The NCAA tournament is a great time for potential NBA prospects to show their mettle. If a young player can rise to the challenge against tough opponents with his team's season on the line, that means a lot to pro scouts.With the number of elite freshmen prospects planning to declare for the NBA draft this season, the tournament could hold even more weight than normal for league executives this March.So many potential lottery picks have not been in a situation with such high stakes before and will need to show how "clutch" they can be.Let's predict the entirety of the first round of the draft, then focus on three players and their potential fits with the respective teams the mock predicts them to go to.Potential Fits for Top ProspectsMalik Monk to the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 5The Philadelphia 76ers have been aterrible offensive team for a long time. Per NBA.com, Philly is currently ranked last in the NBA in offensive efficiency for the fourth consecutive season. The biggest reason for that is that the team hasn't had any guards who have been able to create their own shots consistently.Sixers, meet Malik Monk, Kentucky's best scorer of the John Calipari era (20.4 points per game). Monk is a dynamic basket-maker both on and off the ball who can be efficient despite facing lots of attention from the opposing defense.His numbers actually stack up nicely with Jamal Murray's, who went one-and-done at Kentucky last year and is now showing a lot of potential for the Denver Nuggets.The main difference between the two is that Monk's superior athletic tools and defensive chops put his ceiling a bit higher than Murray's. Don't be surprised if the 19-year-old shooting guard makes a few All-Star teams throughout his career.Monk also looks like the type of guard who can succeed next to last year's No. 1 pick, Ben Simmons. Simmons is a ball-dominant point forward, which would allow Monk to slide in nicely as the No. 2 option with his versatility as a scorer.Miles Bridges to the Minnesota Timberwolves at No. 9The Minnesota Timberwolves' future core is great as is. If the team can afford to keep Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine into their primes, there's no question it can perennially contend for NBA titles.What the squad could use, however, is a versatile, defensive-minded forward. The Timberwolves' young talent isn't exactly rife with off-ball players who prefer to focus on the defensive end.There aren't many players who fit that bill better than Michigan State's Miles Bridges. The main downside with Bridges is that he's just 6'6", but he could suffice as a 4 in the NBA for a few reasons: He has a solid 230-pound frame, he's an extremely explosive leaper and he can help space the floor (2.0 made threes per game on a 38.8 percent success rate).Most teams swing for the fences with their top-10 picks. Bridges is a high-upside pick, but there's also a good chance he ends up as a very good role player who does a lot of things pretty well. That's exactly the type of guy the Timberwolves should covet as they charge up the Western Conference standings over the next few years.Lauri Markkanen to the Dallas Mavericks at No. 11The Dallas Mavericks would be absolutely thrilled if Arizona's Lauri Markkanen fell to them at No. 11. Don't let anybody tell you that he's the next Dirk Nowitzki (there will never be another Dirk), but there are enough similarities in their games that makes this fit a match made in heaven for Markkanen and Dallas.The 38-year-old Nowitzki did tell ESPN.com's Marc Stein earlier this month that he plans to return next season, barring a "drastic change." He would have scores of moves to teach the skilled 18-year-old big man from Finland. Both post players have the mobility, high release point and shooting ability to get all sorts of difficult shots to go.Markkanen also looks like an excellent fit with the Mavericks' roster moving forward. Once Dirk leaves, the squad will need reliable scoring from its big men that it can't get from Nerlens Noel, Dwight Powell or Salah Mejri. In particular, Markkanen could make a fantastic pairing with Noel, if the Mavericks can retain the defensive-minded center in restricted free agency this summer.There's a decent chance Markkanen could eventually become the No. 1 or No. 2 scoring option for the Mavs. He averages 15.6 points in 30.5 minutes per game on a sparkling 63.3 true-shooting percentage, per Sports-Reference. Those are great numbers for any college player, but they're especially impressive for a freshman playing in one of the nation's best conferences.
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