2017 NBA Draft: Which selections were the biggest surprises in the lottery?

Every season, there are surprises in the draft. Which lottery selections were the biggest risers or fallers during the 2017 NBA Draft?

The  2017 NBA offseason started with a whirlwind of trade rumors along with some action. And things didn’t slow down during the event, which was held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The 71st edition of the NBA draft was exciting and extremely fast-paced as always. As usual there was a ton of surprises and trades. But this year, there was also history made.

For the first time in NBA draft lottery history, college freshmen were chosen with the first seven picks. Furthermore, 10 of the lottery’s first 11 picks comprised of one-and-done college players. In fact, Duke sophomore Luke Kennard was the first player with two or more years of college basketball experience to be chosen. Kennard was selected with the 12th pick by the Detroit Pistons.

Overall, a record 16 freshmen were selected in the first round.

Teams selecting freshmen were not the only trend of the draft. Taking point guards was another trend in this year’s draft. For the first time ever, a pair of point guards were picked with the first and second overall picks. Five of the first 10 picks were lead guards.

The Philadelphia 76ers, as expected, started the draft by nabbing Washington’s Markelle Fultz. The Los Angeles Lakers followed by taking Lonzo Ball. Boston went with Duke’s forward Jayson Tatum, leaving Phoenix with Kansas’ Josh Jackson.

The first big surprise of the draft was the Minnesota Timberwolves trading for Jimmy Butler. The Wolves sent the seventh overall pick, Kris Dunn, and Zach LaVine to Chicago for Jimmy Butler and the 16th overall pick. Now, let’s get into which selections were the biggest surprises.