3 returning seniors who could hit the NBA draft lottery in 2017
The seniors represented Thursday night at the 2016 NBA Draft, with a trio of fourth-year college stars finding their way into the lottery portion of the event.
It was the first time in 10 years that three seniors were selected within the first 14 picks, and while next year's draft looks to be heavier on underclassmen, there are still a number of returning seniors who could push themselves into the 2017 lottery.
Here are three who could take the places of Buddy Hield, Taurean Prince, and Denzel Valentine in next year's draft:
Monte Morris (Iowa State)
Monte Morris has been labelled as a game manager over the last three years, but an exodus of upperclassmen from last year's team will leave the Iowa State point guard front and center of the Cyclones in his fourth year. Morris may not possess as much athletic upside as some of the other guards he'll compete with for draft position, but building on the 13.8 points and 6.9 assists per game he posted as a junior should give him a shot to be selected early by an NBA team in search of a polished true point guard.
Chris Boucher (Oregon)
Raw but athletic, Chris Boucher won't fly under the radar in 2016-17 like he did in 2015-16. Boucher averaged 12.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for Oregon as a junior, and also swatted 2.9 shots per game, yet it feels like the Canadian forward has only touched the tip of the iceberg of his potential. NBA teams are known to love their lanky, mobile, versatile big men, and Boucher brings just that to the table, along with a developing jump shot, which gives him a real chance to sneak into next year's lottery.
Jaron Blossomgame (Clemson)
He has the numbers and the size, so what's holding Jaron Blossomgame back? Nothing - except maybe the notion that his breakout junior season was a fluke. The ACC's Most Improved Player put up 18.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game as a junior, but it was the Clemson forward's skyrocketing 3-point percentage (28.8% in 2014-15 to 44.6% in 2015-16) that caught everybody's attention. If he can maintain the shooting - which was an issue during his first two seasons - and make general improvements to his game as he's done in the three campaigns previous, Blossomgame could be destined for the lottery in 2017.