Tuesday's matchup between Kansas and Duke featured at least eight future pros, even with three potential lottery picks in Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles and Marques Bolden sitting on Duke's bench due to injuries. This had the look of a potential championship matchup in April, as both teams looked very solid and have a ton of room to get better as the year goes on. Here are scouting reports on the future pros that did suit up:
Josh Jackson (SF)
Jackson was the best prospect in the game and would have been even if Duke was at full strength. At 6-foot-8, 203 pounds, he has an elite frame for a two-way wing in the Kawhi Leonard/Shawn Marion mold, though he will need to add 15 pounds of muscle in the coming years, which should not be hard given his physique. Even though his body is not fully matured, he has the size, explosiveness and bounce to punish smaller players in one-on-one matchups in the post.
He had more physically impressive plays in this game, but this baseline drive and reverse was my favorite of the game for Jackson, because it embodies his quick, smooth actions and the general ease that he can play with in the half court.
Here is another example of how simple things can be for him in the half court. When he gets going with a head of steam like that from the top of the key, no defender in the
Tuesday's matchup between Kansas and Duke featured at least eight future pros, even with three potential lottery picks in Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles and Marques Bolden sitting on Duke's bench due to injuries. This had the look of a potential championship matchup in April, as both teams looked very solid and have a ton of room to get better as the year goes on. Here are scouting reports on the future pros that did suit up:
Josh Jackson (SF)
Jackson was the best prospect in the game and would have been even if Duke was at full strength. At 6-foot-8, 203 pounds, he has an elite frame for a two-way wing in the Kawhi Leonard/Shawn Marion mold, though he will need to add 15 pounds of muscle in the coming years, which should not be hard given his physique. Even though his body is not fully matured, he has the size, explosiveness and bounce to punish smaller players in one-on-one matchups in the post.
He had more physically impressive plays in this game, but this baseline drive and reverse was my favorite of the game for Jackson, because it embodies his quick, smooth actions and the general ease that he can play with in the half court.
Here is another example of how simple things can be for him in the half court. When he gets going with a head of steam like that from the top of the key, no defender in the country is going to be able to stay in front of him. That mid-range floater is a shot that will always work at the next level.
Obviously where an athlete like Jackson is going to excel at this stage in his development is in the full court. Not only does he show the ability to go coast-to-coast, weaving through traffic using both hands, but he shows a willingness to take what the defense gives him and finishes with his off hand.
As for his shooting stroke, it's not the most picturesque motion, but it works for him right now, and considering the rest of his tools, I view him as slightly ahead of schedule as a shooter. He is comfortable pulling up off the bounce from NBA range, and with thousands more reps between now and when he gets drafted, he should enter the NBA as at least a 32 percent shooter from behind the arc, with notable improvements coming each season.
Just the threat of him being able to shoot from long range allows his pump fake to be a weapon that lets him get into the lane, where he is almost unstoppable. He was 0-for-4 from the free throw line in this game after making his only two free throw attempts in his first game. That is an area of his game to keep an eye on, but it is hard to imagine him not becoming at least a 75 percent free throw shooter down the road.
As for his defense and intangibles, Jackson is a willing defender with quick actions in the passing lanes. There were a couple loose balls that he was a step slow at getting to the deck for, but he was willing to get on the floor, even if it was too late in a couple instances in this game. He is so long, athletic and quick-twitch that it seems inevitable that he is at least an above-average defender at the next level, and he has the tools to be an All-NBA type of defender in his prime. The officials were blowing their whistles with regularity Tuesday, and it led to Jackson getting into foul trouble. The fact that he picked up five fouls is not terribly concerning, as every player seemed to be in foul trouble in this game, but he responded once in a moment of frustration by slapping the ball out of a Duke player's hands after the whistle and picked up a technical foul. He also was visibly whining to his teammates and coaches on the court and on the bench about several other calls. This should remind us that he is still just a kid. I would expect for him to show more composure and maturity by the time we get to February and March.
All told, this is a no-doubt top-five pick, and likely top-two pick in the 2017 draft. There are hardly any flaws and the upside is substantial; a potential franchise changer.
Lagerald Vick (SG)
After Jackson, Vick was the most impressive player on Kansas from a physical standpoint. At 6-5, 175 pounds, he has enough size to play the two at the next level, and he has more than enough athleticism and length. This is a player who will test extremely well at the combine. He has excellent bounce around the rim, and has a great motor, leading to him corralling his own missed shots far more often than a typical shooting guard. Of course, that leads to the biggest concern: the number of missed shots. Even with the impressive physical attributes and a strong motor, Vick will need to hit threes at a solid clip to play in the NBA, and he has not shown the ability to do so yet (though the sample is very small). Regardless of how he plays over the rest of the season, Vick is not going to be a one-and-done player. However, he has the makings of the type of player who could have a huge breakout sophomore season and play his way into the first round as a three and D shooting guard next year.
Devonte Graham (PG)
Graham is a coach's dream because he does all the little things and is a great teammate. He has experienced cramping in both games this season but was still willing and able to play all 40 minutes Tuesday as his team was shorthanded due to foul trouble. At 6-2, 175 pounds, he will need to play point guard at times and be an efficient three-point shooter in order to be a rotation player at the next level. He is an excellent passer right now, with amazing vision and instincts, so that should translate into him at least serving as a backup point guard. A junior, Graham shot over 40 percent from beyond the arc in his first two seasons, so he has a good chance of checking that box as well. While he needs to make threes and run the offense to get into the league, his defense against point guards will be his calling card. He has a Patrick Beverley-type of game, with a little less dirtiness/attitude and little more skill. Look for him to be a late first-round or early second-round pick if he comes out after this season.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (SG)
While Mykhailiuk is a junior, he won't turn 20 until June 10, which makes him a very intriguing prospect in NBA circles. The Ukrainian shooting guard has a high hoops IQ, and at 6-8, he has excellent size for a shooting guard. What stood out most were his playmaking abilities for a two guard, as he made a couple of the best passes of Tuesday's game. However, he does not look for his own shot off the dribble, and his scoring mindset seems to be purely a catch-and-shoot mentality. He will definitely make it to the NBA based on his size, youth relative to experience and heady play, but he will need to develop into an elite shooter to be a rotation player, as his defense will be average at best.
Carlton Bragg (PF)
Bragg has a potential NBA future as a stretch four off the bench, as he already displays an excellent mid-range jumper with the ability to hit corner threes. At 6-10, 240 pounds, he has the size and is athletic enough to hold his own on defense against most power forwards in the NBA. He also stands out as a good teammate who would be a strong addition to an NBA locker room, so that will be a point in his favor for teams looking to shore up their bench, and could lead to him having a longer pro career than his skills might indicate. Other than shooting, he does not have standout tools, so he will really need to stroke it in workouts when he decides to turn pro.
Frank Jackson (PG)
Jackson was the lone freshman from Duke's historic recruiting class who suited up for this game, and he hit the two biggest shots of the game prior to Frank Mason's game winner for Kansas. His poise and demeanor was that of a standout senior and not a freshman playing in his third game. He can do it all offensively and is already averaging 16.7 points per game while shooting 53.3 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from beyond the arc and 84.6 percent from the charity stripe. Jackson is a chiseled 6-4, 208 pounds and already has an NBA body. He also might be Duke's best athlete, even once their top three freshman take the court. This is what Jackson did en route to winning the McDonald's All-American dunk contest:
The big question is what position he plays. He is listed as a point guard, but Duke was more comfortable using Luke Kennard and Grayson Allen as the primary ball handlers, despite the fact that both upperclassmen are true shooting guards. Jackson's physical profile and skill set left me comparing him to Wesley Matthews, but if he can run the offense at the next level, he becomes all the more interesting. This is a player worth following, as he could play his way into the middle of the first round.
Luke Kennard (SG)
Kennard is just a winning player. He can create, he makes plays on defense and is one of the best shooters in the country. While he is listed at 6-6, he might be closer to 6-foot-5, but even then, he has enough size to play the two in the NBA. Duke does not have a true point guard on the roster, which will allow Kennard to exhibit his playmaking abilities this season, which is exactly what NBA teams will want to see. Here is an example of him making what might have been the best defensive play of the night and then running the show in transition:
He is not quick enough to play point guard full time in the NBA, and it would be a waste of his shooting prowess, but in order for him to carve out a rotation spot, he will need to show the ability to run an offense for five or eight minutes per game against opposing backup point guards. I think he is capable of doing that. He should be an early second-round pick when he decides to come out, and that could end up looking like a steal.
Grayson Allen (SG)
Everyone knows about Allen at this point. He is an elite shooter from everywhere on the court, and a complete offensive player, at home as a two guard yet capable of playing some point. While he is a much better athlete than most people think, considering he is white and goes to Duke, I still see an average defender at best at the next level, as the lateral quickness and length might just not be there for him to bother most NBA guards. That said, he has all the makings of the first guard off the bench on a middling NBA team, and should have a better pro career than fellow Blue Devil Austin Rivers.
Top 10 Prospects
1. Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington (Last week: 1)
2. Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas (Last week: 2)
3. Frank Ntilikina, PG, France (Last week: 3)
4. Dennis Smith, PG, North Carolina State (Last week: 4)
5. Jayson Tatum, SF, Duke (Last week: 5)
6. Jonathan Isaac, SF, Florida State (Last week: 6)
7. Harry Giles, PF, Duke (Last week: 7)
8. OG Anunoby, SF, Indiana (Last week: Not ranked)
9. Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA (Last week: 10)
10. Ivan Rabb, PF, Cal (Last week: 8)
