Marvin Bagley III dominated at Duke Joel Heath Jersey , while fellow freshman Michael Porter Jr. barely saw action at Missouri due to injury. Yet they’ll likely be the first forwards to hear their names called during Thursday’s draft.
Bagley is a possible No. 1 overall pick and double-double machine with a long frame. But many considered Porter to be the top NBA prospect in last year’s class as he works to prove he’s past the back injury that required surgery and limited his college career to just three games.
Here’s a look of the top forwards in the draft:
MARVIN BAGLEY III
Bagley lived up to all expectations, being named The Associated Press player of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference and a first-team All-American .
STRENGTHS: The 6-foot-11 forward checks a lot of boxes: athleticism, inside-out ability, length. He averaged 21 points and 11.1 rebounds while shooting 61 percent from the floor and nearly 40 percent from 3-point range. He has good touch around the rim, the ability to shoot over defenders and was a strong finisher.
CONCERNS: Bagley is still developing defensively, particularly when it comes with what is happening away from the ball. He also tends to be too left-hand reliant at times and needs to improve going the other way.
MICHAEL PORTER JR.
The injury creates plenty of uncertainty and makes the 6-10 forward a bit of a wild card, one who could return top-of-the-draft value for a mid-lottery price.
STRENGTHS: Porter was considered by many as last year’s top recruit with his scoring, playmaking ability and athleticism. He was a McDonald’s All-American in high school after averaging 36.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per game during his senior year.
CONCERNS: There’s little to evaluate with Porter against college competition considering he was hurt minutes into the season opener. He didn’t play again until the postseason. It’s unclear if the injury will limit his ceiling in any way.
MILES BRIDGES
Michigan State’s sophomore is a versatile lottery prospect in a pro-ready 6-7 body.
STRENGTHS: Bridges did a lot of things well last year while averaging 17.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He’s strong enough to both tussle with bigger players and overpower perimeter forwards. And he was excellent at the foul line (.853) to cash in when drawing contact.
CONCERNS: Bridges needs to continue honing his perimeter skills. He shot nearly 39 percent from 3-point range as a freshman Kareem Jackson Jersey , but slid to 36 percent last year.
MIKAL BRIDGES
The 6-7 junior swingman developed into a potential top-10 pick for national champion Villanova.
STRENGTHS: Bridges offers the desired combination of 3-point shooting and defensive ability, a valuable package in today’s NBA. Bridges shot nearly 44 percent from behind the arc. He also has the length to be a disruptive defender after leading the Wildcats with 61 steals.
CONCERNS: Bridges needs to add some more strength to a lean 209-pound frame. He also blended in offensively on a deep and efficient offense, so he didn’t need to show a lot when it came to creating his own shot.
KEVIN KNOX
The 6-9 freshman out of Kentucky brings a stretch-4 skillset with good size and shooting range, making him a possible lottery pick.
STRENGTHS: Knox has NBA shooting range, fluid offensive moves and the ability to get out in transition. He showed his high ceiling with 34 points on 11-for-17 shooting with five 3-pointers in a win at West Virginia in January.
CONCERNS: He was a bit of a streaky shooter at times who hit just 34 percent of his 3-pointers. He also could be a tougher rebounder; he had only two double-figure rebounding outputs in 37 games compared to 13 games with four or fewer boards.
OTHERS TO WATCH
– KOSTAS ANTETOKOUNMPO: The long 6-10 forward from Dayton aims to join his All-Star brother Giannis in the NBA, though he’s a project who needs time to develop and get stronger.
– KEITA BATES-DIOP: The Ohio State junior with a 7-3 wingspan made himself a possible first-rounder with a big season that included being named Big Ten player of the year.
– JUSTIN JACKSON: Maryland’s 6-7 sophomore could potentially play at small forward or as an undersized power forward with a 7-3 wingspan, though the likely second-rounder missed most of last season with a shoulder injury.
– MOE WAGNER: The 6-11 junior helped Michigan reach the NCAA championship game with his inside-out versatility . He’s a likely second-round prospect.
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Kansas City has agreed to trade quarterback Alex Smith to Washington, a move that spells the end of Kirk Cousins’ time with the Redskins and hands the Chiefs’ job to Patrick Mahomes.
Two people with direct knowledge of the deal confirmed the move to The Associated Press on Tuesday night on condition of anonymity because the transaction can’t be completed until the start of the new league year in March. One person told the AP the Redskins had agreed to a four-year extension with Smith, who had one year left on his contract.
Smith Jerry Hughes Jersey , who turns 34 in May, spent the past five seasons with the Chiefs, leading them to the playoffs four times while throwing for 102 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. He carries a $17 million salary-cap hit for 2018.
Kansas City saves cap space and can turn to Mahomes, the 10th pick in last year’s draft out of Texas Tech, as its new starter.
Smith becomes Washington’s new franchise quarterback after throwing for 31,888 yards and 183 touchdowns in 12 NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and Chiefs.
Smith is ”one of the best competitors and teammates I’ve ever been around,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce posted on Twitter. ”Someone who I owe a lot of my success to, and a guy that’s been a class act through all the ups n downs.”
The Redskins acquired Smith and signed him to the kind of long-term deal they balked at with Cousins, who became the first QB to play back-to-back seasons on the franchise tag. Cousins can become a free agent next month at age 29.
”Nothing really surprises me anymore Jason Witten Jersey ,” Redskins tight end Niles Paul tweeted . Former Redskins QB Robert Griffin III tweeted : ”Some how…Some way…they will blame this on me. No doubt.”
Cousins, drafted by the Redskins in the fourth round out of Michigan State in 2012 – the same year they traded up to Griffin with the No 2 pick – likely leaves Washington with the fourth-most passing yards in franchise history, more than 16,000.
Under coach Jay Gruden, Cousins became the first Redskins QB to start all 16 games for three consecutive seasons. He threw for at least 4,000 yards in each, while totaling 81 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. But Washington only played in one playoff game during that span, going 9-7, 8-7-1 and Jermey Parnell Jersey , most recently, 7-9 in Cousins’ time as a starter.
Cousins has been the biggest question hovering over Washington’s offseason – and, indeed, hovering over the whole organization for a couple of years as the team failed to sign him to a long-term deal.
According to ESPN, Washington is sending a third-round draft pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller to Kansas City in the trade, which cannot be finalized until March 14. The Kansas City Star first reported the deal.
This is the second time a team coached by Andy Reid has traded a 33-year-old QB to the Redskins. Reid’s Philadelphia Eagles dealt Donovan McNabb to Washington in 2010 for second- and third-round picks.
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AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta and Pro Football Writer Howard Fendrich contributed to this report.
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