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2018 NBA Draft: Ohio State’s Keita Bates-Diop is projected all over in mocks

By Ryan Rosko

BOISE, ID - MARCH 15: Keita Bates-Diop BOISE, ID - MARCH 15: Keita Bates-Diop #33 of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 15, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - MARCH 15: Keita Bates-Diop BOISE, ID - MARCH 15: Keita Bates-Diop #33 of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 15, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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It’s anyone’s guess where the lone Ohio State Buckeye to have declared for the 2018 NBA Draft will land.

There will be opportunities for NBA prospects to improve and showcase their skills in front of NBA teams. For Ohio State‘s Keita Bates-Diop, those chance will be great for him prior to the 2018 NBA Draft.

He is not a lottery type of prospect, so anyway he can continue to showcase his skills prior to the June draft is beneficial. Yes, there will be the NBA combine and individual workouts for Bates-Diop, but he is going to have to wait to participate in those events.

Until then, the projections on which team will select him and where has varied and will continue to do so as the lottery and playoff results will change where teams select.

So, where do some of the more recent mocks have Bates-Diop going?

Basketball Insiders unveiled a mock on Tuesday.

They have the former Buckeye going to the Portland Trail Blazers in the first-round, 26th overall. Wherever he plays, Bates-Diop could play power forward in smaller lineups but is best suited on the wing as a small forward. In Portland, he’d be great coming off of the bench and being a key contributor.

NBADraft.net has Bates-Diop going to the New York Knicks in the second-round, 43rd overall.

Bates-Diop may very well be in the long run a second rounder, but for now, he is a first-round talent.

Last but not least, CBS Sports’ Reid Forgrave has Bates-Diop going in the first to the Utah Jazz at 21 in his recent mock.

Utah already has among others, Jae Crowder at small forward. They have the more defensive-oriented wing in Crowder but there is room to upgrade.

Bates-Diop may not be a better defender than what they already have but he would be a nice complement to what Utah is building given the talent on their roster.

From now until the draft many more projections will be made. As long as Bates-Diop improves during the process, his chances of being drafted sooner increases.

Next: Three reasons to be optimistic for 2018-2019

Bates-Diop may end up being a positive surprise in the 2018 NBA Draft for a playoff team or one on the bubble come next season.

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