2019 NBA Draft: Ja Morant headlines top 9 mid-major prospects

2) Rui Hachimura, PF, Gonzaga

A lot of Gonzaga guys on this list, huh? Hachimura tops them all, projecting to land in the lottery in most mock drafts.

The Japanese native has improved by leaps and bounds since he stepped foot in Spokane and is largely still developing, which is one of the reasons scouts are so high on his potential.

Hachimura is a matchup nightmare at 6-8 and 230 pounds. As someone who can play either forward position, he has the size and strength to post up smaller defenders to go along with the speed and ball-handling ability to blow by bigger defenders.

Those skills have helped turn him into one of college basketball’s most prolific scorers, as he’s averaging over 20 points per game. He has also improved his jump shot to the point now where opponents have to respect him from three-point range.

Hachimura is not a great shot blocker yet, but if you’re looking to see the kind of impact he can have, all you have to do is look at Gonzaga’s win over Duke. He’s the only player this year to outplay Zion Williamson. And he also went blow for blow with Grant Williams in their loss to Tennessee.

Hachimura provides NBA teams with the rare combination of a smart, experience college player that also has the upside of a quality one-and-done prospect.