National Basketball Association

NBA Draft Profiles: Top 5 Point Guards For Philadelphia 76ers

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:15 p.m. ET

Fansided, Owen Nelson/FanSided via The Sixer Sense

This upcoming 2017 draft is stacked at point guard, if you need one now is the time to act. Here’s a rundown of my top 5.

1. Markelle Fultz

On most mock drafts Markelle Fultz has been the consensus top pick. Here’s a rundown on the talented Washington guard.

Measurements

Height: 6-4

Weight: 195lb

Wingspan: 6-10

Stats

Points: 23.1

Assists: 6.2

Rebounds: 5.8

Steals: 1.7

Blocks: 1.4

FG percentage: 48.9

3FG percentage: 40.3

(All stats are as of 21 January)

During Markelle Fultz’s season at Washington he has already shown every tool that a modern day point guard needs to succeed in the NBA nowadays. Whether it’s shooting, passing, weaving through traffic, he can do it all. His efficient play further shows he ready for the big league, at one point Fultz was shooting over 50 percent from three. That figure has slowly dropped off but it’s still at an impressive 40 percent.

His pull-up game is excellent, whenever he comes off of a pick-and-roll and pulls up, whether that be in a defender face or not, he almost always makes it. The the defender goes over the screen then Fultz is crafty enough to either dish the rolling teammate or find a way to weave through the defence for a layup. This kind of versatility will always keep the defender thinking. As time goes on his basketball IQ will only get better, therefore making him one of the best prospects, if not the best, in the draft.

Improve His FT

So far, we haven’t seen any major weaknesses in Fultz’s game. On the other hand, his low 66 percent from the free throw line is the only concerning aspect of his game, and it’s something that will improve over time. Some analysts say that his laid back approach is worrying, I don’t buy that though. Some feel that this laid back approach affects Fultz’s leadership and as a point guard you need to be the loudest player on the floor. I believe Fultz to be more of a lead by example kind of player.

Despite Washington’s struggles early on, Fultz has still done enough to warrant being first overall come June 22.

2. Lonzo Ball

Measurements

Height: 6-6

Weight: 190lb

Wingspan: 6-7

Stats

Points: 14.4

Assists: 8.2

Rebounds: 5.5

Steals: 1.8

Blocks: 0.9

FG percentage: 53.2

3FG percentage: 43.1

While many consider Lonzo Ball‘s shooting mechanics as very questionable, it’s definitely working for him. Scouts thought his shot wouldn’t translate from high school to college, but he has proved them wrong. Would you expect anything else from a member of the Ball family? Some NBA teams will definitely want to change his shot, but since its clearly working for him teams may shy away from altering it. It was for this reason as to why draft experts and analysts mocked Ball in the late teens/early 20s in their mock draft before the season began. Ball has continued to prove them wrong and now he is in the conversation for the number one pick.

Above all else, Lonzo’s passing and play-making abilities are gifts. There aren’t many players who are better facilitators than the oldest Ball brother. The former Chino Hills HS guard has drastically improved UCLA’s offence; Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton, Aaron Holiday and T.J. Leaf has benefitted tremendously with Ball leading the way.

SCORE

UCLA are scoring 125 points per 100 possessions, compared to 111 points per 100 possessions last season without Ball. And they have gone from a mediocre college team to one of the best in the nation.

One concerning factor with the 6-6 guard is that he has shown next to no mid range game. Teams won’t no whether or not his unorthodox, low release will be efficient in the NBA. The fact that Ball hasn’t shown any mid range game yet is worrying, if he can’t do it in college then he definitely won’t be able to do it in the NBA. Similarly to Fultz, Ball struggles at the free throw line, he shoots 68 percent but as I said for Fultz, that number will increase over time.

3. Dennis Smith Jr.

Measurements

Height: 6-3

Weight: 195lb

Wingspan: 6-3

Stats

Points: 19.1

Assists: 6.2

Rebounds: 4.3

Steals: 2.2

Blocks: 0.4

FG percentage: 45.3

3FG percentage: 37

After suffering an ACL tear prior to his senior year of high school, causing him to miss the entire season year, Dennis Smith Jr. has bounced back better than anyone could’ve ever expected. He seems to have a quicker first step, a bit more bouncier. His elite athleticism was his main selling point, so after that dreaded knee injury, NBA and college teams feared his athleticism would take a knock. His return this year has been phenomenal and made him as a potential number one pick candidate.

Full Of Surprises

One nice surprise has been Smith Jr.’s three point shot, his three point shot was one of his weaknesses going into the college season. He started rough from three to start the year but has gone 44.4 percent from three since December 15. If Smith Jr. can continue to shoot it at this percentage then there will definitely be a tough choice ahead for whoever has the number one pick. A player with elite athleticism and three point shot is the way the NBA is headed.

One bad tendency of Smith Jr. is his shot selection can at times be erratic and irrational, if his shot isn’t falling he needs to learn to stop shooting and start dishing to his teammates. This has only happens on a few occasions but he will learn as he gets older. Also his previous knee injury will definitely play a factor on where he gets drafted. No matter how well he plays this year, that injury will be in the back of every team’s minds because of how these injuries have ended careers in the past.

Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

4. Frank Ntilikina

Measurements

Height: 6-5

Weight: 180

Wingspan: 7-0

Stats

Points: 3.2

Assists: 0.6

Rebounds: 1.4

Steals: 0.5

Blocks: 0.0

FG percentage: 47.4

3FG percentage: 41.7

These stats certainly do not jump off the screen but as a skinny 17 year old Frank Ntilikina won’t get much playing time in the pros. However, he did show his sky high potential at the recent under-18 world championship where he averaged 15.2 points and 4.5 assists whilst shooting a brilliant 58.6 percent from three. His showing at this tournament cemented his place in the lottery, scouts won’t get to see much of him play but this small sample size may just be enough to interest a number of point guard thirsty teams.

Building A Mystery

Frank Ntilikina is this years mystery international man, last year it was Dragan Bender, Kristaps Porzingis the year before, and point guard Dante Exum before him. It’s always tough to analyse and scouts foreign players as there is never enough tape of them, and when there is its never of good quality. Like previous years, some will fall in love with Ntilikina and think he’s top 5 worthy whilst others will think he’s not lottery worthy; it happens every year.

The French guard is a very smooth player, he has a way of making things look easy. Ntilikina can either shoot from three or finish inside with his 6-5 build. He can also dish out to a teammate, through the very little film that is available Ntilikina has shown that he has an eye for a pass. His dangly frame helps him out on defence, for example, after getting coached by NBA coach, Ntilikina will know how to correctly use his 7-0 wingspan. Ntilikina is definitely following the trend of big point guards. Although, he will definitely have to put on muscle to his thin 170lb frame in order to survive the toughness of the 82-game NBA season.

Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

5. De’Aaron Fox

Measurements

Height: 6-3

Weight:187lb

Wingspan: 6-6

Stats

Points: 16.7

Assists: 6.3

Rebounds: 5

Steals: 1.7

Blocks: 0.2

FG percentage: 47.6

3FG percentage: 13.5

De’Aaron Fox brings energy to the game, his electric speed helps him get easy buckets on the fast break. The Houston native has brought a John Wall-like impact to Lexington, Kentucky, putting up near identical stats whilst possessing very similar play styles. Fox can heat up quickly and drop 20 points on you, when he’s hot he can’t miss. He is very crafty around the rim, he can either drop a no look pass to the corner, weave his way through for a layup or dunk over the defender.

Defender

Fox is also a pest on the defensive end, bringing an Allen Iverson sort of energy to the floor. He’s all over you like a rash, always looking for the next chance to pounce and steal the ball. That kind of tenacity defensively will always give Fox a home in the NBA as teams love players who are devoted to defense.

With pros, there are cons, Fox’s three point shot has been abysmal this year, only shooting 13.5 percent is awful. This will almost definitely scare teams away from drafting him if he doesn’t improve from now until the end of the season. He started the year excellently from the charity stripe, one of the most efficient free throw shooters in the nation, going 21-21 in his first three games. His percentage has plummeted to 70 percent, still decent but far off of what it once was.

I don’t see Fox as a potential go-to player, he’s more of a complimentary player. For example, the Knicks could use a player like Fox as he brings that energy that could electrify the atmosphere at Madison Square Gardens.