For the third version of our aggregate big board, two guards Lonnie Walker (Miami) and Elie Okobo (France) have jumped on many draft boards.
Deandre Ayton remains in the pole slot followed by Marvin Bagley II and Luka Doncic. Next in line on the list are Jaren Jackson Jr., Mo Bamba and Trae Young. We looked at the latest analysis from basketball experts at NBAdraft.net, ESPN, The Ringer, SI.com and CBS Sports. We added projections from The Athletic as well.
To review, here’s how the formula works: for each mock draft that the prospect was selected number one overall, he was given 60 points. If he was listed at number two overall, the prospect was awarded 59 points. This was then continued until the last pick and if the play was not included in a mock draft, he was given zero points.
Based on these calculations, Walker was projected outside of the lottery in the first two versions of our model. After either participating in or scheduling workouts with four teams in the lottery, recent mock drafts and our own intel suggests Walker could be one of the first 14 players selected in the draft later this month.
Walker jumped Kentucky teammates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Knox as well as Texas A&M’s Robert Williams in this update. He spoke with our own Alex Kennedy in a recent interview for HoopsHype.
Okobo is another player gaining momentum and will meet with five teams that have first-round picks in the upcoming draft. Last month, he scored 44 points while shooting 8-for-11 from three-point range for his team. While he ranked No. 30 in the first version and No. 23 in the second version, Okobo has now cracked the Top 20.
Other prospects who have improved in our rankings include 18-year-old Ukranian prospect Issuf Sanon and Kentucky big man Jarred Vanderbilt, who was limited due to injury last season.
We will continue to post new results as more mock drafts are released and the draft date nears. Expect some to join the list and some to leave the list on our later posts.
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