Jayson Tatum is rising up draft boards and Chad Ford of ESPN.com believes he could be a dark horse for the No.1 overall pick. Ford notes that Tatum is widely regarded by scouts as being the most NBA-ready right now. The Duke product sits at No. 4 in the scribe’s latest Big Board.
Here’s more on the upcoming draft:
- Dennis Smith‘s stock is falling with teams questioning how he handled himself in the midst of disappointing college season, Ford writes in the same piece. The scribe adds that Smith has elite athletism, so his stock could rise after individual workouts take place.
- Miles Bridges is undecided on whether or not he’s going to return to MSU, but Ford notes that he appears to be a “lock” for the lottery should he opt to declare for the draft.
- Arizona’s Rawle Alkins will test the draft waters, but won’t yet sign with an agent, according to his Twitter feed. The shooting guard is the 79th best prospect in the draft, according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
- Kansas’ Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk has declared for the draft, but will also not hire an agent, according to University’s website. The junior is the 68th best prospect in the draft, according to Givony.
- PJ Dozier will declare for the draft, but will not hire representation, according to the University of South Carolina’s website. Dozier, who Givony pegs as the 65th best prospect in the draft, helped lead the school to its first-ever Final Four this past season.
I’d love Tatum going 1 or 2. Makes Ball or Fultz more realistic for the Sixers.
Lakers somehow mucked up their tank job lol. I would laugh if they end up converting the pick to the Sixers after all the blatant tanking.
Tatum’s movement on the court and aura reminded me alot of Kobe with all the jab steps and pivot moves, he would fit in like a glove in Orlando, New York(without Melo there), Sacramento, and Phoenix needs a small forward pretty bad Im not sold on Warren at all
Be wary of “NBA ready” prospects. Tatum couldn’t drive past college players, he’s in for a major adjustment in the pros.
I think Tatum is extremely talented, but I think Josh Jackson is slightly better and more NBA ready than him.
Oregon fan for those who care…
A) Tatum is the youngest of the premier prospects.
B) All the bottom teams besides Philly have a plethora of guards and much bigger needs in the front court.
Phoenix, Orlando, desperately need forwards.
Sacramento is badly in need of a small forward, as well as a point guard, and they have two picks.
Boston needs a center, which they can’t get in this draft. Same with Los Angeles. If either of them get the #1 pick, a trade is probably in the works.
Jonathan Isaac would be perfect for Minnesota or Boston.
NBA readiness is probably the least important aspect of drafting a top prospect. Kris Dunn and Buddy Hield were billed as NBA ready players and take a look at their win shares. Plus Boston is the only high lotto team that is in a position to relatively compete any time soon