Draft by position
Who’s the best big man? The top guard? With the NBA draft a day away, we break it down,
1. Markelle Fultz, Washington
No player in this draft has a better mix of upside and polish. The comparisons with fellow recent No. 1 overall point guards Derrick Rose, John Wall and Kyrie Irving aren’t quite perfect, though. Fultz lacks the athleticism of the first two and the sin-
gular talent of Irving ’s scoring, but he appears to be an even more well-rounded prospect with more size and defensive potential. 2. Lonzo Ball, UCLA
Ignore his father, please. Ball is the best passer to enter the NBA draft since Ricky Rubio — if he’s not better than Rubio. And he is a proven high-volume shooter with all sorts of range. Still, questions abound on the defensive side, where he lacks quickness and instincts. And the bigger underlying issue is whether his strange shooting form will prevent him from being able to hit pull-up jumpers against NBA defenses. Nonetheless, his basketball IQ is high enough to overcome flaws. 3. De’Aaron Fox, Kentucky
Fox’s trajectory is up, up, up. He’s an outstanding athlete with great court sense. More Rajon Rondo than Wall, he fits the pickand-roll heavy offenses of the NBA with one issue: his jump shot. That might prevent him from being a superstar, but he’s an elite defensive prospect and natural playmaker. 4. Dennis Smith, North Carolina State
Smith is the point guard prospect who really looks the part. He has a traditional point guard build with great athleticism and no obvious holes in his game. The question mark comes with his attitude; he has been known as headstrong for most of his highlevel playing career. 5. Frank Ntilikina, France
Though U.S. fans might not know much about the French point guard (pronounced nee-leeKEE-na), scouts don’t doubt what he brings. Ntilikina has enough size to become an elite defender, and he’s a selfless game manager who has rapidly improving range on his jumper.