6. PF Harry Giles, Duke
Height/Weight: 6-11, 222 lbs
Giles, from a pure talent perspective, could still be in the conversation for the top spot on this big board. He’s an undeniably gifted two-way presence at the four spot, and his physical tools make him somebody that could mold seamlessly into today’s NBA once he gets his footing underneath him. The overarching concern here is injury. Giles tore his ACL and MCL in one knee during high school, only to return and tear his ACL in his other knee–making two major knee injuries in the course of 3 years a very real concern for NBA teams.
Now at Duke, Giles is still on the bench after undergoing a minor knee procedure this offseason. Injury concerns aside, however, the potential for Giles at the next level is very real. At 6-11, Giles has the versatility needed to handle the ball on the outside, while possessing the strength needed to pound the ball into the interior and score at the rim. Even with knee issues, he showed at explosive ability to play above the rim, and his quickness in transition far exceeds that of your typical near-7-footer. He hasn’t established his 3-point shot yet, but can legitimately knock down pull-up jumpers from midrange, and has a lot of nice moves he can fall back on en route to the basket when driving to the hoop. There are still some rough spots in his game offensively, but he’s a largely impressive athletic force with a lot of nice tools he go go to.
Giles’ defense is also in the elite category, as he is one of the more formidable rim protectors in the class. His timing and leaping ability at the rim is among the best in the lottery discussion, and he also has the versatility to stretch out to the perimeter effectively as well. If Giles can prove he’s capable of staying healthy once he gets back, I expect his stock to rise back up.
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5. SF Josh Jackson, Kansas
Height/Weight: 6-8, 203 lbs
Jackson made a name for himself with explosive athleticism as a high school prospect, and now begins his career at Kansas as one of the favorites to potential go first overall in next year’s draft. While he isn’t the most polished player in the top 5, Jackson’s ability to create plays both on and off the ball with his excellent size and incredible physical tools at the three spot makes him another elite prospect.
While he hasn’t shown mastery by any stretch, Jackson’s ability to step out and knock down outside shots has a been a promising sign early on at Kansas. He’s only shooting 29% from three–so it’s obviously not a finished product–but he has shown the ability to step outside the painted area and still find avenues of scoring outside of driving at the basket. Jackson’s athleticism does, however, favor that slashing style of play the most. He’s a highly aggressive finisher en route to the basket, and plays above the rim as frequently as anybody in the draft class will. Jackson has also shown the ability to post up smaller defenders and score on the block from time to time in the half court this season, which is a positive development to keep an eye on.
Jackson’s court vision is another part of his game that often gets overlooked. He won’t be the primary facilitator for an NBA offense, but he’s capable of firing some impressive passes in transition from time to time, and is far from inept when handling the ball in areas he’s comfortable with. He’s also among the best perimeter defenders in the draft class, utilizing his length and athleticism on the perimeter to bother shots–proving himself capable of guarding, potentially, 4 different spots on the floor. There’s a lot of versatility in Jackson’s game, and the potential his unreal athletic tools provide only reaffirms why his stock is so high.
4. PG Dennis Smith Jr., N.C. State
Height/Weight: 6-3, 195 lbs
Smith graced the top of my preseason big boards, and despite a rocky start to the season in some respects, a drop to 4 shouldn’t be overly concerning quite yet. The top 8 or so in this draft is compiled of prospects who could have been easy candidates for top 3 selections last season, and the fluidity of such a talent-packed group of players makes for alterations like these to be feasible.
From an athletic standpoint, Smith is right a the top of this draft class. The 2017 crop has been loaded with incredible athletes, but Smith’s rare combination of explosiveness speed, and noteworthy agility at the one spot make him truly stand out when analyzing his game. When operating off the dribble, Smith’s ability to keep the ball on a string and weave his way through the defense is genuinely fun to watch. He has among the quickest first steps in the draft class, and has shown the ability to change speeds on a dime, making him not only difficult to cover, but difficult to interpret in general when he has the ball in his hands. He makes decisive cuts to the basket, and finishes through contact with impressive toughness at times. His ability to keep the defense guessing as to how he’ll attack this basket is his most impressive virtue, and it’s one that puts Smith atop the ladder in terms of offensive producers in this draft class.
There could be some defensive issues with his height barely reaching 6-3 in shoes, but he has all the physical tools to overcome any problems in that regard. He’s light on his feet, and excels when able to push the ball in transition, meaning turnovers often lead to easy buckets on the other end. There’s a bountiful load of upper echelon guard talent in this draft class, and Smith is right in the thick of it.