2017 NBA draft: Elan Vinokurov of EV Hoops judges the top prospects

Elan Vinokurov of EV Hoops offered his thoughts on the expected top NBA lottery picks, including on their fit with the 76ers.

Overall thought: "Tier to himself."

Biggest question: His defense.

Fit with Sixers: Speaks for itself.

X-factor: "The No.1 pick for our staff since before the season."

Overall thought: Teams won't hesitate to take despite his dad.

Biggest question: His shot. "But I buy into it. It's a weird shot. Will it be streaky? Maybe, but it works for him. He has range."

Fit with Sixers: A good one. "Lonzo is not ball dominant. Lonzo wants the ball to keep moving."

X-factor: Unlike Fultz, Jackson, Tatum and some others, he was not in EV high lottery thoughts before the season. Played his way into it.

Overall thought: "Noticed immediately how great he was defensively and how much he cared . . . Totally understood what Kansas wanted out of him."

Biggest question: Not just his shooting output but how he shoots. "There's not a lot of consistencies. Sometimes he shots on his way up, sometimes on his down, sometimes at his peak. Follow-through not a fully extended arm."

Fit with Sixers: "If he can shoot, he's a fit."

X-factor: "I think his shot is really fixable."

Overall thought: "Polish and footwork and the way he sets up his shots are insanely advanced. . . . What's going to really hurt him. though, that's all in the mid-range in a league that doesn't prioritize the mid-range."

Biggest question: "Can he progress his game to the three-point line? . . . In addition, he's an isolation player. If you're going to be a mid-range player and you're kind of going to bog down the way the offenses operates by being isolation oriented, it's a double whammy on how the league wants to play."

Fit with Sixers: Not perfect. See above.

X-factor: "I think he's a pretty good passer, and he's a really good defensive rebounder."

Overall thought: "Borderline elite athlete, insanely fast, will be one of the fastest players in the NBA, and he's explosive. People don't realize how vertically explosive he is. The ability for him to go from full speed and spring to a jump, that quick-twitch move, it's elite. I'm not saying he's an elite jumper, but the ability to transition is elite."

Biggest question: "He can't shoot. I'm not going to say he can never shoot because Mike Conley figured it out. Right now, he's going to survive on a mid-range pull-up, which he's very well equipped to attempt, and eventually it will become of his bread-and-butter shots."

Fit with Sixers: "I've been on record saying I don't think Fox and Ben Simmons can fit because [both are] ball dominant. I'm kind of coming down on the ball dominant aspect since high IQ players can make it work . . . The bigger problem is he can't shoot."

X-factor:  "Has ability to be elite defender, but he's not always there defensively."

Overall thought: "NBA three-point range won't be an issue. He's only 6-foot-3, but I don't think his size impacts the way he shoots. He's just such great lift on his jump shot. He can shoot over guys."

Biggest question: "He doesn't go to the rim that often. That's why I don't think he's going to be Bradley Beal. I don't think he's going to be an all-star shooting guard."

Fit with Sixers: "A great fit. He's like ideal. He can theoretically defend multiple positions.

X-factor: "Can he be an elite microwave guy? This is a conversation we've had all year. Can you be a microwave guy - a consistent scoring spark - "if you don't have dynamic dribble moves. And I don't think he can be. I think he can be a 16-point scorer. I just don't think he's going to be the esecond-best player on a championship contender."

Overall thought: "I think he's the best 7-foot three-point shooting prospect we've probably ever seen at this age. (20). I find it difficult to imagine him failing in the NBA. I think he has a scorer's potential even if he didn't show the athletic chops and ability you would have wanted at Arizona."

Biggest question: "Can he get stronger? Will that help him get more athletic? Can he avoid being a total negative on defense and rebounding?"

Fit with Sixers: "I think he fits. He can play defensively alongside Embiid. I think you're potentially going to be get creative."

X-factor: "I think he can be a go-to scoring option."

Overall thought: "I think outside of Fultz he has the highest upside of anyone in the draft. . . . But I think this is why he is scary. He has the least percentage chance of reaching his upside of anyone."

Biggest question: What position? EV Hoops staff debated and came down on side of him being a four man.

Fit with Sixers: "Great fit." Can't play with Embiid, Saric and Simmons all at same time but could mesh with any two of the other three so it could work.

X-factor: "We like his rebounding and ability to be weak-side rim protector."

Overall thought: "I think he's a stat-sheet stuffer. . . . He kind of flirts between running an offense and getting his own buckets."

Biggest question: "He's someone who, when he was younger, had elite explosion and bursts and acceleration and since he [tore his ACL in high school] he hasn't had that. Now, typically it takes two years for that to return. But that's a concern."

Fit with Sixers: "Smith can fit with the Sixers because he has the ability to go get his own offense, get hot from three, be a streaky shooter. He's going to eventually have borderline elite isolation moves on an island."

mjensen@phillynews.com

@jensenoffcampus