Jan 11, 2020; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward George Conditt IV (4) dunks against the Oklahoma Sooners at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones beat the Sooners 81 to 68. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
How early is too early to think about an NBA Draft?
Well, apparently, 17 months is not too early as ESPN released a new 2021 NBA mock draft on Wednesday and a Cyclone found his way into the top-60. Iowa State sophomore center George Conditt has been slated to go No. 43 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers (in a pick by way of the Detroit Pistons) by the worldwide leader’s draft expert Jonathan Givony.
The 6-foot-10 Chicago native is averaging 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season after seeing marginal playing time last year as a freshman. He has emerged as one of the shot blockers in the Big 12 while averaging 2.2 swats per game and is No. 16 nationally in block percentage.
Conditt’s ability to run the floor, block shots and pure athleticism will surely make him a sought after professional prospect in the future, but his offensive game remains somewhat raw this early in his career, which should present him an opportunity to continue rising on the NBA radar over the next year and a half.
It is unlikely Conditt will rise as high as his classmate Tyrese Haliburton, who remains at No. 4 in ESPN’s 2020 mock draft, but there is certainly the potential to turn himself into a first-round pick by the end of his junior season.
If that does come to fruition, it would mean three of Iowa State’s four signees in the 2018 recruiting class were selected in the NBA Draft before their exhausting their eligibility in Ames with Haliburton and Conditt joining Talen Horton-Tucker, who is thriving with the Los Angeles Lakers’ G-League affiliate as a rookie this season.
