9. SF O.G. Anunoby, Indiana
Height/Weight: 6-8, 215 lbs
Anunoby burst onto the scene during last season’s tournament, going from an oft-forgotten role player to one Indiana’s most productive pieces down the stretch. Now, the defensive dynamo has all but cemented himself in the lottery discussion for the time being, and has all the tools to continue moving up that very same conversation as the season progresses.
From a physical standpoint, Anunoby’s strength and athleticism on the wing is difficult to come by. As the only non-freshman or 18-year-old in the top 10, his physical development is among the most impressive aspects of his stock, and it translates into numerous areas of the game when he’s on the floor. Defensively, there isn’t a wing player in this draft class who adequately compares to Anunoby at the moment He’s has excellent foot speed on the outside, and utilizes his length and bulkiness to get into the grill of his opposition and force them out of rhythm in impressive fashion. He has the ability to take on bigger opposition in the post, while still being fully capable of covering guards on the outside. He’s the type of elite, versatile defender that’s automatically worth a spot in the top 10 conversation almost solely because of that side of his game.
In addition to his ability to make an immediate impact at the next level with his defense, Anunoby has shown immense signs of offensive improvements. He’s shooting a respectable 38% from beyond the arc, and has shown flashes of excellent instincts passing the ball on some occasions. He’s not going to produce to a great degree as a scorer, but he can find ways to operate effectively within the offense, and has a surprisingly strong feel for the game for somebody with relatively limited basketball experience.
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8. PG De’Aaron Fox, Kentucky
Height/Weight: 6-4, 171 lbs
Fox has shined through the first month of the season for Kentucky, as the incredibly quick point guard has been one of the country’s more entertaining players to watch. As somebody who was compared to John Wall throughout the offseason, those lofty standards have seem well-founded thus far. Even in a loaded backcourt, he has found immense success as the primary ball handler and leading facilitator.
When he’s in the open court, there’s really nobody in this draft class that can utilize more pure speed than Fox. He has incredible control at different speeds, and excels as somebody who can explode to the basket at will and give defense immense problems on the fastbreak. Fox hasn’t polished off his scoring arsenal to its fullest extent yet, but that’s the case for the vast majority of elite athletic prospects on the perimeter. He’s a more fine-tuned shooter than the aforementioned Wall was during his own respective time at Kentucky, and has the ability to get into the lane and finish through contact in aggressive fashion.
Fox’s prowess is a passer is also appealing from an NBA perspective, and his ability to get anywhere he wants on the court and still pass the ball with constant accuracy is a major boost to his stock as a year-one starter at the next level. He can run the offense and find his spots on the floor as well–something he has proven at Kentucky thus far–and that’s a huge boost for somebody who is still ironing out his perimeter scoring. Fox’s length and quickness also translate to the defensive end, where he’s one of the better backcourt prospects in this draft. He’s a hyper-athletic playmaker who produces on both sides of the ball–don’t be surprised if he continues making gains on big boards across the media.
7. SF Jayson Tatum, Duke
Height/Weight: 6-8, 204 lbs
Tatum can do a number of things well, but where he truly exceeds most other prospects in this draft is as a scorer. What he lacks in raw explosiveness, he makes up for with very fluid movements and an uncanny knack for putting the ball in the basket at a high clip. Tatum will join a powerful dynamic of prospects at Duke once he, as well as the remainder of that roster, is healthy, but should be able to find ample room to establish himself as an elite piece.
Whether it’s from outside or working his way into the interior, Tatum excels in finding space in the defense and exploiting it relentlessly. He’s a deadly isolation scorer off the dribble, and can knock down spot-up shots from the perimeter without hesitation when given the opportunity. A major knock during his high school career was his tendency to pass up good shots in favor of tougher shots in isolation often favoring a jumper off of the bounce rather than shooting immediately off the catch. His ability to create separation on his shot is utterly impressive, and his scoring prowess in difficult areas is second to, perhaps, none– but it will be worthwhile to see if he reigns it in a bit when placed alongside more fruitful talent around him at Duke.
There are some defensive concerns with Tatum, but those aren’t anything to read too heavily into quite yet. All the tools are still there, and his 6-11 wingspan in accompaniment with a 6-8 frame should make him perfectly capable of covering a lot of ground on the defensive end in time. He’s somebody who knows how to score the basketball–plain and simple. Such a talented wing scorer is a must-get commodity for a lot of teams, so him falling much lower than 7 would be a legitimate shock to me.