Dante Exum
First on the list is Dante Exum. There are a few mock drafts that have him slipping down to the Laker pick. How did that happen? Noah Vonleh and Marcus Smart may have brought themselves to top-5 selections. With Smart, team executives know they’re getting an All-NBA defender, triple threat play, and tremendous competitiveness. Dante Exum remains an enigma. Still, even as a combo guard, he has great size for his position. Without shoes, he stands at 6’4.5″ with a 6’9″ wingspan. He is more of a natural playmaker than Marcus Smart, and it shows with his ability to breakdown his defender in isolation, or in pick-and-roll situations. He has tremendous defensive potential as well. He just isn’t well known enough. But, if executives thought of him as a high school player, their opinions may change again.