What the experts say
ESPN [$] (Jonathan Givony): 34th
The Athletic [$] (Sam Vecenie): 29th
Sports Illustrated (Jeremy Woo): 31st
Sporting News (Chris Stone): 38th
Bleacher Report (Jonathan Wassermann): 34th
The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor): 42nd
Quotes:
Having placed him 31st on his most recent Big Board, Woo pointed to Nnaji’s defensive and rim protection deficiencies that makes him more of a project at the next level, despite his offensive polish and productivity this season at Arizona:
"“Nnaji isn’t great defensively, both at the rim or in space, and looked lost at times at Arizona, pointing to some of the concerns about his overall feel. He’s not quite good enough as a rim protector right now and has just average length for his position. It’s imperative he starts to clean up his defensive mistakes to play center full-time. But given his youth and athleticism up front, Nnaji is a viable project who makes sense as a late first or early second round option.”"
The Rookie Wire’s Bryan Kalbrosky ranked Nnaji 41st in his most recent Top-100 Big Board and listed his potential as an adept pick-and-roll potential in the NBA:
"“Arizona freshman Zeke Nnaji skyrocketed up draft boards earlier this season. Averaging 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, the big had an undeniably impressive collegiate debut. He has some potential as a pick-and-roll option at the next level.”"