The 2017 draft is looking great. Kiefer Ravena is lighting up the scoreboard. Jeron Teng is the unstoppable big guard. Raymar Jose and Jason Perkins are reliable bigs as marketed. And Christian Standhardinger? He is playing like a foreign import in the ABL.
That will put pressure on the 2018 draft. Will it introduce better players in the league? Let us see.
Here are the top 12 projected prospects in the draft.
They were ranked according to two values:
Current Impact: There present skill-level.
Potential: How good could they be?
#12 Matt Salem
24 Yrs. Old | 6'4 Wing
Current Impact: 8
Potential: 11
Matt Salem was one of the hottest high schoolers to enter the college basketball world in the Philippines. Injuries and a few big decisions later and he ended up with NU and averaged 8.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 32% 3FG in 2017.
Salem wants to be as flexible and versatile, as possible. He wants to learn to play the 3 and 4 position. With that and his athleticism, Salem could push himself into a top 3 pick.
25 Yrs. Old | 6'4 Forward
Current Impact: 8
Potential: 12
Graham was the surprise #1 pick in the 2017 D-League draft. He was described as an Arwind Santos type. Meaning, he is athletic and has the capability to do almost everything.
#10 Javee Mocon
22 Yrs. Old | 6'3 Wing
Current Impact: 10
Potential: 11
Sandwiched between the spotlight on Bolick and Perez was the incredible stat-filling season of Mocon. In the last game of San Beda against San Sebastian, Mocon produced 23 points, 22 rebounds and 5 blocks. Mocon plays like an eagle. Give him a free-ball and he will fly to take it (rebound) or stop it (block).
#9 Andre Paras
22 Yrs. Old | 6'5 Bigman
Current Impact: 9
Potential: 12
If marketability is part of the criteria, Paras will be #1. What great about him though, was his sudden realization that defense could be his ticket to the pros! And he is putting the work to be an elite stopper.
Add the fact that he looks like an elite rebounder already and he is trying to shoot from the outside, and you have a modern stretch-big prospect.
Add the fact that he looks like an elite rebounder already and he is trying to shoot from the outside, and you have a modern stretch-big prospect.
24 Yrs. Old | 6'7 Center
Current Impact: 11
Potential: 11
Playing behind the Lebron James of Philippine basketball, Ben Mbala, Tratter never saw enough reps to develop faster. I never saw enough post skills and floor awareness to say that Tratter could be something special. But with his body and athleticism, he will be a capable player in the PBA for more than a decade.
#7 Arvin Tolentino
22 Yrs. Old | 6'5 Bigman
Current Impact: 11
Potential: 12
If I am an adviser of Arvin, I will advise him to be available for the 2018 draft. A lot of teams are looking for bigs in the PBA. Actually, all the teams would love to develop a frontliner who can shoot from the outside.
Tolentino shot 36.1% from beyond the arc in the 2017 season. That is ridiculous for a bigman! His game is not yet perfect, but if his shooting is legit, developing the other parts will be much simpler.
#6 Alvin Pasaol
21 Yrs. Old | 6'2 Forward
Current Impact: 13
Potential: 11
Pasaol is the most savage scorer in the amateurs, today. Pasaol wants to score 30 points in every game and he will never look back on his misses. His 49 points eruption against De La Salle will not be his last highlight game in his career.
The footwork, touch and awareness that he showcased are not things that you can just pick-up through experience. He worked for those and if he keeps it up, he will further develop.
#5 Robert Bolick
22 Yrs. Old | 6'2 Wing
Current Impact: 13
Potential: 12
The Cinderella-story of Bolick is well-documented. He is a bench player who created his way into college stardom. That kind of dedication and commitment are not easy to measure and to find.
He was the 2017 D-League Aspirant Cup MVP with his 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 49.5% FG per game. He is a good decision maker, who will make the right decisions on your offense. And on the defensive end, Bolick maintains tenacity and focus to stop anyone.
23 Yrs. Old | 6'3 Wing
Current Impact: 13
Potential: 13
Thanks to coach Topex Robinson, CJ was finally unleashed. He claimed the 2017 NCAA Most Valuable Player award in 2017 with his 19.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 45.1% FG.
His tenacity and motor makes Perez a force on both ends. I like the aggressiveness of Perez on offense and his ability to find open teammates. As long as he remains in-control, he will be a superb contributor.
21 Yrs. Old | 6'3 Wing
Current Impact: 14
Potential: 12
One of my favorite intangibles of a basketball player is being a winner. Thirdy Ravena, has that. The higher the stakes, the better Thirdy becomes. Isaac Go will forever be remembered with his clutch shots in the UAAP finals, but I hope you do not forget about the guy that passed him the ball.
Yes, it was Thirdy Ravena. He has a high basketball IQ and great athleticism. He is explosive and versatile enough to play with anybody in the PBA.
#2 Jason Brickman
27 Yrs. Old | 5'10 Point Guard
Current Impact: 15
Potential: 13
In the history of the NCAA in the United States, there were only four players who were able to pass 1,000+ assists. Brickman was one of them. Brickman is the pure point-guard type that a lot of coaches would love to have.
He is a seasoned professional already, after playing in several professional leagues. And in each one of them, he was a superb player, capable of putting up a double-double in points and assists.
#1 Bobby Ray Parks
24 Yrs. Old | 6'4 Wing
Current Impact: 15
Potential: 15
Stop overthinking it. Parks remains to be the top prospect that can enter the 2018 draft. In the on-going ABL season, he is making 13.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. That is a superb statline for a player who has the attention of the opposing team.
Parks remains to be inconsistent on the defensive end, but his instinct and skills are already intact. He needs to be more aggressive and learn to lead on offense. If he can do that, he will be the best player in the country, after the prime of The Kraken.
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