NBA Mock Draft: 6 High-risk prospects that could be franchise-changing at their peak

Exploring six high-risk NBA Draft prospects that could end up being franchise-changers if they reach their full potential at the next level.

With the NBA Draft Lottery officially in the books, the Atlanta Hawks are on the clock. Well, they still have about five weeks to make their decision, but you get the point. The 2024 NBA Draft is right around the corner and prospects will naturally begin to separate themselves from each other in the coming weeks.

Despite the fact that this year's draft class is being labeled as "weak," you'd have to imagine that there's still going to be value to find. There could even be franchise-changing talent in this year's class. But because of how shallow this draft class may be, it could be a bit more difficult to find.

As we inch closer and closer to the NBA Draft, we predict six high-risk draft prospects that could end up being franchise-changers if they reach their full potential.

Jared McCain, G, Duke

There may not be a ton of NBA Draft prospects that are especially high on Jared McCain but with his natural skill set, it's hard not to consider him as one of the few players in this year's draft class with a high ceiling. Coming off a freshman season in which he averaged 14 points and five rebounds on 46 percent shooting from the field and 41 percent shooting from 3-point range, there's an argument to be made that he hasn't even begun to hit his ceiling as a player.

At his floor, McCain translates as a strong 3-and-D contributor. The biggest questions about McCain revolve around his unimpressive athleticism and quickness. Time and time again, we've seen star players buck that trend of having to be ultra-athletes. There may be a scenario where McCain blossoms into an NBA star without having elite athleticism. With such a high floor, McCain should be one of the few prospects that many teams should be willing to take a gamble on outside the top 5.