2019 NBA Draft: Top 10 prospects to watch during March Madness

By Tony Pesta | Mar 21, 2019

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 16: Teammates Zion Williamson #1, RJ Barrett #5, and Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils react after defeating the Florida State Seminoles 73-63 in the championship game of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

5 of 11

(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

7. Markus Howard — G (Marquette)

One of the best heat check players in the country, Markus Howard is not to be messed around with during March Madness.

Howard is an explosive scorer with the potential to blow up at any minute. He has sniper range with his 3-point shot and is absolutely deadly with his pull-up jump shot. Howard shot 40.8 percent from deep this year and finished top 10 in the NCAA for total 3-pointers made with 116.

He is a constant threat to get hot. If he does catch fire, the game is pretty much in his hands. Howard has recorded 10 games of 30-plus points this season, including one performance in which he dropped 53 points and shot 10-for-14 from the 3-point line.

However, his game isn’t perfect. With an average of only 4.0 assists per game, it can be argued that Howard is often too ball-dominant. Not to mention, he is undersized at 5’11”. Even for a point guard, this makes Howard a liability on the defensive end.

Regardless, watching Marquette — the 5-seed in the West region — play in this year’s tournament will be exciting for the simple fact that Howard could take over a game at any moment.