As we continue to examine the best 2018 NBA Draft prospects at each position, we now turn our eyes to the crop of shooting guards.
As we gear up for the college basketball season, we’re starting our descend into the 2018 NBA Draft. The talent pool is very different from 2017. The elite point guard crop of 2017 is replaced with a plethora of interesting and talented big men.
In addition, there may be more flat-out star power at the top of this year’s draft. The big five names to keep your eyes on are Mohamed Bamba, DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Michael Porter Jr. and Luka Doncic. Among them, and their fellow potential draft classmates, you won’t find many players who are easy to fixate on one position for.
As we discussed in our pieces on the center and power forward spots, traditional prerequisites to play these positions are more or less gone. Everyone wants to be play better, faster and usually smaller. Therefore, in this group of shooting guards, you’ll probably find some guys who could play up or down a position.
But with these main five players we’re going to discuss, they should excel next to starting point guards. For many of them, being the smaller wing, alongside a taller small forward, is their best position. Here are the five best shooting guard prospects in the 2018 NBA Draft.
5. De’Anthony Melton – USC
De’Anthony Melton had a phenomenal freshman season that you may have missed. Melton cracked the rotation early on a strong USC team as a relentless combo guard. But Melton is so much more than a combo guard. A Swiss army knife might be a better description.
What makes Melton so special? Check out this data point from last year courtesy of former Draft Express guru Jonathan Givony:
"USC freshman guard De’Anthony Melton is the NCAA’s only player to average at least 5.0 assists, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per 40 minutes – Givony"
Melton impacts nearly every aspect of the game and he’s an underrated passer. He sees the floor better than most college kids his age and he loves to play defense. His versatility makes him a surefire first rounder, but he could get even better. Melton needs to improve his shooting and ball handling, the latter being a major reason why Melton isn’t listed as a point guard. If he makes a jump in just one of those categories, he could get some looks in the lottery.
4. Troy Brown – Oregon
A bit like De’Anthony Melton, Troy Brown’s X-factor might be his passing ability as an off-guard. There’s some talk that the 6’7″ guard may handle the ball a lot at Oregon. Brown has a near seven-foot wingspan, so not only can he handle the ball, but he might be able to defend 1-4.
Brown likely won’t be a tall point guard in the NBA a la Ben Simmons or Giannis Antetokounmpo. Still, he should be an avid playmaker on the wing. Another bonus is Brown won’t turn 19 until July of 2018. Add his outlier passing for his size with defensive intensity and you have a very intriguing player.
The keys for Brown are whether he can be an elite defender and how well he shoots the ball. He has a lot of promise from shooting outside, but that’ll be critical to watch in his freshman year at Oregon.
If Brown can show a bit of playmaking, defending and shooting, he’ll have NBA scouts in love. That’s a lot of ifs though, and it matters how proficient he is in those areas. Brown is one of the most fascinating players in all of college basketball.
3. Bruce Brown – Miami
Bruce Brown is another combo guard best suited for playing off guard. Right now, he’s definitely more polished than Melton in almost every area. Like the USC guard, he too has Swiss army knife potential. Unlike Melton, though, Brown was a more respectable shooter, hitting nearly 35 percent from 3-point range and almost 75 percent from the line.
Shooting, like for most college players, is likely the swing skill for Brown. His 3.2 assists per game show a player who can make things happen, but he’ll need that jumper to bring more offensive value. On the other end, the rising sophomore looks like a tough defender who can guard 1-3.
One area where he’s about at the same level as Melton is as a ball-handler. Brown can’t run a team by himself and may struggle under ball pressure. Time will tell how much he’s improved since last season. The worry about Brown is he’s already 21, so he might not be seen as having as high a ceiling as younger players.
2. Lonnie Walker – Miami
If Bruce Brown got you excited, then you may want to watch a lot of Miami this year. Joining Brown in the backcourt is McDonald’s All-American Lonnie Walker. While Brown is more of a combo guard, Walker is a pure wing. Walker is 6’4″ with a near 6’11” wingspan. One area of concern, more for his college season, is that Walker is recovering from a meniscus injury.
Now, Miami is hopeful he’ll play on opening night, but it may take him time to get back to where he used to be. Where he used to be was a dynamic shooting guard that can fill it up. Walker has a great build and can light it up from downtown. He hit over 40 percent from downtown in AAU on over five shots per game, per Draft Express.
Walker really needs to be a lights out shooter because he’s already a solider driver and finisher. But because he doesn’t have the playmaking upside of Melton and the Browns, he has to be able to score extremely well. Defensively, he has all the tools to be a stud, he just needs to focus more and always play hard. If he can put it all together, you’re talking about a legitimate two-way starting shooting guard in the NBA.
1. Luka Doncic – Real Madrid
You might be sick of seeing Luka Doncic’s name everywhere, but you’d better get used to it. Not only is the Slovenian sensation the best shooting guard in this class, he is likely the best overall player. Alongside Goran Dragic, Doncic helped Slovenia win EuroBasket 2017, proving even more so that he has a body of work arguably more impressive than any college freshman. This kid had a triple-double against Spain, which should tell you everything.
There are two parts of Doncic’s game that are extremely elite. The first, his trademark, is passing. We’re talking Ben Simmons-level good with the ball in the half court. One day Doncic might run an NBA offense by himself because he’s already so advanced in the pick-and-roll. He also adds the ability to knock down threes, including difficult pull-ups. Doncic just gets buckets.
Now, he’s not the most athletic player and his foot speed is a bit slow compared to the best NBA athletes. However, he’s so competitive, crafty and intelligent that he makes up for a lot of that.
Next: 2018 NBA Draft - 5 best prospects at the PF position
Doncic is at least 6’7″ and has a tremendously strong build, meaning he might one day be able to guard 1-4. Without any real weaknesses and amazing vision, he sets the bar for everyone, shooting guards or not.