2017 NBA Mock Draft: Who will the Indiana Pacers select at No. 18?
player. 38. . PF/C. Zalgiris. Isaiah Hartenstein. 25
The Magic have a young core of Elfrid Payton, Dennis Smith Jr., Aaron Gordon, Terrence Ross and Evan Fournier at the moment? The only thing missing is a big man, and Isaiah Hartenstein is definitely big. He’s 7-foot-1, but he’s got the skill set of a perimeter player. He moves like someone six inches shorter, and he can really handle the ball.
His 3-point range is still forming, but there’s plenty of reason to believe that it will get there. Despite his height, his explosiveness is a bit lacking, so don’t expect him to be throwing down a whole lot of violent dunks. That’s what Gordon and Smith are for. Hartenstein could be a great stretch five if all goes right.
The Blazers need a small-ball five to play while Nurkic sits (or Heaven forbid, if Nurkic doesn’t work out), and that’s where Ivan Rabb comes in. Rabb is an elite rebounder with a whole catalogue of little tricks to get the best position under the hoop.
He struggles defending out on the perimeter, meaning he’ll probably have to play the five in the NBA. He’s got a solid post game and can cut to the basket in a pinch.
His outside shot is pretty broken, so don’t get your hopes up that he’ll be stretching the floor much. He’s got a lot of other translatable skills, though, and he would thrive in a backup role in Portland.