3. SG Malik Monk, Kentucky
Height/Weight: 6-4, 185 lbs
I was high on Monk before the season started, while he was still in the 20s in some rankings. Now, the Kentucky freshman has soared up the vast majority of big boards, and proved himself to be among the elite talents in a guard-heavy class. Another freakish athlete, Monk’s shooting stroke has been his most unexpected–and impressive–contribution so far.
While I consider him to be a shooting guard at this point, he has the makings of a point guard at the next level. He’s can pass, and handles the ball well enough to spearhead an offense. But that would minimize his off-ball scoring, a skill similar to that of Fox and sophomore Isaiah Briscoe which has been utterly impressive.
He has shown an immense amount of upside as a go-to scoring option on the wing. He’s an impressive athlete in route to the basket, and creates space off the bounce. He’s an entertaining sight in transition as well, and alongside Fox has simply terrorized defenses with his ability to play above the rim.
The primary knock on Monk coming into the season was his shooting consistency, and that’s where he has ended up making his most prominent contribution thus far. He is taking almost 8 threes per contest at the moment, and sinking a couple ticks over 38% from beyond the arc despite the enormous volume. He’s proving to be a heavy threat from beyond the arc, and that combined with his numerous athletic tools and strong all-around skill set is a frightening development for other college teams–and an exciting one for NBA Scouts.
2. PG Markelle Fultz, Washington
Height/Weight: 6-4, 195 lbs
Fultz’s strong play to kick off the season has only reestablished the fact that he’s towards the top of this year’s guard talent. At 6-4, he has excellent size at the point guard spot, and blends both scoring and passing touch in a manner that no other one man in the 2017 crop can truly match. He took command of Washington’s offense after Dejounte Murray and Marquese Chriss departed last season. He has arrived in full form, immediately dominating the floor for the Huskies.
Fultz’s offensive arsenal is among the most complete in the draft class, if not the most complete. He’s an excellent ball handler, and excels in finding lanes to the rim and facilitating through the teeth of the defense. He’s extremely crafty for a relatively large point guard, and uses his underrated athleticism and excellent change-of-pace ability to catch his defenders off guard, either leading to an easy score or a precisely-dropped dime. He has nice length for the point guard spot, and uses that to create separation well on his shot, regardless of where he’s placed on the floor. He’s currently shooting 48% from deep, and averaging upwards of 22 points and 6 assists per game for the Huskies, a notably impressive stat line early on in his college career.
In the mold of D’Angelo Russell almost, Fultz’s blend of fluid offensive skill and killer scoring ability are a rare combination coming out of college, and something that will keep NBA teams at the top of the draft board interested all the way up until draft night. His defensive woes are perhaps his most pressing concern, but even those don’t often seem prevalent. In layman’s terms: Fultz can ball.
1. PG Lonzo Ball, UCLA
Height/Weight: 6-6, 190 lbs
This is easily my most radical shift in comparison to my first pair of big boards, but there’s good reason for the dramatic alteration. After being somebody I thought would experience some relatively substantial growing pains during his freshman campaign, Lonzo Ball has, quite frankly, proven me dead wrong. There’s something special brewing in Los Angeles, and Ball has earned his way up to the top spot on my first mid-season big board.
We’ve talked about great facilitators, from Ntilikina at the 10th spot to Fultz, as recently as the second slot.
Ball, however, is a different animal.
He’s pouring in over 9 assists per game for the Bruins thus far, and has shown a level of court vision and playmaking ability that is almost unheralded from most freshman classes. We’ve seen NBA scouts raving over Ball’s playmaking skills already. He is compared to Jason Kidd, and those high praises are becoming increasingly evident in his play. At 6-6, Ball is a freakish athlete with tremendous physical tools for the point guard spot. He can get off the floor with uncanny ease, and his quick first step allows him to penetrate the defense without a terrible amount of resistance at times. He’s a tremendous passer out of traffic, and in just about any other scenario on the court, and backs that up with the athletic tools to make plays of his own with ease.
Ball is a nightmare when operating in transition as well,. He has the ball handling skills needed to create his own looks off the dribble and finish around the basket at a high level.
My biggest knock on Ball throughout the preseason is his awkward shooting stroke. As a matter of fact, it’s yielding a 47% success rate from deep, on 5 attempts per game. I’ve read analysis comparing Ball to both Westbrook and Kidd comparisons recently. Resemblance to both players strike all who watch him play. That, my friends, is a scary thought. Lonzo Ball has proven me wrong already and as long as he continues at this pace, both he and Fultz stand in front of the pack.