Indiana Pacers: Draft prospects to watch in the NCAA tournament

The Indiana Pacers are focusing on a strong finish to the regular season, but with the NCAA tournament here, it’s hard to not look ahead to June’s draft.

Many expected the Pacers to finish this season with a lottery pick, gaining the opportunity to draft a cornerstone piece to pair with Myles Turner and Victor Oladipo. A lot has changed, however. Oladipo has blossomed into a superstar and has led Indiana to the Eastern Conference’s third seed.

This year’s lottery will be chalk full of studs, all of which Indiana will miss out on — save for trades. The players projected to be taken outside of the lottery, however, still have a chance to be productive NBA contributors.

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The 2018 class should have plenty of supply at the positions Indiana needs the most long-term–point guard and small forward. It’s impossible to predict where Indiana will select in the draft as they are no sure thing to hold onto the third seed (they have just a three-game advantage on the seventh-seeded Bucks with a tough schedule remaining).

To make things easy, we can assume they will select somewhere between 20 and 24 and go from there.

There are a ton of stars in the NCAA tournament that Indiana can look at but not touch: Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Jaren Jackson Jr., Mo Bamba, Trae Young, Collin Sexton, Michael Porter Jr. and more.

Outside of that group, it wouldn’t be shocking to see any of the other prospects slipping to a point where Indiana could justify moving up.

We’ll begin there, taking a look at possible “slippers” and then move on to the prospects the Pacers could likely see in the early 20s.

Reaches

Mikal Bridges, Forward, Villanova

Bridges is an excellent three-point shooter, hitting at a 43.3 percent on six attempts this season. He isn’t just an off-ball threat, though — he can do some stuff off the dribble as well.

With his combination of athleticism, foot speed, and a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Bridges should be a great defender in the pros. He is a great example of a player that can play a low usage role while also having the ability to create on his own if need be.

Kevin Knox, Forward, Kentucky

Knox would be a great fit with the Pacers’ current core. He’s good off the ball — especially as a shooter — and can handle the ball a bit. He has an NBA-ready body and the size to play both the three and the four.

He is a good defender and not much of a creator on offense — which would be fine next to Oladipo.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Point Guard, Kentucky

Don’t let Gilgeous-Alexander’s 39.6 three-point percentage fool you; he’s going to need to do some work to become a reliable shooter in the NBA. His form may be passable in college, but it is all upper body. He also can’t create his own space.

But he offers so much more, and that makes him a legitimate lottery talent.

Gilgeous-Alexander has great tools to be a good NBA defender at 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan. He can get to the rim and has good vision. He’d be a solid backcourt partner for Oladipo long-term.

Non-Reaches: Guards

Lonnie Walker IV, Shooting Guard, Miami

Walker has been inconsistent throughout most of the season, but he can get hot from three and is comfortable handling the ball. He won’t “wow” you as a passer, but he’s capable of finding open guys.

Defensively, he may never be more than a passable NBA defender but if he puts everything together on offense, that won’t matter much.

Khyri Thomas, Shooting Guard, Creighton

Thomas does a lot of the things Walker IV does, just a lot better. Perhaps that is because Thomas is two-and-a-half years older.

Thomas is a 41.9 percent three-point shooter and tenacious defender that can do a little bit off the dribble.

Landry Shamet, Point Guard, Witchita State

Shamet may be one of the most underrated players in the draft. Sure, he doesn’t have the athleticism that pops off the screen that many want from college guards. But he’s an excellent shooter — 45.9 percent from deep on 5.9 attempts per game this season and a solid team defender.

Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet have both already made their way into the league as former Shocker guards and Shamet may very well be next. Any team that drafts this guy in the 20s may have a steal on their hands.

Zhaire Smith, Shooting Guard, Texas Tech

Smith is an intriguing prospect. He has shot well from deep with a small sample size as a freshman — 41.9 percent on 31 total attempts — but he prefers to play inside the three-point line.

Smith does a lot off the ball, floating near the rim, setting off-ball screens and moving around. He gets off the floor with ease.

Smith won’t even turn 19 until June, so if Indiana wants to draft a young gun and grow him in their system, the Red Raider could be an option.

Non-Reaches: Forwards

Keita Bates-Diop, Forward, Ohio State

Bates-Diop, in his fourth year at Ohio State, is having by far his best season: 19.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and one steal per game on .484/.358/.779 shooting splits. He may be a little slow to play small forward in the NBA, but that’s OK — even at 6-foot-7, Bates-Diop is a beast in the post and should have no problem playing power forward.

Indiana would surely like to play Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner together long-term, but if they want some insurance in case that doesn’t work out, Bates-Diop would be a great option.

Next: The Book is better: What has Trevor Booker shown us?

The tourney starts tomorrow, and there’s a constant stream of NCAA basketball on over the rest of the month to keep an eye on. As your bracket falls apart, keep an eye on these prospects, as they could be good fits on the Indiana Pacers.

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Draft prospects for Pacers fans to watch in the NCAA tournament

By Dylan Hughes | Mar 14, 2018