24. SG Terrance Ferguson, Adelaide
Height/Weight: 6-7, 186 lbs
Ferguson made the surprising decision to forgo a season of college ball in favor of playing overseas in Australia, signing a professional deal with the Adelaide 36ers. As a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school, there’s obvious potential here, as the 6-7 wingman has no shortage of athleticism that he puts to use in ample doses on both sides of the ball.
There’s still a lot of room for Ferguson to grow on the offensive side of the ball, but he has shown plenty of flashes as a prospect. He’s incredibly explosive off the bounce, and can get to the rim with ease when presented with the opportunity. He’s a tough cover running in transition as well, and utilizes his speed and length to simply overwhelm defenders at times when he gets going at the rim full speed. Ferguson is also a skilled slasher in the halfcourt, although his finishing touch–when not throwing down an awe-inspiring dunk–is still a work in progress at times.
Defensively, Ferguson’s lack of awareness isn’t much of a concern given his age, but it’s the only thing holding him back from being an elite talent on that side of the ball. He has the size and tools necessary to cover any position on the perimeter, and has the instinctive nature needed to find his way into passing lanes and get the ball going in the opposite direction. He’s an incredible athletic specimen and somebody with a lot of two-way potential if he can improve his perimeter jumper and put some of the loose pieces of the proverbial puzzle into place.
23. SF Tyler Lydon, Syracuse
Height/Weight: 6-9, 205 lbs
As someone whose stock rose greatly during last year’s tournament, Lydon is primed to emerge as a quality draft prospect over the course of his sophomore season with the Orange. Standing at 6-9, he’s somewhat of a tweener when it comes to positioning, but brings a level of skill and versatility that could be a nice asset at the next level, at either forward position.
Lydon’s most consistent contributions as of right now come on the perimeter, where he’s a skilled outside shooter and with excellent offensive instincts. When looking at him in terms of a potential stretch-four in time, Lydon’s ability to spot-up with tremendous efficiency from deep (shooting 50% through 5 games) and his intelligence playing within the offense are highly promising. He’s not going to do anything extraordinary with the ball in his hands, but he rotates around the court extremely well and operates well within a number of offensive sets. His size and shooting touch come in a nice combination, and he has the fluidity of motion to potentially man either forward spot at the next level.
Lydon’s frame is still filling out, and with time that should translate into him becoming an apt stopgap defender at the next level. He can get beat on the outside at times right now, but has excellent quickness in chasing down blocks around the basket, and has the foot speed needed to improve as his fundamentals are ironed out.
22. PF Isaiah Hartenstein, Zalgiris
Height/Weight: 6-11, 225 lbs
In somewhat of a break from an NBA Draft analysis of foreign big men, Hartenstein utilizes his strength more so than his finesse to excel on the offensive side of the ball. With a solid 6-11 frame in tact, Hartenstein’s ability to work his way into the paint and carve out space with impressive fundamentals, as well as smooth athleticism is highly intriguing.
The German big man’s biggest concerns circulate around his approach to the game at this point, as his lackluster defensive effort and suspect feel for the game offensively can sometimes jeopardize the most beneficial aspects of his game. He showcases impressive quickness from the perimeter to the basket when he wants to, and has a nice set of post moves that he’s comfortable falling back on when he works his way into the paint. He can overexert himself at times, which leads to turnovers, but he has all the tools to carve out a nice niche as an interior scorer at the next level. His jumper, although still in the works, has also shown signs of being effective–making a stretch four profile a real possibility.
Defensively, he has the right size and mobility of an apt interior defender, he simply hasn’t committed to becoming one yet. He gets lost on assignments at times and can get visibly out of rhythm on the defensive end as a result. Conversely, he has great instincts on the boards and a lot of real potential defensively. In the end, it boils down to effort, rather than skill, when looking at Hartenstein.
He has the talent necessary to be significantly higher than this, and if he can make the right improvements this season with Zalgiris. We may see him crack the lottery conversation come draft night.