RANKINGS: 2018 Rivals150 | 2019 Rivals150 | 2020 Rivals150 | 2018 Team | 2018 Position
The 2018 NBA Draft takes place on Thursday night and the mocks are flying left and right. Using Yahoo! Sports Jordan Schultz’s latest mock and top 60 prospect list as a baseline, National Analyst Eric Bossi takes a look at 10 players who he feels are being potentially undervalued in the draft.
Projection: No. 7, Chicago Bulls
Bossi’s take: It’s amazing how much people can forget about a guy in just one year and I’m basing this on the assumption that he's healthy as reported. But, this time a year ago most NBA people I spoke with thought that Porter Jr. was clearly the best NBA prospect for this draft. Now he’s slipping toward the back part of the top 10? I still see him as at least a top three talent in the draft thanks to his blend of size, versatility, skill and overall athleticism.
Projection: No. 16, Phoenix Suns
Bossi’s take: I’ve already undersold Gilgeous-Alexander once and I would be hesitant to do so again. I know that he’s not considered the greatest jump shooter and that concerns me too, but his size, youth and feel for finding his way to the basket and making plays for himself and others are highly valuable. I can also see him defending multiple positions in the NBA and he’s going to really help with ball-handling and creating for others in nearly any type of offense.
Projection: No. 29, Brooklyn Nets
Bossi’s take: I had Hutchison as a top 100 player in America coming out of high school in Southern California and I’d now be tempted to take him in the top 20. If he’s really still around at the end of the first round I see him as an exceptional value pick. He’s more of a traditional three-man and though he played a lot of zone in college, I see a good NBA defender. Think Andre Roberson with more ball skills.
Projection: Second round
Bossi’s take: Personally, I’ll be astounded if Holiday makes it out of the first round and if he does, he’ll be a tremendous value pick for whoever takes him in the second round. He’s not the biggest guard and he’s more of a scorer than a true setup guy, but I look at what Terry Rozier is starting to do in Boston and don’t see any reason that Holiday couldn’t be a similar type of player. Motor, toughness, explosive scoring ability is all there.
Projection: Second round
Bossi’s take: I get that NBA teams are a bit worried about whether or not Shamet projects as a point or shooting guard and who he handles defensively. I have had the fortune of following him closely since he was in high school in my hometown of Kansas City and when I look at his character, work ethic, shooting and high basketball IQ, I see a guy who would be a nice pickup at the tail end of the first round.
Projection: Second round
Bossi’s take: With the current obsession with big men who can stretch the floor while rebounding at a reasonable rate, I’m surprised to see that Wagner is being projected by most to fall out of the first round. I get that he’s not a world-beating athlete but he has a high IQ, is a competitor and would provide value in he latter part of the first round.
Projection: Second round
Bossi’s take: I’ve seen Metu anywhere from the latter part of the second round to undrafted in projections, and he’s absolutely worth a pick in the second round. I know he doesn’t have the biggest wing span, but he’s a freak athlete whose touch and jump shooting should improve under regular NBA instruction. He’s just too bouncy and has too much upside to not take a chance on.
Projection: Second round to undrafted
Bossi’s take: There’s a lot of talk about McCoy’s go-to move? What’s his calling card? I get that. But, the guy is just 19 years old and has massive size, good hands, good touch and big ceiling to get better. Fifteen years ago there wouldn’t have been a chance McCoy goes undrafted and in this case some may be looking too hard to find reasons why he won’t make it instead of reasons he could become a good NBA player.
Projection: Second round to undrafted
Bossi’s take: The knocks against Trier are that he’s too selfish and that he’s not a great athlete. But, seems like he makes a lot of unexpectedly athletic plays for an alleged non-athlete and he’s productive across the board as an offensive player. I get that he’ll have to become better defensively to stick in the league and that two-guard scorers aren’t the most difficult player to find in today’s NBA. When it’s all said and done, Trier finds a way to stick.
Projection: Undrafted
Bossi’s take: I don’t know what I’m missing when it comes to Bluiett compared with how others see him. He’s got size, he’s got feel for scoring and he should be able to bang away from NBA three-point range without much issue. No, he’s not the greatest defensive player but I look at him as a potential bargain late second-round pick or two-way contract option that could be developed into an off the bench jump shooting specialist.
