2017 NBA Draft Prospects: Creighton’s Justin Patton
Taking a look at why Creighton center Justin Patton is a good option for the Chicago Bulls with the 16th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Predicting any outcomes in the 2017 NBA Draft is a wild approach.
One late decision can set off a chain reaction, crumbling any kind of predictable structure one may have cooked up. So, instead of predicting who the Chicago Bulls will draft with the 16th pick, laying out why a prospect would make sense seems like a more productive exercise.
Let’s chat about Creighton center Justin Patton.
The Bulls don’t have their center of the future. Robin Lopez is solid, though he’s old and has an outdated skill set. Cristiano Felicio, also solid, lacks a skill set that translates to a high ceiling. He is most likely best suited as an above-average backup. The Bulls could take a chance on a really young center with a high ceiling who they could take their time with. Justin Patton fits that description.
Patton has a lot of things going for him that will translate well to the NBA immediately. The first thing that sticks out is his effort level. Playing with high energy has never been a problem for the 19-year-old. He runs the floor like a horse after a defensive rebound and has a nice habit of closing out guys on the perimeter like they are always getting up a potential game-winning shot. The kid hustles and has what some would call a high motor.
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The consistent effort level gives Patton a high floor as a player and it’s his skill set that pushes his potential towards the sky. Patton showed in college that he’s a big with soft hands that and a graceful touch around the rim. Combine that with the fact he’s 6-foot-11-7 feet tall and a springy athlete and you have a guy who can give opposing bigs problems.
He’s not going to pound anyone away in the post, but he is a guy you need to put a body on or he will be putting putback dunks on your head all day.
Patton has shown flashes of rim protection and his agility and explosion only leave room for improvement. He’s only 19 and over time, if he can develop instincts and awareness that you need to be the backbone of a defense, he could really help the Bulls defense for years to come.
An obvious weakness for Patton is that he doesn’t posses the strength to push guys around in the paint. At Creighton, physical bigs tore him apart like he was a piece of paper. Patton is again just 19, but he should fill into his frame a bit more to help with this problem. He’s going to need to develop a ruggedness to bang underneath the rim when guys figure out all you need to do is get physical with him.
Fred Hoiberg’s offense won’t call for Patton to post up a lot. He’d get most of his buckets off of rim runs out of pick-and-roll looks. Clint Capela is a mold Patton could potentially turn out in that sense. While having a rim-running, paint-protecting seven-footer is ideal, one with range makes them all the better.
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Patton’s offensive upside really skyrockets if he can be a real 3-point threat. It’s noteworthy he didn’t shoot a ton of them in college. He made a decent amount, shooting 8-of-15 in his attempts from deep. He has a habit of not releasing at the peak of his jump that leads to a lot of clankers. When he doesn’t lean back with his shot and finds that sweet spot on the release point, his shot looks pretty smooth. I’d liken it to Joel Embiid’s shot, a really crisp release when jumping into the shot rather than leaning back or being off-balance.
Patton has things to work on. He needs to fill out physically and become more comfortable getting aggressive in the paint. He has a lot to learn about defensive positioning. His age is a reason to think he has time to improve.
Patton’s shown hints of being quite impactful on both sides of the floor, this pushes his potential skyward. Maybe he doesn’t become a masterful rim protector, while also shooting 37 percent from 3-point range. If he’s a defensive-minded center who has a nice rim-running capability, he’d work well for the Bulls. A mobile defensive anchor would work really well with a team that is on the move a lot.
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The ceiling he could conceivably reach is why he’d be a decent gamble for the Bulls to roll with.