Markelle Fultz Declares for 2017 NBA Draft
Markelle Fultz, the 6-foot-4 point guard from
Washington freshman Markelle Fultz is “unlikely” to play in the Pac-12 Tournament, meaning his college career could well be over.
Still, when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver steps to the podium at the NBA Draft on June 22, the 6-foot-4 Fultz is widely projected to be the No. 1 pick.
Fultz, who is averaging 23.2 points, 5,9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game, would then become the second straight No. 1 overall pick to have not played in the NCAA Tournament, following LSU’s Ben Simmons a year ago.
Yet with March Madness upon us, several other candidates will have a national platform to surpass Fultz for the No. 1 pick, most notably UCLA freshman point guard Lonzo Ball and Kansas freshman wing Josh Jackson.
SEATTLE (AP) — Washington freshman Markelle Fultz,
By MIKE McCURRY Playing without two starters, Arizona
Two Pac-12 players — Washington freshman guard Markelle Fultz and UCLA freshman guard Lonzo Ball — are the projected top two picks in the latest 2017 NBA Mock Draft from DraftExpress.com.
Kentucky (4) and Duke (3) have seven combined players in the mock.
Following Fultz and Ball, the site has N.C. State point guard Dennis Smith Jr., at No. 3, Kansas wing Josh Jackson at No. 4, Duke small forward Jayson Tatum at No. 5, Kentucky shooting guard Malik Monk at No. 6, Florida State small forward Jonathan Isaac at No. 7, Arizona power forward Lauri Markkanen at No. 8, Indiana small forward OG Anunoby at No. 9 and Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox at No. 10.
All but Anunoby would be one-and-done.
A year ago, Ben Simmons became the first No. 1 overall draft pick to be eligible for — and miss — the NCAA Tournament since Michael Olowokandi in 1998.
Is Markelle Fultz destined to follow in his footsteps?
The 6-foot-5 Fultz — the projected No. 1 pick in 2017 by DraftExpress.com — scored 25 points Wednesday night but his Washington team was obliterated by No. 8 Gonzaga 98-71 at The Kennel.
Lorenzo Romar’s Huskies are now 4-4 and have dropped three straight.
Their next chance to topple a ranked team doesn’t come until a Jan. 4 date with No. 24 Oregon in Pac-12 play. After that they play No. 2 UCLA and No. 20 Arizona twice apiece.
