2017 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Pre-Draft
By Owen Nelson
. PF/C. Gonzaga. Zach Collins. 10. player. 67
Despite limited playing time (17.3 minutes per game), Gonzaga’s Zach Collins has certified himself as one of the best big men prospects in this draft. Collins has managed to show his ability to protect the paint, shoot the ball and score down low in the post. Collins shot an exceptional 47.6 percent from three for the Bulldogs.
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To pair him up with De’Aaron Fox would be lethal. Adding him to an already low key stacked team gives Kings’ fans a reason to be excited for the future. Despite not having their 2019 first round pick, the Kings have managed to assemble a nice group of young prospects with pretty good potential. Hopefully Vlade Divac and Vivek Ranadive don’t screw this up.
The potential front court rotation of Collins, Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere and Georgios Papagiannis is extremely versatile. Collins can do it all, Cauley-Stein specialises in protecting the paint and grabbing rebounds, Labissiere is a talented all around scorer and Papagiannis is a talented back-to-the-basket type player.
If these players are coached properly, teams won’t be able to go easy at any point in the game; there’ll be a constant threat from their big men. But then again, this is the Sacramento Kings, they love making a questionable move or two every now and again.