Go Joe Bruin looks ahead one year to seen which UCLA Basketball players could hear their name called in the 2018 NBA Draft.
With the 2017 NBA Draft over, we wanted to look ahead at the 2018 NBA Draft and see which UCLA Basketball players might be jumping to the association in one year’s time.
RELATED: UCLA Basketball in the 2017 NBA Draft recap
The Bruins are loaded with talent and there is no doubt several will test the waters, but who will actually have what it takes to play professionally? Let us take a look…
Aaron Holiday – Junior – Point Guard
Aaron Holiday will undoubtedly be the leader of this UCLA Basketball team during the 2017-18 season. Holiday’s return guarantees that UCLA will have some consistency from last year when UCLA went 31-5.
With the Bruins losing five players from last season, Holiday and senior Thomas Welsh bring back some much-needed experience and knowledge which will help transition the six freshmen coming in the fall to Head Coach Steve Alford‘s up-tempo offense.
Holiday has the skills and drive to keep the Bruins as a top Pac-12 team. He already has experience as a starter, he has a lot of energy and has the fight fight fight to keep the Bruins competitive. Add to that his defensive prowess and you have a good player running the team next season.
The one thing he needs to clean up are his turnovers. If he can do that, he can be one of the best all-around players in the conference.
Thomas Welsh – Senior – Center
The return of Thomas Welsh is important not just for experience and consistency but because the Bruins get to keep a 7-footer that is very deadly with his baseline jumpers. Not only that, but Welsh was the team’s top rebounder from last season and will be good to have that again next year.
One of the things Welsh needs to improve on is his body mass. If he can tack on some muscle, not only will he be better suited to dominate the paint, but he will become more attractive to NBA scouts in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Welsh also needs to step up as a leader as he will be the most experienced big man. UCLA has two very good bigs coming in next season and if he can help them get up to speed, then UCLA is going to be very deadly in the front court.
Welsh could indeed be one of the better scoring big men in the Pac-12 next season. If he can turn things up a notch in 2017-18, NBA execs will be looking to get him on their squad.
Jaylen Hands – Freshman – Point Guard
There is a good chance that Hands is a one-and-done. He has incredible skills on both sides of the court, but his best assets could be his ball-handling skills.
It is quite possible that he handles the rock better than Lonzo Ball. Though Lonzo may be a better Baller, Jaylen could have better Hands. Yes, I went there.
Now let’s talk about how Hands lives in the air. This kid has hops and he is going to be a human highlight reel when he gets to Westwood next season. He has fantastic vision and can score from almost anywhere on the floor.
But that is not all. He likes to get in the mix on defense, which gives him several valuable assets for a pro team to utilize. It seems likely that he is gone after next season, so the better he performs in 2017-18 will only push him closer to the lottery.
Kris Wilkes – Freshman – Small Forward
As a 6’5″, 195 lbs. small forward, Wilkes will help the Bruins to stretch defenses. Wilkes is a very athletic player and can dominate shorter opponents, especially if he plays at the 3 spot.
His body frame is something NBA scouts will drool over, so if he can build some muscle mass (and pending he has a stellar season at UCLA), Wilkes could project to be a lottery pick (yeah, I said it).
He is not much of a ball handler, but does not need to be when he needs only two steps to get anywhere on the court (obviously a bit of an exaggeration, but you know what I mean).
Bottom line is that Wilkes should have a great season because he has the skills to do so. We cannot wait for Wilkes to come to UCLA and fans of a certain NBA team will love when he gets to their town.
Cody Riley – Freshman – Power Forward
Riley will replace TJ Leaf with very little drop off. In fact, Riley might be a bit of an upgrade. Not to dimish the production of UCLA’s leading scorer from last season, but Riley’s game is similar to Leaf’s, but in a more solid frame.
At 6’7″, Riley moves easily around his opponents. Not only can he create outside shots, but can also back down defenders and muscle his way into the paint.
The thing that seperates him from Leaf, though he is slightly shorter, is that Riley has a solid frame that will help him bang down low and not get over-powered. Add to that a sprinkle of defense and the Bruins might have another PF leave after one year.
Jalen Hill – Freshman – Center
Hill is a definitive shot blocker. Not only is he good at seeking out and destroying opponents around the rim, he actually likes doing it and has said to favor playing defense.
Hill loves getting into the mix in the paint and will challenge anyone that comes into his area (and beware, it is his area).
If he was to be compared to any Bruin from last season, it would be Ike Anigbogu. Though he is lankier than Anigbogu, Hill has more offensive skills.
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Similar to his future teammate Riley, Hill is very active around the rim and will put up several highlight dunks. After one year in college, if he looks to have then potnetial that Ike has, then Hill couldn’t defiently make a case for being selected in the 2017 NBA Draft.