Thorpe’s favorite draft prospects

Take Evan Mobley #1

BY DAVID THORPE

You don’t have to have a high pick to get a team-altering talent. If you’ve seen Ted Lasso, then you know how a team can use culture to alter the course of things. Giannis as a skinny teenager, Kawhi who couldn’t shoot, Jokic who needed to lose dozens of pounds … any could have failed in the ultra-competitive NBA. All did a lot of the hard work of becoming stars well after the draft. Teams that can inspire have huge advantages.

This year, I see three prospects who are likely to succeed no matter where they end up:

Evan Mobley

Evan Mobley is my favorite prospect in the draft. I would pick him with the first overall pick without a care in the world. 

He plays like a right-handed Chris Bosh, which is high praise. When Bosh played for the Raptors I saw him as a future MVP candidate. Instead he went to the Heat and was a key player on four contending teams that won two titles. LeBron James got all of the attention, Dwyane Wade scooped up some crumbs, but Bosh was essential to th…