Draft stock watch: What's next for Ayton, Young, more first-rounders?

A slew of likely first-round picks left the NCAA tournament early, including Deandre Ayton, Trae Young, Jaren Jackson Jr., Michael Porter Jr. and Miles Bridges. How does their NBA draft stock look now?

Lonnie Walker IV | SG | Miami

12 points, (5-for-12 FG) 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 3 turnovers in 38 minutes in a loss to Loyola-Chicago

Walker ended his freshman season -- and likely his collegiate career -- on a major low point as he crumbled down the stretch, capping off an otherwise uninspiring performance. The talented 19-year-old guard was burned on the perimeter twice in the final minute, fumbled the ball out of bounds while up one with 23 seconds remaining and eventually missed the front end of a one-and-one that opened the door for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

At the high school level, Walker would too often fade into the background for long stretches, and that tendency appeared with Miami's season on the line. Walker still showed his tremendous talent level with an in-and-out crossover pull-up 3, a spot 3, a few explosive straight-line drives and a dynamic finish off of a cut. But overall, his sometimes-shaky handle showed, he struggled to generate offense for others and he didn't rebound or defend like he could have with the game on the line.

Looking forward: Most scouts know Walker is more prospect than impact player at this stage of his development. Not the most naturally gifted decision-maker or ball handler, Walker was affected by Miami's lack of a point guard or much semblance of offensive flow. It's important to also remember that he has had his fair share of clutch moments as well, headlined by a game-winning step-back 3 against Boston College. However, this game did remind scouts of Walker's streaky nature. He remains a lottery-level talent with as high of an upside as any NCAA guard in the draft. -- Schmitz

Daniel Gafford | PF/C | Arkansas

7 points (2-for-9 FG), 5 rebounds, 3 blocks in 21 minutes in a loss to Butler

Gafford struggled to finish what otherwise has been a strong freshman season on a high note. His length and agility were on display as he impressively deterred a few Kamar Baldwin shots at the rim, and he did flash his offensive rebounding ability on occasion. With that said, Gafford's lack of reliable offensive skill was clear as he settled for two 1-foot fallaways in the post, a contested 17-footer and a wild post attempt along the baseline. His lack of fundamentals as a pick-and-roll defender were on display as well. He doesn't give himself nearly enough space to contain the ball and gets burned more often than his tools suggest. Gafford also gave up a handful of offensive rebounds.

Looking forward: Gafford has had his fair share of duds this season, along with some spectacular games. Scouts know what they're getting with him -- a fairly active rim-running, lob-catching, offensive rebounding center with a huge reach and some physical upside. He has limitations but remains a mid-first-round caliber prospect with a clear-cut NBA role and a high floor. -- Schmitz

Aaron Holiday | PG | UCLA

20 points (7-for-17 FG), 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 10 turnovers, 5 fouls in 40 minutes in a loss to St. Bonaventure

After a hot start, Holiday struggled mightily against a St. Bonaventure team that did an excellent job exposing the junior's shortcomings, resulting in a career-worst 10 turnovers. The Bonnies were aggressive with him in pick-and-roll situations and packed the paint against a UCLA team that's short on floor spacers. Although Holiday still made shots and dropped in a few floaters, his lack of elite size and peripheral vision, as well as his finishing limitations in traffic, were on display. He also got beat off the bounce more often than usual.

With that said, context is important when interpreting Holiday's tough game. The Bruins had a young and immature group that lacked toughness, shooting and shot creators all season long.

Looking forward: Holiday figures to look much better with NBA spacing and shooters around him, and he's a safe bet to be selected in the back-half of the first round come June. Although he doesn't have elite size, scouts love his toughness, length, shot-making and defense. -- Schmitz

Keita Bates-Diop | SF | Ohio State

28 points (10-for-21 FG), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 turnovers in 38 minutes in a loss to Gonzaga

As a scorer, Bates-Diop showed the entire package. He knocked down 4 of 9 3-pointers, including a smooth isolation pull-up over the outstretched arm of Rui Hachimura. He glided to the rim for right- and left-handed finishes from the top of the key and scored a pair of buckets from the midpost. Bates-Diop is a versatile forward who is tailor-made for the NBA game on the offensive end.

With that said, his lack of toughness and often lethargic nature were on display. He tends to live on the perimeter far too often offensively, ices out teammates at times, struggled to finish in a crowd against the Zags and offered little resistance defensively and as a rebounder. The Buckeyes were outrebounded 39-25 and the 6-foot-7 senior was part of the problem. He has elite tools for a combo forward but isn't the physical defender he should be, which has been an issue throughout his career.

Looking forward: The Big Ten Player of the Year is easy to project as a first-round pick and longtime role player given his tools, improved stroke and modern NBA fit. Don't expect his NBA career to come without frustrations, however, as he needs to be revved up defensively and reminded not to settle so often on the perimeter given his size and fluidity. -- Schmitz

Landry Shamet | PG | Wichita State

11 points (3-for-13 FG), 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 turnovers in 36 minutes in a loss to Marshall

In Viejas arena set to watch Landry Shamet and Wichita State take on Marshall. According to @SynergySST Shamet is scoring 1.056 PPP on 72 pull-up jumpers this season, which is in the 90th percentile. Shamet is a high-floor prospect thanks to his positional size, stroke & feel. pic.twitter.com/aoMd9xftAj

- Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) March 16, 2018

Shamet struggled mightily against a mediocre Marshall defense that ranks 126th in the NCAA in defensive efficiency, according to Kenpom.com. While missing all seven of his 3-point attempts isn't indicative of his career 43.8 percent shooting, the fact that Shamet crumbled against ball pressure, missed open looks in crunch time and had major issues initiating offense did emphasize the questions about his ability to play point guard at the next level.

Marshall coach Dan D'Antoni put together a strong game plan against Shamet, getting into his air space early and often, which led to four avoidable turnovers. Shamet also had trouble finishing in traffic when run off of his spots, as he's not overly explosive or physical. Defensively, he was a mixed bag, with a few active possessions fighting over screens, stunting off the ball and using his solid footwork to stay attached. His thin frame hurt him at times, as he struggled to contain penetration against more physical guards.

Shamet is seen as a fringe first-round pick who may suffer from a huge influx of underclassmen draft declarations beyond what we're currently anticipating.

Looking forward: NBA teams remain impressed with Shamet's fluid shooting stroke and sound feel for the game. However, he has some clear limitations. It will be interesting to see what Shamet decides to do this offseason. It's not out of the question that he could return for his junior season to improve his on-ball skills. -- Schmitz

Deandre Ayton | C | Arizona

14 points (6-for-13 FG), 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 block in 38 minutes in a loss to Buffalo

Arizona ended its season on as disappointing a note as possible. Ayton entered this game with huge momentum, recently recapturing the No. 1 spot in our 2018 mock draft, but he showed all of the red flags that NBA scouts have been concerned about since his emergence as a prospect, again reopening the conversation about the top pick.

Ayton played embarrassingly poor defense all night, giving up 23 points to Buffalo JUCO transfer power forward Jeremy Harris, and looking lost in pick-and roll and help defense. Numerous times, Ayton was caught spinning around aimlessly, unaware of where he was relative to the ball, his man or his place in the defensive scheme, showing that same lack of awareness and overall instincts that makes it difficult for many scouts to see him ever emerging as a plus defender at the pro level. The NBA game is about being able to defend in space, and Ayton's well-documented struggles here are something the team that drafts him will simply have to live with.

Unfortunately for Ayton, he didn't compensate for that by dominating offensively the way he normally does. He surprisingly elected to pop out on screens rather than roll to the basket and try to overpower a physically inferior opponent. He missed some good looks around the rim that he normally makes, as well as free throws.

Looking forward: Ayton and Arizona's meltdown can happen at times to higher seeded teams in the tournament staring down the possibility of an unlikely upset. There is no questioning Ayton's physical gifts, offensive skill level and tremendous rebounding prowess, but he may not be the can't-miss future Hall of Famer that some college basketball analysts painted him as in the lead-up to this game. He still has a great chance to be the No. 1 pick, and will have a long and excellent NBA career, but it's important to remember that, like everyone else, he has plenty of things to work on. -- Givony

Mohamed Bamba | C | Texas

13 points (6-for-11 FG), 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 turnovers, 3 blocks in 31 minutes in a loss to Nevada

Bamba fouled out in controversial fashion on two questionable late-game calls that allowed Nevada to tie the score and eventually win in overtime once Texas' defense collapsed. He showed the pros and cons of his game quite vividly. Bamba is a game-changer defensively and on the glass, and he has budding talent offensively, with soft hands, excellent body control and terrific touch both facing and with his back to the basket, even if he's far from realizing his potential on this end of the floor.

Bamba can be a frustrating prospect to watch at times, as he is inconsistent with his effort and doesn't always look like he wants the ball offensively. He tends to stand around at times as rebounds fly off the defensive glass, not finding a body, and lets smaller players push him around inside the paint.

Looking forward: Bamba is still at an early stage of his development, especially physically, and will need a lot of coaching and work on his body before he's anywhere close to being a finished product. NBA scouts who were skeptical coming into this game surely didn't see enough to ease their concerns, while those that liked him already have seen what they needed at this stage. Barring any surprises, Bamba will be a top-five to -seven pick as long as he takes care of business during the pre-draft process. -- Givony

Michael Porter Jr. | SF/PF | Missouri

16 points, (4-for-12 FG) 10 rebounds, 0 assists, 3 turnovers, 3 steals in 28 minutes in a loss to Florida State

In only his second game back from a back injury that sidelined him for nearly four months, Porter looked better than he did in the SEC tournament but still struggled quite a bit, airballing a number of shots and looking gassed late in the contest. He told a sideline reporter that he's at "66-67 percent" following his injury.

To make things even more challenging, Porter spent most of his minutes at small forward in oversized lineups with almost zero ballhandling, passing or shooting, partially due to the fact that Missouri's starting small forward was suspended. Porter showed off his well-documented weaknesses, including his upright style of ballhandling, his lack of court vision and poor shot selection.

With that said, he did get a chance to display his scoring instincts, footwork, body control and ability to make tough shots off the bounce, which are some of his best characteristics as a talented mismatch 4-man at the NBA level. His defense was a mixed bag, but he did do a good job of getting back into plays after being beat thanks to his length and mobility.

While Porter didn't help himself by deciding to play these last two games, you can certainly argue that he showed quite a bit of character and competitiveness. There was perhaps a degree of irrational self-belief here, but the fact that he wanted to try and help his team is something NBA teams will likely appreciate.

Looking forward: Porter has some work cut out for him in the pre-draft process, both in convincing teams his injury problems are a thing of the past as well as reminding them of his talent level. Thanks to the amount of film that is out there from his high school, AAU and USA Basketball days, it won't be hard for teams to see what he looks like on video when he's at full strength, but Porter will have to do a little more than other players in the top seven or eight to cement his spot in the draft after the time away. -- Givony

Trae Young | PG | Oklahoma

28 points (9-for-18 FG), 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 turnovers in 39 minutes in a loss to Rhode Island

Young had a solid showing in what will likely be his final college basketball game, halting what has been a concerning slide over the past 15 games in which his production and effort level had dropped off dramatically.

Young showed how high his offensive skill level is against an array of tough Rhode Island defenders, doing a nice job of blending his passing and scoring and looking fairly under control for most of the contest. His ballhandling, court vision and shot making were particularly impressive. As usual, he didn't get much support from his teammates, as quite a few good looks he created were not converted into points, which made it somewhat understandable why he felt the need to go into gunner mode down the stretch, a move that got OU back into the game in regulation but led to some bad moments in overtime.

Many of the issues that scouts have nitpicked about Young all year were on full display, including his porous defense, his inability to finish inside the paint and his at-times questionable shot selection, but there's little doubting his overall talent and fit in today's NBA.

Looking forward: Young's late-season struggles combined with excellent finishes by Collin Sexton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have made for an interesting debate about this point guard class. All three appear to be firmly in the mid- to late-lottery or mid-first round at worst. Workouts, team needs and stylistic preferences will likely help separate them over the course of the pre-draft process. -- Givony

Miles Bridges | SF/PF | Michigan State

11 points (4-for-18 FG), 6 rebounds, 0 assists in 35 minutes in a loss to Syracuse

In one of the uglier college basketball games in recent memory, Bridges put forth arguably his worst performance of the year, hoisting 12 3s and missing his final six shots as the Spartans fell to a scrappy Syracuse team. Although he wasn't exactly put in an ideal position, playing strictly small forward against a zone, Bridges too often settled for contested pull-ups or spot 3s early in the clock. He looked clunky attacking off the bounce and missed the few attempts in the paint he was able to generate because of his need to gather off of two feet.

Defensively, Bridges had a few nice possessions containing Oshae Brissett drives and forcing him into midrange jumpers. Bridges also had some lapses, however, reaching on a straight-line drive late in the game rather than staying solid. His lack of elite reach (8-7) also showed on one possession against Brissett, as he stayed step-for-step with the forward but wasn't able to bother his shot in the paint.

Looking forward: Bridges is one of the better-known prospects in the lottery, and one ugly, junk-it-up game against a zone defense likely isn't going to deter teams that already liked him from selecting him in the 10-14 range. Still, Sunday's game reminded scouts that Bridges is a streaky shooter who projects much more as a do-it-all, utility forward who is at his best in space, and he shouldn't be relied upon to create offense against a set defense.

Bridges certainly hasn't made the jump scouts would have hoped when he elected to return for his sophomore season. His 3-point percentage has taken a slight dip, and he has proven time and time again that his best NBA position is at the 4. Scouts still like Bridges' competitive nature, strength, explosiveness in space, versatility and high floor at a position of need. However, Bridges hasn't done much this season to convince teams that he belongs firmly ahead of positional peers Mikal Bridges and Kevin Knox. -- Schmitz

Jaren Jackson Jr. | PF/C | Michigan State

2 points, (0-for-4 FG), 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 0 blocks in 15 minutes in a loss to Syracuse

Jackson's season ended in highly disappointing fashion, as he played only 15 minutes and had to watch helplessly from the bench as his team squandered a late lead.

Jackson had some nice moments attacking the zone from the high post, covering ground defensively and crashing the glass on both ends of the floor, but didn't make the type of overall impact you'd expect from someone with his talent-level. (MSU was plus-6 with him in the game and minus-8 with him out.) He wasn't as physical or aggressive as he needed to be attacking the zone or Syracuse's undersized big men. Instead of Jackson, head coach Tom Izzo turned to 23-year old Ben Carter down the stretch instead; Carter had scored just 13 points all season.

Plenty of questions have been raised about the decisions Izzo made down the stretch, as this is the third straight season in which the Hall of Famer has been unable to advance out of the first weekend of the tournament. From an NBA standpoint, most of those questions revolve around the outdated lineup configurations and overall style of basketball the Spartans played all season. Izzo's insistence on having six different centers on the roster and playing all of them (two at a time) in virtually every contest -- despite the obvious toll that took on the team's spacing, ball movement, shooting and aesthetic appeal -- makes it difficult to draw too many conclusions on Jackson's NBA outlook.

At 6-11 and 240 pounds, with a 7-5 wingspan, it is unlikely that Jackson will see much time at the power forward spot in the NBA like he did all season, certainly not next to a non-shooting center who lacks relative athleticiscm. How much better would Jackson have looked playing in a more up-tempo system at his natural position when surrounded by more skilled teammates? NBA decision-makers will have to decipher that on their own.

Looking forward: It is important to remember that Jackson is the youngest prospect in this class and was clearly not being utilized to his full potential. He will still be drafted in the mid-to-high lottery, but there will be a significant amount of debate in teams' war rooms about how to rank him compared with the likes of Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr. -- Givony

Collin Sexton | PG | Alabama

17 points (7-for-14 FG), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 turnovers in 30 minutes in a loss to Villanova

Sexton had a fairly typical performance by his standards against an outstanding Villanova team. He got to his spots on the floor thanks to his terrific quickness, ballhandling ability, body control and extreme aggressiveness, although not always being able to finish inside the paint against Villanova's excellent defense and having some avoidable turnovers in the process. He also knocked down a couple of pull-up jumpers, had some nice passes, crashed the offensive glass and played strong defense throughout, especially on player of the year candidate Jalen Brunson.

Sexton has his warts as a decision-maker and perimeter shooter and with his overall emotional volatility on the court, but he ticks quite a few boxes scouts look for at point guard and teams will surely fall in love with his competitiveness and drive.

Looking forward: Sexton started the season in the top 10 and will finish it there, although he has been joined by Young and Gilgeous-Alexander as lottery PGs. The pre-draft process will help parse out the order in which those three are selected, but Sexton will surely be a hot commodity. -- Givony

Jacob Evans | SF | Cincinnati

19 points (7-for-19 FG), 7 rebounds, 2 assists in 34 minutes in a loss to Nevada

In what appeared to be a convincing win with the Bearcats up 22 and 11:27 remaining, Cincinnati crumbled down the stretch, and Evans certainly played a part in the collapse. After scoring 15 points on a host of straight-line drives in the first half, Evans went ice cold in the second, shooting 1-for-5 with two crucial turnovers. Evans' wavering confidence in his perimeter jumper was clear as he too often dribbled aimlessly on the perimeter without much of a plan, and he turned down pull-ups and spot-ups for contested floaters in the lane, looking indecisive in the process.

Evans missed both of his 3-point attempts on Sunday and nearly banked in a straightaway pull-up with Cincinnati up 3 and 1:19 remaining. Defensively, Evans had some solid possessions and was active on the glass, switching onto multiple positions quite comfortably. He also allowed physical opponents to get to the rim more than his tools would suggest.

Looking forward: Evans ended the season on a bit of a downswing, shooting just 3-for-21 from 3 over his last five games and looking a bit out of sorts on offense. It's important to keep in mind that Evans will likely have a much different role in the NBA, projecting more as a 3-and-D wing than this pseudo point guard role. It will be important for the 20-year-old junior to prove that he can be a reliable standstill shooter throughout the pre-draft process if he hopes to hear his name called at the back end of the first round. -- Schmitz

Khyri Thomas | SG | Creighton

9 points (4-for-9 FG), 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 turnovers, 3 steals in 37 minutes in a loss to Kansas State

Thomas didn't finish off the season as well as he started it, having his first back-to-back single-digit scoring outings of the year at the worst time for Creighton.

Still, it's hard to point out anything glaring about the way Thomas played, perhaps besides the fact that his spot-up jumpers weren't falling as often as they normally do (42 percent from 3). He played excellent defense again, made some smart passes and showed some ability to attack off closeouts and straight-line drives.

Although he has some limitations as a ball handler and isn't the most confident or assertive offensive player, scouts who liked Thomas during the regular season probably weren't scared off by what he showed in the postseason. He projects as a role-playing 3-and-D wing.

Looking forward: Thomas will need to decide whether to return for his final year of college basketball or enter the draft. He's a strong candidate to test the waters and gather feedback from NBA teams about his stock and then make an informed decision about his future in May. -- Givony