennard finished with 35 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 34 minutes. He shot an efficient 11-for-16 from the field, 4-for-9 from the 3-point line and 9-for-9 from the free-throw line.

At the very least, Kennard should be knock-down 3-point shooter in the NBA. You don’t just hit 44 percent of your 3-pointers in college by accident.

He has good height for a shooting guard, although his wing span and strength leave some to be desired. Offensively, he’s very gifted and clever with his moves. He has an arsenal of ways to score, although not all of them will transition to the NBA just based on his athleticism.

He has solid body control and footwork. He’s a very smart player. He’s an above-average passer and makes good decisions. He doesn’t look like the most athletic guy, but he keeps defenders off guard with some of his herky-jerky motions. He’s also a good rebounder for his size.

There are concerns, too. Will Kennard be able to score the same way he did in college in the pros? Probably not, but he should be more than just a 3-point shooter in his career, maybe just not right away. There are also concerns on whether not he’ll be able to defend some of the more athletic shooting guards in the NBA.

Overall, the question, like any other prospect, will be what skills transfer over from college to the NBA for Kennard? That will define whether he’s more than just a knock-down 3-point shooter.

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2017 Prospect Profile | Luke Kennard

6’8.25”, 201 lbs 6’11” wingspan 8’8.5” standing reach 29.5” no-step vertical 35.5” max vertical

40 games, 32 MPG, 18.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.8 APG, 44.3 FG%, 37 3P%, 74.8 FT%

NCAA Champion First-Team All-American ACC Player of the Year First-team All-ACC

Jackson is considered a mid-first-round pick.

Jackson’s best game of the season, unfortunately, came in a 103-100 loss to Kentucky on Dec. 17 in Las Vegas. Jackson finished with 34 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal in 36 minutes. He shot 10-for-17 from the field, 4-for-7 from the 3-point line and 10-for-15 from the free-throw line.

Jackson, 22, is coming off of a dream season as a junior at UNC. He was an All-American and helped lead the Tar Heels to an NCAA Championship. And he was the best when his team needed him most, stepping up on both ends of the court.

This should reflect in Jackson’s draft stock. I’d be surprised if he wasn’t at least a late lottery pick.

He’s improved the most on his shot, nearly hitting 40 percent of them in his junior season, but that probably won’t translate over to the NBA immediately upon his arrival.

He has good size and he’s got a long wing span, however, he’s a bit lean and will need to add strength in order to compete with most NBA players.

Jackson has a great feel for the game and is very smart. He moves well without the ball, which is a huge plus. He’s not a ball stopper and is willing to make the extra pass. The effort is there defensively, but the athleticism might not be. You'd like to see him attack the basket more, but the lack of strength hinders that.

All in all, Jackson is entering the draft at his peak, coming off a championship and making huge improvements as a junior.

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2017 Prospect Profile | Justin Jackson

6’3” 211 lbs 6’10” wingspan 8’1” standing reach 36.5” no-step vertical 40.5” max vertical

34 games, 32.3 MPG, 15.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.1 SPG, 40.8 FG%, 35.4 3P%, 80.6 FT%

The sophomore’s best game came on Jan. 29 at home in an 85-60 win over NC State. Mitchell finished with 28 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. He shot 9-for-17 from the field, 6-for-10 from the 3-point line and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.

First off, Mitchell is an above-average defensive player with a high motor. That should translate to the NBA, a place where he should be able to defend point and shooting guards, along with some undersized small forwards.

He has a rock-solid frame, good speed and hops. That combination makes him solid in the open court, although he could attack the basket a bit more.

Mitchell could improve on basic skills. He’s slow on hitting open players.

He’s improved immensely as a shooter, but doesn’t project as a great 3-point shooter right away. He’s a bit inconsistent and needs to hone in on his shot selection.

By all accounts, he seems like a very hard worker and a good dude who is just scratching the surface.

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2017 Prospect Profile | Donovan Mitchell

37 games, 30.8 MPG, 15.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.5 BPG, 49.2 FG%, 42.3 3P%, 83.5 FT%

Third-team All-American First-team All-Pac-12 Pac 12 All-Freshman Team

His best game of the season came in a 91-75 home win over Arizona State on Jan. 12. Markkanen finished with 30 points and eight rebounds while shooting 12-for-18 from the field and 4-for-7 from the 3-point line in 30 minutes of play.

There’s a good chance that Markkanen is the best shooter in the draft, and when you consider that he’s 7-feet tall, that’s pretty remarkable. His range should transfer to the NBA immediately upon his arrival.

The 20-year-old big from Finland will give you plenty of effort and he can also roll hard to the basket, but he’ll need to add some strength if he wants to continue that in the NBA.

He’s not the most-athletic player and that limits him at times, especially defensively.

In the NBA, he’ll probably be forced to play power forward against similar type of players. Think of the Channing Frye, Ryan Anderson types. But coming into the league, Markkanen is already better shooters than those two were.

Markkanen was more than just a 3-point specialist during his time at Arizona and for a team that needs a 3-point shooter, that should at the very least be his floor.

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2017 Prospect Profile | Lauri Markkanen

32 games, 34.8 MPG, 18.1 PPG, 6.2 APG, 4.6 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 45.5 FG%, 35.9 3P%, 71.5 FT%

ACC Rookie of the Year Second-team All-ACC ACC All-Freshman Team

In this 105-78 blowout win over Virginia Tech on Jan. 4, Smith finished with 27 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds and five steals. He shot an efficient 9-for-16 from the field. 

Smith had a bit of a roller-coaster season with NC State, but you could also make the argument that he didn’t have the same talent around him that other lottery picks had.

He did have solid production, nearly averaging 20 points per game. He’s strong, explosive and can flat-out fly.

In the open court, watch out. Smith’s power and speed are pretty much impossible to stop. Take a charge? Good luck. That leads to plenty of free-throw attempts, although his 71 free-throw percentage leads much to be desired.

He is a solid ball handler and has a very good hesitation move. He is a very solid passer and as he trusts his teammates at the next level, he’ll probably be more willing.

You’d like to see some more communication from him, especially at the point-guard position.

His jump shot needs some work and that will be something NBA defenders likely dare him to do early in his career. He shot 50 percent or better in 18 games, but shot 40 percent or worse in nine games. The same goes for his 3-point shot. He had three or more 3-pointers in 10 games, but also went a combined 0-for-23 in nine games.

He has all the tools to be a very good defender. You’d like to see more length, but he can’t control that. He has quick feet and a strong build. He shows flashes at being great defensively, but needs to be more consistent.

This draft class has plenty of solid point guards like Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball and D’Aaron Fox. Don’t forget Smith, though.

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2017 Prospect Profile | Dennis Smith Jr.

6’11, 205 lbs 7’1.25” wingspan 9’0.5” standing reach

32 games, 12 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.5 BPG, 1.2 SPG, 1.2 APG, 50.8 FG%, 78 FT%, 34.8 3P%

In Florida State’s 83-80 win over Notre Dame on Jan. 18, Isaac dominated and finished with a near triple-double of 23 points, 10 rebounds, seven blocks, one assist and one steal. He shot an efficient 7-for-9 from the field, 2-for-2 from the 3-point line and 7-for-7 from the free-throw line.

Isaac’s greatest potential comes on the defensive end. He’s a rim protector just based on his length and height. But when you add in his ability to defend multiple positions with his quick feet, that’s when things get exciting. We’re seeing more and more bigs defend the perimeter and that should get scouts excited.

He’s a solid rebounder. Offensively, there’s hope that he’ll be able to extend his range to the 3-point line. His shot looks natural and he did shoot 35 percent from deep as a freshman. That won’t translate right away to the pros, but it should eventually.

He’ll need to work his ball handling if he wants to play out on the perimeter. Offensively, he is sometimes unreceptive and can disappear.

The biggest “weakness” of Isaac is his slender build. He’ll need to add more weight to play consistent minutes in the NBA, especially if he’s going to guard power forwards and centers.

Overall, the main attraction for a team picking Isaac is his ability to defend on the perimeter as well as in the paint.

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2017 Prospect Profile | Jonathan Isaac

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