2017 NBA Mock Draft 3.0

The Mavericks struck gold with Yogi Ferrell this season, but he’s not the answer to their long term point guard needs. With the 5-9 dynamo from Indiana likely fitting into their rotation better as a sixth man moving forward, Ntilikina gives Dallas the chance to establish their direction in the backcourt alongside their quality frontcourt pieces in Harrison Barnes and Nerlens Noel.

At 6-5 with a wingspan in the 6-11 range, Ntilikina — born in Belgium — has the physical tools needed to translate to the NBA point guard spot with relative ease. He’s a smooth playmaker in the pick-and-roll, and has perhaps the most intelligent approach to the game outside of Fultz and Ball, a solid title to boast when considering he’s among the younger players in this year’s class.

Forced to play mostly off the ball in limited minutes with Strasbourg this season, Ntilikina’s performance in the European U18 championships helped solidify his standing as one of the draft’s better prospects. He was forced into a role that required him to search out his own offense, something he has struggled with notably in the past, which led to some highly promising results. He shot 17 of 29 from deep throughout the tournament, while sealing up the title and tourney MVP with a 31-point outing in the finals against Lithuania.

He showed off solid touch off the bounce as well as  off the catch, with the type of all-around game that — when packaged with the elite defensive upside his physical tools provide — should be a relatively easy pick for a Dallas squad in need of perimeter depth.