[Flameres15Participant]

 The top international prospect in the draft, Lauri Markkanen, chose to spend this year in college, rather than the pros. Given his size (7 feet) and shooting (2.4 three-pointers made per game), Markkanen should be getting more national attention. Lauri Markkanen is not a lockdown defender, rebounder, nor does he posses top-tier athleticism. These are all things that keep him from being compared to Kristaps Porzingis, but Markkanen is comprable to Dirk Nowitzki. The NBA idolizes stretch bigmen, and Lauri Markkanen is the best in this draft, and possibly the best in the past couple drafts. When I reviewed film, Markkanen possesses lights out shooting, even with a defender in his face. Also, Markkanen has a spin move that should translate to the NBA. While he doesn’t rebound at a high rate, Markkanen does get in good position. As the NCAA season progresses, Lauri Markkanen should get more recognition and be drafted top-10, although I believe he should go top-5.

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