NBA Draft riser: Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois
Through the first three games of the NCAA Tournament, there may not have been a better offensive player than Terrence Shannon Jr. Even though he had a disappointing final game against the UCONN Huskies, you'd have to believe that Shannon left his mark with near back-to-back-to-back 30-point games to open the NCAA Tournament.
Shannon's draft stock has been pretty volatile since the start of the season. At the start of this draft season, Shannon was being mocked as a potential mid-to-late first-round pick. Then, over the course of the season, that slowly shifted to Shannon being an early second-round pick. However, with the way he closed the season and his performance in the NCAA Tournament, there's a good chance that he's catapulted himself back into being a first-round lock. Especially considering how unproven this year's draft class is.
Having played five seasons in college, Shannon is one of the most experienced prospects in this year's draft class. Whether that ends up being a positive for him or not, Shannon is also one of the most productive players. If he excels in pre-draft workouts, I'd be shocked if there wasn't a team willing to take a gamble on him with a first-round pick.