2017 NBA Draft Big Board 6.0
It’s March folks — time to look at the best talent the 2017 NBA Draft has to offer.
As the NBA season enters it’s final stages and the college basketball campaign trudges into March, it’s time for an updated look at the best prospects in the 2017 NBA Draft. In one of the most talent-laden lottery classes in recent history, the Philadelphia 76ers are looking more and more like a bottom-five team — with the Lakers’ pick and Kings’ swap still wholly possible to some extent.
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In a season now marred with injury, including a season-ending meniscus tear for Joel Embiid and a foot injury that has sidelined Ben Simmons for the entirety of his first NBA season, the Sixers will be gunning for major improvements next season. Philadelphia was already among the league’s best defensive units with Embiid on the floor this season, and Simmons figures to add a boost of offensive efficiency that they don’t currently possess.
That gives them the chance to further extend their ever-growing core of young talent without really limiting their capacity next season. Embiid, Simmons, and the right pieces around them can legitimately compete for a playoff spot, while still being able to place emphasis on the long-term development of one of the league’s more youthful rotations.
The draft’s excitement isn’t limited to Philly, either. There’s talent in this draft with the potential to shift power league-wide moving forward, as a handful of truly elite prospects grace the top tier of the class. There will be a handful of teams vying for pieces who can radically alter the direction in which their organization is heading, and that’s not always the case — especially when you consider weaker classes, like 2013 and 2016.
This is an exciting draft class, and one for which virtually everybody can harbor some level of anticipation, almost regardless of team. So, without further ado, here’s a long-form analysis of the top 60 prospects entering the thick of March Madness.
All stats via Hoop-Math.com, DraftExpress, or Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise stated.