17) Minnesota Timberwolves—Rasheer Fleming
Despite having a clear skill set that would fit today's NBA, St. Joseph's Rasheer Fleming has not seen his draft stock increase much. That could benefit the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Wolves will select 17th thanks to the pick received from the New York Knicks in the Karl-Anthony Towns deal via the Detroit Pistons. They could use that unexpected asset to select a long-term fit at power forward. With questions surrounding Julius Randle and whether he will return next season, they could use the opportunity to draft a potential replacement.
They could start Naz Reid next to Rudy Gobert and utilize Fleming at both backup power forward and center. After all, he boasts terrific length with a 7-5 wingspan, helping him rack up an eye-popping 2.9 stocks (steals and blocks) per game this past college season.
That will help him defend on the perimeter and at the rim in the NBA, and he is both a solid rebounder and a good shooter, hitting 39% of his 4.5 3-point attempts per game. That should make him the ideal fit playing at the four and even at the five, and the Timberwolves should take the opportunity to add him, given the uncertainty surrounding Randle and an aging Gobert.
18) Miami Heat—Carter Bryant
Thanks to the Jimmy Butler trade, the Miami Heat will have the 18th pick, and they should select Arizona forward Carter Bryant. Nabbing him at 18 could be a steal for a team that is known for getting draft steals. Bryant is a big wing at 6'8 with a 6'11 wingspan.
That makes him a prototypical three-and-D forward prospect, with his size, length, and agility allowing him to guard multiple positions. However, what is exciting about Bryant is that he can already shoot.
Generally speaking, players who fit the bill as a three-and-D forward prospect have to be taught how to shoot, and maybe only half of them actually ever become 3-point shooters.
Bryant shot an impressive 37.1% from deep outside on 2.8 3-point attempts per game. That is a big enough sample size to prove that he can be a knockdown shooter in the NBA, especially with him having good shooting form.
Add in that Bryant shows promise in being able to create for himself by using ball screens to attack the paint off the dribble, and he has enough there to be worth being selected 18th. For the Heat, adding Bryant would be an A+ draft, with them adding a three-and-D forward, which would potentially give them a plug-and-play option.