With March Madness almost underway, most basketball fans are just now getting their first look at NBA prospects throughout the country. Websites are releasing mock drafts left and right to give people insight into which players deserve draft-selection consideration. As people soak in an inordinate amount of college basketball over the next couple of weeks, here are five players in the NCAA Tournament the Golden State Warriors could pick in the draft.
Luguentz Dort — Arizona State
Measures
Height: 6’4″
Wingspan: 6’9″
Weight: 225
Year: Freshman
Age: 19.9
Stats
Points: 16.1
Rebounds: 4.3
Assists: 2.3
Steals: 1.6
Blocks: 0.2
Turnovers: 2.9
2FG: 46.3%
3PT: 31.5%
FT: 68.7%
Minutes: 31.5
Games played/started: 32/31
Entering the year as an under-the-radar prospect, Dort exploded onto the scene with his Arizona State team opening the year with a hot streak. While both Dort and his team cooled off a bit, his intrigue as a draft prospect remains after he was named PAC-12 Freshman of the Year and an All-Defensive Team selectee.
Simply put, Dort is a straight-up dog on defense. He has the potential to be an elite backcourt defender, as well as the size to switch onto forwards. His offensive game is fairly raw at this point, and his jump shot is questionable at best, but there is hope around the league for Dort to develop into a competent offensive player. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has Dort projected to the Warriors in his latest mock draft.
Cameron Johnson — North Carolina
Measures
Height: 6’8″
Wingspan: N/A
Weight: 215
Year: Senior
Age: 23
Stats
Points: 16.9
Rebounds: 3.9
Assists: 2.3
Steals: 1.2
Blocks: 0.3
Turnovers: 1.6
2FG: 54.8%
3PT: 46.5%
FT: 80.4%
Minutes: 29.7
Games played/started: 33/33
Johnson, a member of the ACC First Team, has one of the most translatable skills in all of college due to his elite shooting, both standstill and on the move. With the height to play either forward position, Johnson can be plugged into NBA rotations based on this skill alone.
While Johnson’s shooting is top-notch, he is not yet consistent with other skills. His handle, though much improved from his time at Pitt, still needs some work. Additionally, while he seems to have the build to excel defensively, he struggles against forwards with larger builds.
Johnson arguably would be one of the best fits with the Warriors. Not only does he fit a team need with his shooting, his experience in college should also offer a smoother transition into the NBA. With Kevin Durant’s future with the team up in the air and Andre Iguodala on the downswing of his career, Johnson certainly has the potential to develop into the Warriors small forward of the future.
Ty Jerome — Virginia
Measures
Height: 6’5″
Wingspan: N/A
Weight: 195
Year: Junior
Age: 19.9
Stats
Points: 13.0
Rebounds: 4.1
Assists: 5.4
Steals: 1.5
Blocks: 0.0
Turnovers: 1.7
2FG: 46.8%
3PT: 39.7%
FT: 74.0%
Minutes: 32.9
Games played/started: 31/31
As Virginia marches into yet another NCAA Tournament, the team is arguably led by junior guard Ty Jerome. Jerome can shoot the lights out. While not as elite of a pure shooter as Johnson, Jerome shines when coming off screens and other types of movement. Jerome also has shown the ability to score off the dribble and facilitate adequately. In college, he has played solid team defense and looks to be able to guard his position. Many liken him to Landry Shamet, a rookie who has shined on the Clippers in the second half of the NBA season.
Jerome’s age will most likely cause him to fall in the draft. Additionally, his defense outside of Virginia’s system will be questioned, especially with Jerome not looking like the quickest or most athletic player, while opposing defenses often attack players similar to him.
Jerome’s fit with the Warriors is easy to see, however, as the team has struggled to find a consistent backup to Klay Thompson since Leandro Barbosa. While currently a high- to mid-second-round pick, Jerome could easily improve his stock with a nice showing in the NCAA Tournament.
Matisse Tybuelle — Washington
Measures
Height: 6’5″
Wingspan: 7’0″
Weight: 195
Year: Senior
Age: 19.9
Stats
Points: 9.3
Rebounds: 3.1
Assists: 2.1
Steals: 3.4
Blocks: 2.2
Turnovers: 1.8
2FG: 56.8%
3PT: 31.0%
FT: 85.1%
Minutes: 30.9
Games played/started: 34/34
While Washington will most likely not contend for a tournament title, it has one of the most intriguing prospects in the entire draft class in senior defensive ace Matisse Tybuelle. Tybuelle is an elite defensive player, posting steal and block rates at an abnormally high rate due to instinct and athleticism. Washington’s zone allows him to essentially roam around the court hunting for turnovers, and boy does he succeed at doing so. Tybuelle also is an adequate three-point shooter in spot-up scenarios, which prevent him from becoming a liability on that end of the floor.
While Tybuelle has shown the ability to shoot, there is not much else to his game offensively. While no one is expecting him to be elite with the ball in his hands, he probably needs to at least become a credible threat to make a move to the hoop.
Tybuelle is projected to be another plug-and-play option for the Warriors. After spending four years in Washington, he projects as someone who can guard across the board and shoot well in the lineup to earn minutes early on.
Chuma Okeke
— Auburn
Measures
Height: 6’4″
Wingspan: 6’9″
Weight: 225
Year: Freshman
Age: 19.9
Stats
Points: 16.1
Rebounds: 4.3
Assists: 2.3
Steals: 1.6
Blocks: 0.2
Turnovers: 2.9
2FG: 46.3%
3PT: 31.5%
FT: 68.7%
Minutes: 31.5
Games played/started: 32/31
Many NBA executives are smitten with Okeke, according to The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie. Okeke’s build is tailor-made for the NBA, as is his ability to make shots without the ball in his hands. He also uses his size to carve out space inside, whether that be finishing at the basket or getting rebounds. Defensively, his athleticism and wingspan allow him to accumulate steals and blocks.
Despite oozing potential, Okeke struggles in a couple of areas. He is not adept with the ball, both in terms of facilitation and penetration. He also can be prone to turnovers when the ball is in his hands, so expect teams to look for him to improve in this area. His defensive fundamentals also need to be tuned, but this is understandable as many uber-athletic players take time to stop relying on their innate attributes.
Okeke is more of a project than the upperclassmen on the list. But, arguably, he has the highest ceiling out of everyone due to his combination of shooting and athleticism. Okeke will most likely take some time to develop, but if he does, he can be an impact player on both sides of the ball at either forward position.
