NBA Mock Draft 2017: Dick Vitale Speaks on Lonzo Ball & Markelle Fultz


In addition to getting bracket advice from ESPN's Dick Vitale, Heavy had an opportunity to get his thoughts about the top prospects for the 2017 NBA Draft. We asked Vitale who his favorite players were this season that he had an opportunity to see. "Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum and Lonzo Ball," Vitale noted his top three players in no particular order. You will find Vitale's thoughts on some of the top prospects peppered throughout Heavy's latest mock draft. As we will explore in greater detail, Vitale prefers Ball over Washington's Markelle Fultz. Fultz is projected to be the top pick by many analysts, but Vitale likes the proven winning track record of Ball. Fultz had a difficult end to his college career missing the last four games with a knee injury but has already declared for the upcoming draft. In addition to Vitale's thoughts on prospects, I got a courtside look at Florida State's Jonathan Isaac during their first round matchup against Florida Gulf Coast. You will find my thoughts on Isaac after seeing him in person.


For many NBA Draft fans, the first bit of college basketball they watch happens in March. This year's NCAA tournament features as talented a group of NBA prospects as we have seen in years. Players like UCLA's Lonzo Ball, Kansas' Josh Jackson, Kentucky's Malik Monk, Arizona's Lauri Markkanen and Duke's Jayson Tatum are all expected to help lead their team to a deep run during March Madness. It will be interesting to see how the absence of players like Fultz and NC State's Dennis Smith Jr. will impact their draft stock. Michigan State's Miles Bridges is also in the tournament, but it is unclear how far their teams will end up going in March. The top of this draft class is as good as it comes and teams picking in the NBA Lottery will have plenty of great options to choose from. The draft order is based on the NBA standings as of March 18. Click the arrow on the right side of the above image to see Heavy's predictions for the top ten picks in the latest edition of our NBA mock draft. (Getty)