8. Nico Mannion, Shooting Guard
Current Team: Arizona
Continued exposure at the college level with the Arizona Wildcats basketball program is going to help the former elite five-star guard recruit and standout freshman Nico Mannion more so than most other prospects at his position in this draft class. He’s a polished scorer, but needs help in other areas of his game.
Mannion is a well-rounded scorer from all levels and should at least be a net-neutral presence on the defensive end of the floor. The defensive ceiling isn’t all that high for Mannion, but he is quick and stout enough off-ball to thrive eventually on that end of the floor.
Putting the facilitating ability and the on-ball defense of Mannion to the test is the best part about the exposure he’ll get at Arizona. He seems to be faring rather well in both departments so far this season with a rock solid 80.8 defensive rating and 4.5 assists per game. But the 2.8 turnovers per game is a mark that needs to fall down a bit.
Above average shot creation from all levels running a halfcourt offense and shooting a whopping 50 percent from three-point range are huge positives for Mannion. His production proves that a top-10 pick could be very likely for this skilled 6-foot-3 combo guard that could eventually operate as a primary ball handler at the next level.