NBA Draft 2018: 5 players who should’ve been drafted higher

SF Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State

Coming into the year, Keita Bates-Diop wasn’t on the national radar. He was beginning to make a name for himself in Columbus, but he had yet to be unleashed in a major way.

His junior season changed that. Following a medical redshirt year, Bates-Diop quickly became the best player in new coach Chris Holtmann’s rotation. He scored a then-career-high 27 points against William & Mary in early December and never looked back.

Bates-Diop went on to average 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, in addition to 1.6 blocks per game. He was named Big Ten Player of the Year after the season, then chose to forego his senior year for a chance at NBA glory.

Despite being projected by some to go as high as the lottery on Thursday, he didn’t even crack the first round. In fact, he had to wait until over halfway through the second round before the Minnesota Timberwolves finally scooped him up with pick 48.

Bates-Diop was one of eight Big Ten players drafted. Five heard their names called before the Buckeyes star, including Jaren Jackson Jr., Miles Bridges, and Kevin Huerter.

None of those players won the Big Ten Player of the Year award.