The 2018 NBA Draft has been completed and we now know where the top college stars will be playing next season. Which ones will ultimately have the best career?
The NBA Draft for 2018 is over, And as of right now, all 30 teams can be declared winners since no basketball has been played. There are no current busts and any of the draft picks has the potential to be a franchise player.
That “star” player literally could be found at any point in the draft. The No. 1 player barely even played in Markelle Fultz, while the third pick in Jason Tatum led the Boston Celtics to a win away from the NBA Finals.
A few players like Zach Collins (Portland), John Collins (Atlanta) and Jarrett Allen (Brooklyn) showed flashes of promise as rookies, while those like Dennis Smith Jr. (Dallas), Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball (Los Angeles Lakers), De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento) and Josh Jackson displayed that desired franchise appear.
The best rookie from last year’s class was undoubtedly Donovan Mitchell. As the 13th pick, he led the Utah Jazz to not only the NBA Playoffs in the Western Conference, but even a series win to boot. He’s the epitome of a “steal” that NBA teams hope to get outside the top-10.
For this piece, I’m going to predict which 10 players are set up to have the best NBA careers. To do this, I took into account the following things:
- Individual talent
- Projected playing time
- Talent of teammates
- Direction of franchise
- Team’s chances at being an annual playoff contender
There are players that were drafted high that might not be apart of a winning franchise. Then there are others who might be on a 50-win team for the next few years but as a role player.
These following draftees are most likely to be on a winning team in the future while playing a major role in it as well.
10. G Josh Okogie – Minnesota Timberwolves
College: Georgia Tech
When he was the head coach at Minnesota, Tom Thibodeau was in charge of one of the best defensive units in all of basketball. He went to Minnesota in hopes of taking a young but talented group of players to the playoffs.
With Jimmy Butler arriving, the Timberwolves were able to make the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. But it was far from smooth, with the defense ranking as one of the worst in the league still.
So it’s not too surprising that Minnesota went defense with their first pick, choosing Okogie from Georgia Tech. The 6’4 guard was most of the offense for the Yellow Jackets, scoring nearly 20 ppg while leading one of the better defensive units in all of college basketball. He’s an athletic guard that could serve as a “3 and D” player at worst for the team.
Right now, Okogie can serve as a quality sixth man option off the bench. However, he might be thrust into the starting lineup depending on what happens with a couple of stars. Jimmy Butler is a free agent after next season and there have been no talks as of now about an extension. Andrew Wiggins signed a five-year extension last year but has become frustrated with his role. A potential trade involving him might be in the works, especially if Okogie develops into a stat in his own right.
At the very worst situation, the former Yellow Jacket will be paired with star forward Karl-Anthony Towns for years to come. It’ll be a huge difference between being on the offensive-starved Georgia Tech team. More options besides him will allow him to flourish in the pros.
9. G Collin Sexton – Cleveland Cavaliers
College: Alabama
Last season, the Cavaliers had four different starting point guards (Derrick Rose, Isaiah Thomas, Jose Calderon, and George Hill) throughout the season. None of them worked out, which made the Kyrie Irving trade all the harder to swallow for Cleveland fans.
Dating back to his first stint with Cleveland and even in his Miami days, LeBron James has never had great point guards to work with outside of Irving. The No. 8 draft pick Sexton could instantly become his second-best playmaker, with an explosive ability to make plays for himself and others. He has the same traits as Rose in his prime and will be a building block for the Cavs’ future.
If James is still there, the addition of Sexton shores up a big weakness and takes the pressure off him somewhat to do everything offensively. Cleveland would still be the favorite to come out of the East and could give the Golden State Warriors a tougher fight in the Finals.
If James does leave, the Cavs would be in another rebuilding mode. The remaining assets aren’t good enough to keep the team viable, and Sexton wouldn’t have much to work with. It’ll take a few losing seasons and some lottery picks to work out, but I do think Cleveland won’t be perpetual losers as long as the Crimson Tide star is around. I viewed him as the best point guard in the draft, so the summer won’t be a total loss if King James departs.
8. F Kevin Knox – New York Knicks
College: Kentucky
The next Carmelo Anthony? Before some of you think that’s offensive let’s not forget that the Syracuse National Champion is a Basketball Hall of Famer and a 25 ppg scorer in his prime on one of the worst-run franchises in sports history. And I think Knox has a great chance to have a similar career if things go well.
At 6’9, the former Kentucky Wildcat can excel at the small forward position in the NBA. He won’t be affected when it comes to the size of his opponents and is already comfortable with handling the ball on the perimeter.
The Knicks desperately need another star. Kristaps Porzingis will be coming off an injury so it’s important that he gets help. Tim Hardaway Jr. averaged 17.5 ppg last year and made that big contract he signed in the offseason look much less than a disaster.
With Willy Hermangozen and Enes Kanter taking care of the center spot and the franchise allowing Frank Ntilikina to develop as the primary ball handler, the wing is for Knox’s taking. He’s an excellent scorer who already has played with stars being at Kentucky before and could be the player to take the Knicks back to the playoffs.
I would’ve ranked Knox higher – but as long as James Dolan is the owner, I and a whole bunch of people will have suspicions about the ceiling for this team in the future.
7. F Chandler Hutchison – Chicago Bulls
College: Boise State
Wendell Carter Jr. was the No. 6 pick for the Chicago Bulls in this draft. I like him and he will figure into the franchise’s plans for the foreseeable future. He’ll be alongside last year’s top pick Lauri Markkanen and Bobby Portis in the frontcourt post players, but another forward has a chance to be an absolute star.
Chicago had another pick in the first round and went with Hutchison, the lone mid-major first rounder to be drafted. Not only did I think that he was the best to come out of the smaller leagues, but that he could become one of the best players in the draft overall.
The Boise State star averaged 20 ppg this past season, including a 44-point performance in conference play. He’s a great rebounder and can facilitate the offense as well with an underrated passing ability. The Bulls don’t have great guard play so Hutchison will have to create his own offense.
Chicago is in a unique place as a franchise. They’re rebuilding but these new pieces actually could hurt that. The Bulls will need them both to become stars so that the team doesn’t spin around in the lottery for the next decade.
6. G Aaron Holiday – Indiana Pacers
College: UCLA
Next, to the Utah Jazz, the Indiana Pacers were the biggest surprise team in the NBA Playoffs. Led by one of the most improved players in the league Victor Oladipo, the team pushed Cleveland to a game seven while showing improvement from several key players.
If there was one weakness, it was at the point guard position. Darren Collison is a solid option but not necessarily a starter on a playoff team trying to go deep. The hope is that their first-round pick Holiday can become just as good as his older brother Jrue was this past season.
There are similarities in their games, as the youngest Holiday showed that he can score at a high rate while still distributing to his teammates (20.3 ppg and 5.8 apg at UCLA this past season). He’s efficient on offense while being above average on defense.
Holiday is in a great position to slowly develop as a point guard with Oladipo around. But for the Pacers to advance, they’ll need a point guard that can step up in the playoffs. That was their issue with George Hill several years ago against the Miami Heat, so the hope is that Holiday can change that. This is a unique circumstance of a player getting drafted to a playoff team with a legit chance to start.
5. F/C Marvin Bagley – Sacramento Kings
College: Duke
The Kings are pretty solid when it comes to their perimeter with De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield continuing to grow as solid players. The issue has been in the post, with an endless number of drafted big men being busts.
Even the free agent signings of Kosta Koufos and Zach Randolph haven’t worked out as well, leaving the franchise stuck financially for the next couple of years. In the meanwhile, they’ll finally have to hit on their draft picks, including Bagley III from Duke.
The No. 2 overall pick has a great offensive game and could be the leading scorer from the rookie class. He can spread the floor with his shooting ability while displaying an adequate passing game. Bagley is an okay defender, but he’ll need to be really good to offset what was the third-worst defensive team scoring-wise in the NBA.
Willie Cauley-Stein is on his last season and while he’ shown flashes as a rim protector, his lack of offense has hampered his value. Bagley can play the four spot and let the former Wildcat excel at the things he is good at.
From an individual standpoint, Bagley could have one of the best careers from this draft. But the depth of talent in the Western Conference combined with the ineptitude of the Kings franchise makes me wonder how long it will be before the ACC Player of the Year sees the playoffs.
4. C Mohamed Bamba – Orlando Magic
College: Texas
Ever since Dwight Howard left the Orlando Magic in 2011, the franchise has been in a downward spiral. They’ve yet to have a winning season and despite some talent have failed to capitalize off a weak Eastern Conference.
Their most recent high picks (Jonathna Isaac, Elfrid Payton, Mario Hezonja and Aaron Gordon) have not shown themselves to be much more than role players or stat stuffers. That’s why the Magic so desperately need a star like Howard.
The closest resemblance to him in terms of stature, by comparison, is Bamba, with a freakish wingspan and athleticism that’s sure to make an immediate impact in the NBA. And unlike the former Magic star. this future one has been working on his shooting and perimeter defending, allowing him to fit in today’s modern game.
Orlando has consistently been one of the worst defensive units in the league as well, so Bamba and his nearly four blocks a night average is a welcome addition as well. He does tend to take chances and get out of portion, so proper coaching will be needed to break him out of that habit.
Bringing Bamba in also slides Nikola Vucevic to the power forward position, probably where he fits best at this stage. With leading scorer Evan Fournier coming back, Orlando should be a balanced team starting next season and should get back to the playoffs soon enough.
3. G/F Zhaire Smith – Philadelphia 76ers
College: Texas Tech
Draft night was an interesting scenario for the former three-star recruit out of high school. He was originally drafted No. 16 to the Phoenix Suns before being traded along with a future first-round to the 76ers for Mikal Bridges. Smith ended up going from one of the worst teams in the NBA to the one with arguably the brightest future.
The 6’5 wing will be a huge asset for the 76ers. He can reasonably play and guard three different positions in the NBA, which is huge considering who he’s playing with. Ben Simmons is essentially a 6’9 point guard, while Fultz still figures to be part of their plans for the future. JJ Redick probably will be gone along with Marco Belinelli, so the 40% shooter from three-point range at Texas Tech will provide needed floor spacing.
Even if a small forward like Paul George does come around, Smith can play the shooting guard position if Fultz still has issues going into next year. The difference with Smith and Bridges is versatility, an area Philadelphia wants to have an abundance of.
I have Smith ranked this high is my belief that his floor is as high as any others in this draft. Even if his offense isn’t great, his ability to defend will keep him on the court. And if he averages over 20 ppg, a max contract could come his way due to the value he brings.
2. G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Los Angeles Clippers
College: Kentucky
After losing Chris Paul in free agency to the Houston Rockets via trade, the Clippers were supposed to be closer to the top-10 draft selection than the playoffs. But thanks to sixth man extraordinaire Lou Williams, they made a shocking push for the postseason all the way through the year.
It was done despite the constant turnover at the point guard position. Patrick Beverly was injured most of the season, while Euro sensation Milos Teodosic went through injuries as well. With him already being 31 years old and Beverly being limited offensively, Los Angeles needed an upgrade.
In some ways, Gilgeous-Alexander could be a steal at No. 11 in a draft-day trade from Charlotte, as he started the ladder half of the season for Kentucky. He is a great athlete who makes his teammates better with his passing ability and is the most likely candidate to get a triple-double in the NBA on a regular basis.
Along with fellow first-round pick Jerome Robinson from Boston College, the Clippers appear to be avoiding having to go back to the bottom to rise again. This is without both Paul and Blake Griffin on the roster.
There are some moving parts for the team that will have to be dealt with this offseason (DeAndre Jordan). But unlike the other projected starting point guards in the lottery (Trae Young in Atlanta and Collin Sexton in Cleveland) Gilgeous-Alexander has the pieces around him to excel, on a potential playoff team.
1. C DeAndre Ayton – Phoenix Suns
College: Arizona
This franchise has lost the last 181 games the last three seasons and has slowly developed into the worst team in the league. They struggled with head coaches and have had bad luck in terms of recent personnel moves.
That includes some recent draft picks concerning big men. The reality is that Alex Len, Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss and even the free agent signing of Tyson Chandler hasn’t worked out. But they are good on the wings with Josh Jackson, TJ Warren and 25 ppg Devin Booker forming a great foundation.
Phoenix needs a big to counter those who reside in the west and the team hopes that Ayton will stand on top in the next few years. He’s been compared with Joel Embiid of the 76ers, at 7’1 and 250-pounds with great quickness combined with strength. The former Wildcat has an all-around offensive game that will flow with the fast-paced Suns.
Ayton also can play solid defense, which is the biggest weakness for his new team. They gave up over 113 ppg, ranked by far the worst in the NBA. He’ll automatically be an upgrade at the center position at both ends of the court.
Next: Individual winners from 2018 NBA Draft
Ayton and Booker will form one of the best scoring duos in the league for the next decade. I’m still not sure how many wins the team will accumulate in the near future since Phoenix still lacks a point guard, but they’ll at least be an entertaining team. And since most of the great western teams have players in their prime, the Suns could set themselves up again to be title contenders in five years or so.