Rising draft prospects: Porter, a dark horse for No. 1 and more

HOUSTON, Texas -- Dozens of top college prospects showed off their skills at the Adidas Nations Global camp that ended Monday.

Just how good is top-ranked Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr., and how can he improve?

Here's the key info we learned, including breakout draft candidates and a dark horse for 2018's No. 1 pick.

Porter flashes upside, areas for improvement

By: Jonathan Givony

Michael Porter gave this camp a serious boost by electing to participate in the first three days of action, much to the delight of the dozens of NBA scouts assembled in Houston.

He seems to have had an excellent summer in the weight room, adding "eight or nine pounds" since arriving on campus at Missouri and noticeably looking bigger in the upper body in particular. Once measured at 6-foot-9 and 193 pounds by USA Basketball as a 16-year-old, Porter will have no problem filling out his frame to the point that he can guard almost any power forward thrown his way, especially since he now stands taller than 6-10 in shoes.

Porter looks like a lottery talent on first glance, but he also does things on the floor that few players his size can match. He's a natural shot-creator who can get a look off at will with a high release point and feathery soft touch on his pull-up jumper. His scoring instincts are off the chart, as evidenced by the 52 points he delivered in just 60 minutes of game-action at the camp. He's a playmaker on defense thanks to his excellent instincts, quickness and big standing reach (center size at around 9-feet), and has some court vision as well, seeing both sides of the floor at his high-vantage point to deliver pinpoint passes across the court for open 3s.

While there's little doubt about the extent of Porter's talent, he's still putting it all together.

He has a tendency to catch, hold and dribble the ball every time he gets a touch, going into iso-mode. That makes him somewhat predictable and easy to guard. He was credited for only one assist in his 60 minutes at the camp. His ability to get any shot he wants at any time is both a curse and a blessing, often causing him to settle for the first shot he can find -- typically a tough, contested fadeaway that is a low percentage attempt even for the most gifted scorers on earth.

He has such long legs and a high center of gravity that he plays the game upright, struggling when getting knocked off balance, avoiding contact at the rim and gambling excessively in the passing lanes. There may be somewhat of a transition for Porter to playing against elite-level defenders at the college level, as he's still figuring out how to play physical, efficient basketball and think about the game at the highest levels.

Still, the 6-10 power forward who can score from anywhere on the floor is the queen on a chessboard of modern basketball, and NBA scouts will be happy to be patient as the rest of his game rounds out.

Donte DiVincenzo looks primed for breakout season

With Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins off to the pro ranks, Villanova head coach Jay Wright will look toward a new cast of characters to attempt to lead the Wildcats to their fifth straight Big East championship. From what we saw at Nations, Donte DiVincenzo will play a major role in that, as he had a strong week and looks primed for a breakout season.

Unheralded out of high school, DiVincenzo barely saw the floor as a freshman. He has gotten much stronger in the past two years, emerging as one of the best defenders of the weekend, taking great pride in stopping opposing players, sometimes by dishing out hard fouls that drew angry stares. He's a good athlete who set the tone for his team with the way he competed on both ends of the floor, moving the ball unselfishly and making sure to keep everyone involved. The ball never sticks very long in DiVincenzo's hands, and he's constantly talking and surveying the court, often throwing the ball ahead in transition to get easy baskets. He can change speeds off the pick-and-roll and is quick off his feet to play above the rim, attacking the basket aggressively.

DiVincenzo made shots at a solid rate throughout the weekend, but will likely need to become a knockdown shooter and a better half-court facilitator to emerge as a bona fide NBA prospect in his final two years at Villanova. He shot a solid 36.5 percent for 3 as a sophomore, but will likely be asked to play off the ball a good amount once again this year alongside Big East First Team All-Conference member Jalen Brunson.

Strong weekend for Maryland's Justin Jackson

Justin Jackson looks much improved after an off-season in which he tested the NBA draft waters and ultimately elected to withdraw to return for his sophomore season at Maryland.

His frame looks outstanding, as he's clearly in the best shape we've seen him since he burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old playing up at the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship, where he made some serious noise.

His jumper looks much smoother now -- it's clear he has put a lot of work into it -- and he knocked down six of his 11 3-point attempts in 84 minutes at the camp. Jackson's intensity level was very high all weekend long. He flies around on defense and is capable of checking any of the frontcourt positions with his 7-3 wingspan and chiseled frame.

NBA teams can't find enough players with the versatility Jackson possesses on both ends of the floor, which will make him an attractive proposition should he have as strong of a sophomore season as this weekend suggested and decides to enter the 2018 NBA draft.

Anas Mahmoud makes his case for NBA scouts

No player born and raised in Egypt has ever played in the NBA. Louisville's Anas Mahmoud is trying to be the first.

He made a strong case for himself at Adidas Nations with the way he competed on defense. He covers ground like a player much smaller than 7-foot tall, rotating to the perimeter and recovering seamlessly to make plays at the rim with amazing timing and instincts, getting quite a few blocks and steals in the process.

Mahmoud is still painfully thin, especially in the lower body, but he's added some mass to his shoulders, and is playing a lot more physically than he did when he first arrived on campus at Louisville. His feel for the game has improved considerably as well, and he even made a handful of midrange jumpers, showing a little more offensive versatility than we saw in his first three seasons in college.

Mahmoud will need to become a much better defensive rebounder to carve out a niche at the NBA level, but big men who can guard pick-and-rolls the way he does always have a chance to make a roster.

Ray Spalding coming along

Louisville's other starting frontcourt player at this event, Ray Spalding, also had a strong weekend. He was one of the most impressive athletes among the college counselors, running the floor exceptionally well, being quick off his feet, showing extreme bounce and displaying an excellent first step that made him difficult for opposing big men to stay in front of off the bounce.

He has good shot-creation potential from the 4 spot and even flashed some potential as a jump-shooter, making a corner 3-pointer at one point and hitting a couple of midrange jumpers as well, with soft touch and a clean stroke. He also covers ground exceptionally well on defense, as the game seems to be slowing down for him finally. He switched seamlessly onto smaller players in the pick-and-roll and has impressive range with his strides.

A member of Louisville's coaching staff told us going into this event that Spalding has been their best player all summer, and they expect him to have a breakout junior season. His poor frame and lack of strength is the biggest thing holding him back at the moment, as he was pushed around quite a bit all weekend in the post and on the defensive glass and didn't always show enough fight. Getting tougher will be a major key in Spalding reaching his full potential, but he's in the right place to do that under Rick Pitino.

Scouting Nations' intriguing draft prospects

By Mike Schmitz

Robert Williams | So. | F | Texas A&M

The most physically imposing prospect in Houston, Williams wowed scouts with his tremendous frame, 7-foot-5 wingspan, incredible defensive range, lob-catching expertise and flashes of offensive skill. With no clear-cut No. 1 pick in place, the sophomore Texas A&M product could very well be a dark horse in the race depending on the type of sophomore season he has in College Station.

He wasn't all that productive during his two games at Adidas Nations (7.1 player efficiency rating) but Williams fits the modern center prototype. Similarly to former Aggies big man DeAndre Jordan, Williams can protect the rim (3.8 blocks per 40 minutes last year), cover ground on the perimeter, clean the glass and hammer home lobs as emphatically as any big man in the country.

He's not quite as big or strong in the lower body as Jordan was, but Williams has quite a bit more skill at the same stage. He's an improved passer who can make a midrange jumper or a short-range jump hook. Williams still lacks a fair amount of discipline, and for every on-point backdoor feed or standstill jumper, he'll fire an errant pass or spray a contested midrange pull up left or right. He has a tendency to get too sped up on the floor, and coaches will likely have to take the good with the bad early in his career.

The raw abilities are certainly there for Williams to hear his name called in the top three of next year's draft, but does the Texas A&M roster play to his strengths? With ultra-productive, paint-dominating center Tyler Davis next to him, Williams will likely play mostly the 4 for the Aggies, which leads to fewer lob catches and more opportunities for wild play on the perimeter.

With all that said there simply aren't many human beings on the planet that can do some of the things that Williams can. The 6-9 high-flyer bet on himself after last season, turning down what would have been a top-10 selection for a crack at the No. 1 overall pick. In contrast to this year's draft, this next crop is loaded with big men at the top, and Williams briefly reminded scouts that he has the potential to be the most intriguing of them all come June 2018.

Bruce Brown | So. | G | Miami

With highly touted prospects like Williams shutting it down after two games, potential lottery pick Bruce Brown went gangbusters, competing in all five college counselor sessions and leading the event in scoring at 17.0 points per game. Brown's all-in participation and high-energy play speak to the type of competitor he is.

The Boston native goes hard every possession, and Brown has all the ingredients in place for a monster sophomore season at Miami. With Davon Reed gone, Brown will likely be the Canes' No. 1 option next to senior point guard Ja'Quan Newton, and he's well-equipped to give ACC opponents fits on both ends of the floor. Miami has reloaded with a freshman quartet of Lonnie Walker, Deng Gak, Sam Waardenberg (first year sophomore) and Chris Lykes, and figures to be one of the more explosive teams in the NCAA, with Brown as the centerpiece.

At 6-5 with a 6-9 wingspan, a strong upper body, quick feet and a no-fear mindset, Brown is a willing defender who can check up to three positions. Offensively, Brown has transformed from athlete to basketball player over the course of the last few years, and already showed considerable improvements since last year in Houston, making more shots off the dribble, connecting on 12-of-26 3s and taking better care of the ball in the half court.

An intelligent, self-aware 20-year-old with a blend of confidence and humility, Brown is the type of prospect NBA scouts will want to bet on as he'll likely maximize his potential long-term. More of a high-level role starter last season, Brown has a chance to star in Miami next season and could very well hear his name called in the lottery as a result.

Lamar Peters | So. | G | Mississippi State

Peters helped himself as much as any player to take the floor in Houston. The shifty 6-foot guard erupted for 27.0 points, 9.2 assists and 2.4 steals per 40 minutes while shooting 60 percent from 2-point territory and 50 percent from 3. Following up a strong freshman season in Starkville, the fairly unheralded recruit scored at all three levels, diced up pick-and-roll defenses with his game-changing quickness and made more than enough shots to keep the defense honest.

Peters is a competitor who will get into the ball defensively, fight over every screen and finish through contact at the rim despite his lack of elite size. At the age of most incoming freshmen, the New Orleans native plays with an edge that caught the eye of NBA scouts in Houston. Peters still has to prove he can make shots consistently when the defense goes under screens, and he's far from a pure facilitator in the half court. But the strong, explosive guard is loaded with game and could eventually fill a role as a change-of-pace guard who defends, puts pressure on the rim and provides instant offense off the bench. Adidas Nations was Peters' coming out party as a prospect and he's poised for a big sophomore season under Ben Howland.

Mikal Bridges | Jr. | G | Villanova

At 6-7 with a 7-2 wingspan, a projectable frame, defensive versatility and a capable 3 ball, Bridges has NBA role player written all over him.

The 20-year-old junior isn't the most skilled ball handler or decision-maker, but wings with size and length who can make a shot aren't easy to find. Bridges regularly checked point guards, 2-guards and small forwards in Houston, and he has all the tools to be a plus-defender at the NBA level as well.

With a slightly expanded role on a Josh Hart-less Villanova team, Bridges could very well hear his name called in the first round of the 2017 draft if he shoots the ball well, plays within himself and defends with toughness.

Second-round forwards

A handful of forwards with size and projectable skills stood out as potential second-round picks, led by Missouri State's Alize Johnson. The late-blooming 6-9 forward helped himself in a big way, playing in front of NBA scouts really for the first time in his basketball career.

Johnson led the tournament in PER, rebounds per 40 minutes, offensive rating and win shares and averaged 28.3 points per 40 minutes on 57.9 percent from 3. Despite his impressive showing, Johnson still has some areas to improve as he's not a great ball handler, playmaker or lockdown on-ball defender, sporting an even wingspan and the frame of a 3 with the game of a modern 4. With that said, Johnson was the breakout performer in Houston and put himself on the radar with his relentless motor and shot-making.

Although he's still a bit lacking in the feel and efficiency department, Louisville sophomore wing V.J. King is a talented three-level scorer who should have some big games his sophomore season. Wichita State forward Markis McDuffie looked the part of a potential draft pick for stretches thanks to his positional size at 6-8, defensive potential and flashes as a shooter. McDuffie has the size to slide up and play some four at the next level, making him an attractive second-round option as a soon-to-be 20-year-old junior.

After a huge junior season in Stillwater. 22-year-old Oklahoma State wing Jeffrey Carroll blended in at Nations. Playing most of the season at 23, Carroll should have a productive year with a bigger role and could play his way into second-round consideration despite his mediocre performance in Houston.