(If you just came here for the rankings scroll down.)
Another NBA season has come and gone and now the NBA Draft is upon us. Anyone who knows me knows that I love this time of year. It starts during the NCAA tournament, trying to see which players have the heart and determination to be stars, who steps up in the big moments and also who fades. From there I have an idea of who I like and who I don’t and for the past 6 drafts I’ve sat down and scouted 40+ recruits every season to see if I can determine who the sleepers and busts might be.
This year, with the site established I scouted 60 (62 including Jeane and Kurucs) and decided I wanted to share my top 50. I rated the players based on what I thought their max 2K rating will be if they go to the right situation.
There are 4 strong indicators that let me know how a player is going to do at the next level when I’m scouting.
- Attitude: I like guys who embrace challenges and are not afraid of the moment. I like fiery players who LOVE basketball and aren’t just playing because they just so happened to be 6 foot+ and somebody introduced them to the game. I also like leadership and guys who play within the team.
- Defense: As a young player it’s going to be hard to get on the court unless you play some defense. If you don’t, you better be an elite offensive player or freak athlete. Getting onto the court early means keeping your confidence up and thus having the opportunity to maximize your potential.
- Rebounding: Like defense, rebounding is a translatable skill. And I’m not talking about averaging a certain number of rebounds I’m talking about effort. Do you box out, do you rebound outside of your area, do you read shots and crash the glass. Rebounding is another way for a young player to impact the game in a positive way and get himself onto the court early.
- Aggressiveness: You may lump this into attitude but aggressiveness is also a key for me. A guy who is active, again, has more opportunities to make plays that impact the game and thus more opportunities to win himself playing time.
Look at a guy like Jae Crowder. He was a second round pick but I had him as a sleeper. Why? Because he had all of the keys above. The same goes for Draymond, Chandler Parsons, and Brogdon.
Without further ado, here are my top 50 players in the 2017 NBA Draft.
- De’Aaron Fox 93
- Frank Ntilikina 89
- Caleb Swanigan 88
- Jawun Evans 86
- Dennis Smith 86
- Jonathan Isaac 86
- Markelle Fultz 85
- Donovan Mitchell 85
- Jayson Tatum 85
- Josh Jackson 84
- Justin Patton 84
- Zach Collins 84
- John Collins 83
- Sindarius Thornwell 83
- Isaiah Hartenstein 83
- Thomas Bryant 82
- Lonzo Ball 82
- Jarrett Allen 82
- Justin Jackson 82
- Ike Anigbogu 81
- Malik Monk 81
- Semi Ojeleye 81
- Tyler Lydon 81
- OG Anunoby 80
- Bam Adebayo 80
- Jonah Bolden 80
- Derrick White 79
- Alpha Kaba 79
- Luke Kennard 78
- Frank Mason 78
- T.J. Leaf 78
- P.J. Dozier 77
- Frank Jackson 77
- Jordan Bell 77
- Lauri Markkanen 77
- Tony Bradley 76
- Sterling Brown 76
- Anzejs Pasecniks 75
- Monte Morris 75
- Josh Hart 75
- Terrance Ferguson 75
- Kyle Kuzma 73
- D.J. Wilson 73
- Alec Peters 73
- Jake Wiley 73
- Harry Giles 71
- Tyler Dorsey 71
- Cameron Oliver 71
- L.J. Peak 71
- Ivan Rabb 70
- Johnathan Motley 70
For breakdowns on the top 25 and a few additional players hit the links below!
(21-25 + Additional Notable Players)
Thoughts, opinions, never going to check this site again because I’m clearly a crazy person? Fire away at me on Twitter @MBibs or @BibsCorner.
-Bibs
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