What the experts say
ESPN [$] (Jonathan Givony): 27th
The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor): 25th
Sports Illustrated (Jeremy Woo): 31st
Sporting News (Chris Stone): 30th
The Athletic [$] (Sam Vecenie): 36th
The Stepien (Composite Rank): 46th
The Step Back (Brandon Kleen): N/A
Quotes:
Having him 33rd on his most recent Big Board, Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated touched on just how polarizing Dort’s range of talents and skills are to teams around the league and the question he poses come draft night:
"“Dort remains a first-round talent based on his tools, but his outside shooting and decision-making skills are still questionable, and make him something of an acquired taste. He’s built like a tank and has been able to overpower college defenders with his heft and explosiveness as a straight-line driver, and his base level of athletic ability gives him a good chance to find some level of NBA success. Still, Dort is not a particularly creative finisher in traffic and doesn’t have a very good left hand, and his approach barreling into the paint will only go so far at the next level. Defensively, his bulk helps him with larger wings, but also might keep him from sticking with quicker guards. There will be teams who value his unique physical attributes, and others who are concerned enough by his limitations to take a pass.”"
While also touching on his current deficiencies, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic believes the strides Dort has made in the pre-draft process are encouraging enough to go with his current strongsuits in his most recent mock draft:
"“Dort had a strong freshman season for the Sun Devils, averaging nearly 17 points a night. But his jump shot and lack of point guard skills give evaluators pause when trying to determine a role for him at the next level. The good news is that the jumper is improving and has already made legitimate strides since he left Tempe, and his defensive ability is unquestioned due to his tenacity on ball.”"