13 of 32

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

School: Miami

Age: 19

2017-18 Per-Game Stats: 11.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks

2017-18 Advanced Metrics: 16.3 PER, 52.7 TS%, 72.25 TPA

Maybe you'll be disappointed that we're not projecting more from Lonnie Walker IV during his rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs.

It's not a knock on his long-term potential; it's just reality—a reality aided by the returns of Danny Green and Manu Ginobili that should make it even more difficult for a 19-year-old wing to earn major minutes under head coach Gregg Popovich. And for support, we can turn to another signal-caller.

Here's what Miami head coach Jim Larranaga told Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News about the young man he previously coached who was selected at No. 18. This is a long answer coming after a comparison to Green, but the full explanation is important:



"I compared him to Donovan Mitchell because Donovan is the hot name right now in the NBA.; [had] a Rookie of the Year type of season, and he was in our [conference]. He was at Louisville. We played against him for two years. I know his game very well. He’s [a bit] shorter than Lonnie, but they’re the same kind of athlete. They have the same kind of scoring mentally.

"The difference and I’ve made this very clear to everybody; the difference is Donovan Mitchell did not just go to high school. He went to prep school at [Brewster Academy], one of the premier prep schools in the country, and he played against Division I players every day. The competition in practice is probably better than what they get in every game. So, his preparation at [Brewster Academy] is far better than anything Lonnie would’ve ever experience before getting to the ACC. And Lonnie only played one year in the ACC whereas Donovan played two. So, in my estimation, at this point of Lonnie’s career, he’s two seasons behind where Donovan Mitchell was this year as an NBA rookie. So, I wouldn’t expect Lonnie just to go in and do what Donovan did. But I would expect him in two years to be where Donovan is."

Few are more optimistic about prospect development than prior coaching staffs, so the restraint here is more than a bit notable.

We'll follow suit.

Predicted 2018-19 Per-Game Stats: 5.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.3 blocks