Seven-footer Deandre Ayton expected to be first off the board.
Video: Wendell Carter Jr. interviewForward talks with MaxPreps at 2017 McDonald's All-American Game.Latest projections have six players 6-foot-10 or taller going among the Top 10 in Thursday's NBA Draft.
Seven-footers
Deandre Ayton and
Mohamed Bamba, 6-11
Marvin Bagley III and
Jaren Jackson Jr. along with 6-10
Michael Porter Jr. and
Wendell Carter Jr. comprise one of the more intriguing crops of bigs to come along in recent years.
In fact, Carter touched on exactly that in the video above when he sat down with Chris Stonebraker of MaxPreps at the 2017 McDonald's All-American Game.
"There's something about this class and the bigs," Carter said. "They can do everything – shoot, dribble and can defend on the wing.
"I see it as one of the best big man classes ever."
Photos: Alik McIntosh, Brian Murphy, Jim Redman, Randy Sartin, John Jones
Just three players 6-10 or taller – Jonathan Isaac, Lauri Markkanen and Zach Collins, respectively – were picked in the Top 10 in 2017.
The last time six players 6-10 or taller went in the Top 10 was in 2007 when Greg Oden (7-0), Al Horford (6-10), Yi Jianlian (7-0), Brandan Wright (6-10), Joakim Noah (6-11) and Spencer Hawes (7-0) all had short stays in the green room. Kevin Durant – who has been listed everywhere between 6-9 and 7-0 during his NBA career – was the No. 2 overall pick.
From that group, Durant, Horford and Noah all went on to become NBA All-Stars while Wright and Hawes have combined to appear in over 1,000 games.
