Best-case scenarios for the top mid-major draft prospects

As the NBA Draft nears ever closer, prospects will get a chance to showcase their talents in front of NBA front offices in both individual and group workouts. A strong performance in one of these can help them burst onto their big board, or a poor one can take them right off of it.

As it currently stands, there’s only a handful of mid-major prospects that are projected to be drafted, but many others are partaking in workouts and interviews with teams. Using the list of the Top 100 Prospects by DraftExpress, let’s take a look at the best-case scenarios for each mid-major prospect.

Zach Collins - PF/C, Gonzaga

Best Case: Denver Nuggets

There are a couple of potential landing spots in the lottery that would be a nice fit for Collins, but he should be hoping to fall to the Denver Nuggets at No. 13. The Nuggets already have two skilled centers in Nikola Jokic and Mason Plumlee, but Collins should be able to play next to either of them in a similar way that he did with Przemek Karnowski. Both big men are great passers, and should work well with Collins as he operates in either the high or low post. Adding Collins to a blossoming young roster could help them make a leap into the playoffs next year.

Alec Peters - PF, Valparaiso

Best Case: Houston Rockets

The best thing that Peters can bring to a team is his ability to shoot from the perimeter and get to the free throw line. It would seem that Peters and the Houston Rockets, a team that preaches efficiency with three-point shots and free throws, would be a match made in heaven. His best bet at sticking in the league is to essentially become a three-point specialist and be a threat from the perimeter. With the Rockets, Peters could provide a solid option for their bench units, and could learn how to fill the role from one of the best stretch 4s in the league, Ryan Anderson. If he’s still on the board at the No. 43 pick, Peters could be an option for the Rockets.

Cameron Oliver - PF, Nevada

Best Case: Indiana Pacers

I’ll admit that this one is a little selfish, but as a Pacers fan I would love for them to take Oliver. The most intriguing thing about Oliver is that he’s only beginning to scratch the surface of what he could potentially become. His potential as a rim protector and possible stretch 4 embodies everything a front office should be looking for in a big man. With the Pacers, he could slide in next to Myles Turner, another big that protects the rim and shoots from the perimeter, or he could provide athleticism to a bench that desperately needs it. As a likely second round pick, Oliver is exactly the type of player that teams should take a gamble on, and I hope the Pacers are the ones that take it.

Nigel Williams-Goss - PG, Gonzaga

Best Case: San Antonio Spurs

With Tony Parker likely nearing the end of his career and Dejounte Murray being groomed to take the reigns, the Spurs could be in the market for another ball-handler. Williams-Goss could provide that steady presence that the Spurs always seem to find in their draftees, and he could make the seamless transition onto their bench unit. At the end of the second round, the Spurs may look to take a player in which they know what they’re getting, rather than taking a flyer on someone less refined. And, quite honestly, doesn’t Williams-Goss just feel like a Spur?