“One of the hardest working, best young talent evaluators I know in the sport, Steve Alves… This guy knows basketball talent!” ~ Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN
Every evaluation process ends with both disappointments and surprises. In the NBA, that process is more detailed than at any other level. In Spring of 2017, this list was created and given to an NBA team before the 2017 NBA Draft. Two years later, you can judge for yourself who those disappointments and surprises were.
Beginning Notes: This list is a collection of players that are projected to be in both the top-5, and 20-35, ranges. The report was done using NBA great Rick Barry’s scouting format, which evaluates the following: scoring, defense, floor game, intangibles, and overall ability. After a minimum of two hours of film research on each player using Synergy, they were evaluated on a grade basis that has been explained below. All the ratings except for free throw shooting were subjective. Point guards had an additional rating for their playmaking, and big men had an additional rating for their shot blocking.
Ratings
- AAA – Top-of-the-line
- AA – Big-time
- A – First-rate
- B – Middle-of-the-pack
- C – Mediocre, at best
- D – Suspect
Free Throw Shooting Ratings
- .880 and above – AAA
- .879 to .840 – AA
- .839 to .800 – A
- .799 to .750 – B
- .749 to .700 – C
- .699 and below – D
List of Featured Players
- Markelle Fultz
- Lonzo Ball
- Josh Jackson
- Jayson Tatum
- De’Aaron Fox
- John Collins
- Ivan Rabb
- Justin Patton
- Tyler Lydon
- Dwayne Bacon
- Caleb Swanigan
- Johnathan Motley
- Donovan Mitchell
- Justin Jackson
- Jordan Bell
- Sindarius Thornwell
- Edmond Sumner
- Kyle Kuzma
- Tony Bradley
- Grayson Allen
