1. PG Markelle Fultz, Washington
Fultz has, for the time being, established himself as the best prospect in the 2017 draft class heading into his freshman campaign with Washington. Standing around 6-5 with a 6-9 wingspan and a solid frame, Fultz is incredibly well built for the point guard spot, and possesses all the requisite skills needed to excel for years to come.
Much akin to D’Angelo Russell in a number of ways, Fultz is a highly skilled offensive threat. He’s a smooth shooter from deep, having excellent numbers when spotting up and showing plenty of prowess when creating his own shot off the dribble. Futlz has shown his ability to play either guard spot in some scenarios, and has a combination of scoring touch and passing ability that’s difficult to find, even if a class loaded with upper echelon point guards.
Fultz’s scoring instincts are at a level reached by only a handful of players in this class, and only a handful of players in recent memories. He understands how to manipulate the defense to his advantage and is extremely crafty with his ball handling. He finds lanes to the basket and is able to exploit them with ease, whether that’s gliding to the rim for a basket or kicking the ball out to an open teammate on the perimeter.
Fultz is somebody who will be able to step in and operate and NBA offense from day one. His court vision is second to only Frank Ntilikina in the scope of 2017, and his ability to play unselfishly and create for others at a high level when not finding his own avenues of production is outright impressive.
Defensively, he has all the tools to be effective if he puts in the energy necessitated to excel. He’s well built for covering either guard spot and has the quickness and defensive vision needed to get into passing lanes and create turnovers on a dime. He lacks focus at times and hasn’t always been oriented towards defensive success, but greater competition at the college level and some extra push from the coaching staff could help change that.
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In terms of gifted offensive players, Fultz is among the best we’ve seen in recent years. He has the potential to be a truly generational talent with his blend of well-tuned offensive skills and a feel for the game that doesn’t come around with too many 18-year-olds. He’ll have a bounty of opportunities to showcase his skills next season with Dejounte Murray now out in Washington, and if everything goes as well as it could, I wouldn’t be surprised to see his name called first come next year.