All signs point toward Markelle Fultz being the first player selected in the 2017 NBA Draft, and Washington Wizards point guard John Wall — a former No. 1 overall pick in his own right — agrees the University of Washington product is the “best player” available.
But there’s another NBA draft prospect who reminds Wall a lot of himself and who the four-time NBA All-Star thinks could wind up being better in the long run: Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox.
“A lot of people say it’s bias because he’s from Kentucky, but I think De’Aaron Fox might end up being the best point guard out of that class,” Wall recently told CSN Mid-Atlantic. “He reminds me of myself a lot, just a lefty.”
Many experts think Fox could be the third point guard — and perhaps the third player overall — taken in the June 22 draft, behind Fultz and UCLA star Lonzo Ball. Wall, who was the top pick in 2010, has evolved into one of the NBA’s most dynamic talents, though. A chance to select a player with similar qualities could be difficult to pass up.
That said, the Boston Celtics still are expected to draft Fultz with the No. 1 overall selection (if they keep the pick). And although Wall, a former Kentucky Wildcat, thinks very highly of Fox, he also understands the hype surrounding Fultz, a 19-year-old coming off an impressive freshman season with Washington.
“(Fultz) does it all,” Wall told CSN Mid-Atlantic. ” … Plays at his own pace, shoots the 3, posts up, passes, athletic. That’s why he’s the best player in the draft right now.”
In any event, the Celtics, who knocked Wall’s Wizards out of the NBA playoffs this season to earn a trip to the Eastern Conference finals, are in the enviable position of holding the No. 1 pick in what is widely considered a very deep draft.
Thumbnail photo via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images
