2017 Big Board top 11: The Comps, Ceilings, & Floors

Disclaimer #1: Know that this was my guess at what the 2017 NBA standings would be, and that I believe to my core in Mario Hezonjas MVP potential.Disclaimer #2: I actually like using statistics and advanced measurements. I also think watching entire games is the only way you can truly evaluate a player.

But I dont watch much college ball, and stats in the college game vary so greatly based on team that they become abstract unless one takes an extremely in-depth look at the player. So, to make these evaluations, I took the March Madness games I watched, YouTube highlights, other peoples rankings, and yes, some numbers. But not too many.

Dont worry Chuck.That being said:#1 Markelle FultzComp: James HardenCeiling: Top-5 playerFloor: Kemba WalkerSo much has been said about [fail-for] Markelle that I dont feel the need to go to in-depth here. He has no true flaws.

When watching most prospects highlights, you can say wow, hes good, look at how he matches up against these other guys, he has a better handle, or hes quicker, or can shoot the lights out of the ball in a way none of these other guys can. With Fultz, you wonder what hes doing in college at all. He looks like an NBA player who has been placed, for some reason, on a college team.

There are those who want to look deeper, and question if he can win at the next level (his team went 922). To those people, I say this.#2 Josh JacksonComp: Julius Erving Lite, PG13Ceiling: Dr.

J w/ a J, top-3 playerFloor: Jaylen Browns rookie seasonIve already probably pissed a bunch of people off by putting him above Lonzo. But then again, I may have made a ton of people who hate Lonzo(s dad) very happy. I seriously considered putting Jackson #1.

Based on solely on watching his highlights and games in March Madness, Jackson is to me reminiscent of one of the all-time greats, Julius Erving. His finishing around the rim is superb, he is an NBA-caliber athlete, his handle is decent, hes got great size, etc. etc.

etc. His shot throughout the year has improved dramatically, and I think he can get even better at the NBA level.#3 Lavars sonComp: Idek.

Steph would be the easiest comp to make, I guess. But I dont feel right doing it. Look one of the other ten thousand places that have written about him.

Ceiling: 28 ppg, 12 ast, 8 rebFloor: Athletic Jose CalderonProbably the most polarizing player in this draft. There are legitimate concerns about his jump shot. But its worked so far.

His handle is okay, but nothing to shout about. Speaking of shouting, I havent addressed the Big Baller in the room. People either think Lavar has a huge influence on Lonzo, or none at all.

Im inclined to think its somewhere closer to the first. Lavar alone has made it almost a guarantee that the Lakers, and only the Lakers, draft Lonzo. Lonzo, while in general quiet, also seems hell-bent on going to L.

A. , and has expressed these views publicly, bringing into question how much Lavar shapes Lonzo. What happens when they inevitably lose games?

I am positive that a year from now Lavar will have called all the other Lakers trash, and will have challenged them 1 on 1. That being said, Lonzo has really, really high potential. He clearly made the team around him better.

He shoots the lights out of the ball. He has no mid-range game, but how important is that in todays nba?P.

S. Lets hope this doesnt run in the family. # 4 Jonathan IsaacComp: An actual unicorn.

Ceiling: 20 ppg, 3.5 ast, 9 rebFloor: Brandon Ingrams rookie year, but his whole career.To me, the most confusing player in the draft.

Sometimes shouts poor-mans Giannis with a jumper, sometimes shouts bust. Would probably get the Kristaps treatment a few years ago. Any team should be excited to get him, excluding Orlando Magic fans, whose excitement went 2953 then got traded for Ersan Ilyasova.

#5 Dennis Smith Jr. Comp: Somewhere between Derrick Rose in his prime and Derrick Rose now.Ceiling: Prime D-RoseFloor: Kris DunnExplosive.

Boom-or-bust. I feel like whatever side I choose will end up being the wrong one. I feel like the idea he cant make teammates better is overblown, (his best teammate was Ike Sherman, which I would personally have believed if I wasnt the one who made up the name Ike Sherman about 30 seconds ago) but he will have to learn to work with others at an NBA level.

He is definitely already more athletic than a lot of guys in the NBA. The trick is getting better at the other stuff. #6 Malik MonkComp: CJ McCollumCeiling: CJ McCollum with a J.

R. Smith mentalityFloor: Tony Snell with a J.R.

Smith mentalityMost think he will have to switch to point guard to be successful, standing at just 6'3. In my opinion, he has proved already he scores bigger than his size, and that he doesnt have the vision to be even a passable point guard(see what I did there?).

I truly see him ending up like CJ McCollum. Hes a bit one dimensional, but hell be fine. #7 Justin PattonComp: Kristaps Porzingis?

These comparisons are pretty difficult, especially for do-everything big guys, that dont have similar, established NBA players.Ceiling: 18 ppg, 0.5 ast, 10 reb, 2 blkFloor: Cody ZellerWhile he could be unique, Im not positive that in this era, with more guys becoming unicorns, that he has enough talent in enough facets of the game to end up as anything other than a Deandre Jordan-esque big guy with occasional 3s.

Thats not bad. Its also not franchise-changing. Hes got great size right now.

Wont surprise me if he makes Lowes Luke-Walton all stars list down the road. # 8 Lauri MarkkanenComp: Kristaps Porzingis againCeiling: Dirk Nowitzki with athleticism (wait this is just Kristaps)Floor: Mason Plumlee triple double watchHey! Three white guys!

#9 DeAaron FoxComp: A more explosive Ricky Rubio (Upset that the comparison doesnt feature two players of the same race? Elfrid Payton. Take your pick.

)Ceiling: John WallFloor: Ish SmithLook at this and tell me more about how he makes a case for the best point guard in the draft. Find me an all star point guard right now who shoots even remotely close to that poorly from outside. He has vision, but it isnt fool-the cameraman-and-nutmeg-the-other-team vision (gonna miss you, Manu).

Matchups against Lonzo have shown Fox to be the victor, but Fox had much better players around him, with much better coaching, and the NBA is a whole different animal. Expect Fox to be a serviceable backup down the road. #10 Ike AnigboguComp: Deandre JordanCeiling: Ben WallaceFloor: Bismack BiyomboJump-out-of the building athleticism with the accuracy of a Breitbart article.

Thus is the life of Ike Anigbogu. Great defensive awareness, frame, and toughness. Wont have trouble at the next level.

The question is how far he can go. Great in the pick and roll, but needs to be paired with a shooting pg. Struggles with some of the basics (See: foul trouble, patience).

# 11 Jayson TatumComp: Carmelo Anthony, with a dash of Rudy Gay (but not that good).Ceiling: Tobias Harris or Rudy GayFloor: 7 ppg, 3 reb, 1. 5 astI have watched too much Tobias Harris almost-there potential to think that Tatum can truly be a star, or even a borderline all star in this league.

A Michael-Scott-declaring-bankruptcy mans Melo, hes to iso-heavy and midrange reliant for the direction the league has been heading in.Extra 12th: Jonathan JeanneComp: Dewayne DedmonCeiling: Rudy GobertFloor: Energy off the bench. His game screams Rudy Gobert.

Be happy if your team snags him in the 2nd round, or maybe even earlier. Salmonella-raw, but with crazy role-player big man potential.Edit: On June 8th, 2017, news surfaced that Jonathan Jeanne had been diagnosed with a career-ending heart condition.

My thoughts go out to him. I am choosing to keep up his section, I think it is the right thing to do. I wish him the best of luck in life, and if he is ever able to return to basketball, I will be cheering him every step of the way