The Indiana Pacers have the 18th pick and the 47th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Ike Anigbogu of UCLA could be available with their first round draft pick.
Every year, there’s a mystery man of the draft. For instance, take Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks back in 2013. The Bucks stole him at 15th overall, and he was an All-Star starter this year. You can argue that this year’s mystery man of the draft is Ike Anigbogu.
Anigbogu took on a limited role during his lone season at UCLA. He was asked to play defense and bring energy in his bench role. He did just that, as he averaged 4.7 points, 4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in just 13.0 minutes per game.
Strengths
Ike Anigbogu has the potential to become elite on the defensive end. He blocks a lot of shots, as noted before, but his agility is what’s most impressive. He moves around very well, and doesn’t just protect the paint. If he gets switched onto a pick-and-roll, Anigbogu does a great job at getting up to challenge the defender instead of staying in the paint. His positioning IQ is great for such a young man.
Speaking of how young he is, Anigbogu is 18 years old. He won’t be 19 until October. That’s good and bad. It’s good, since he has plenty of time to polish his skills. It’s bad because they need a lot of polishing.
Anigbogu finishes strong around the rim with his strong body. He did a good job of bringing a ton of energy into the game at UCLA. Due to all the easy looks he got at the rim, he shot 56.4 percent from the field.
Weaknesses
Ike’s offensive game is a major work in progress. He doesn’t have many moves right now. He had a few nice finishes with his left hand, but it’s clearly something he’ll have to work on. The NBA is filled with big men who are great passers, too. Ike only had six assists on the season.
As you would guess, his free-throw shooting was poor at UCLA. He shot 53.5 percent from the free-throw line. It’s something he needs to improve so he can stay in the game in crunch time. Having a poor free-throw shooter late in games creates such a liability.
Back to his age, which is a double edged sword. Him being 18 years old means it could take him a while to get it going in the NBA. He’s going to make some mistakes, as expected. He’s going to have some growing pains, as expected. Thankfully for him, he’s got a grown man’s build and won’t get bullied around right away.
Next: Mock Draft: Who will the Pacers select at No. 18?
Ike Anigbogu is certainly an intriguing prospect. The Pacers really need to nail this draft pick for the future of the franchise, so it would be risky to take a project like Anigbogu. That risk could pay off, though. He’s got a lot of potential. Ultimately, we will see if Kevin Pritchard feels the same.