With the NBA regular season complete and the play-in games underway, the NBA draft now takes precedence for the 10 NBA teams outside the playoff mix.
From Europe to Australia and the college ranks, scouts are scouring the globe for the next impact NBA players in an uncertain draft class. Several prospects have climbed in the mock draft after stellar runs in the NCAA tournament, and two French prospects continue to top the draft board.
Which players from back-to-back champion UConn will land in the lottery? How did Kentucky's lackluster March impact how its top prospects are viewed? And which international players are trending upward as seasons come to a close?
ESPN NBA draft insiders Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo look at these questions and break down the prospects in the latest mock draft.
FIRST ROUND
1. Detroit Pistons
Zaccharie Risacher
Bourg
SF
Age: 19.0
The Pistons are the NBA's worst 3-point shooting team while ranking among the league's worst defenses, meaning they could very well be attracted to the combination of perimeter shooting, defensive versatility and youth Risacher offers. He's having an extremely productive season competing at a very high level of competition for Bourg, guarding every position from 1 to 4 while making 39% of his 3-pointers through 60 games, despite being in a late-season slump. Risacher looks like a strong fit positionally with the rest of Detroit's core and is the type of player who doesn't need plays called for him. -- Jonathan Givony
