The NBA Draft is an event designed to stir up instant reactions. Why wait to see how a prospect develops when you can claim he made the wrong choice just 30 seconds into his professional career? This is the nature of the beast.
Ahead of Friday’s game between the Mavericks and the Suns, which featured picks No. 1 (Deandre Ayton) and No. 3 (Luka Doncic) from the 2018 NBA Draft, Sporting News decided to take a radical approach. We will judge players from that class based on what we have actually seen. (It’s so crazy that it might work.)
Over three years out of the event, here are the updated winners and losers from the 2018 NBA Draft.
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2018 NBA Draft Winner
Dallas Mavericks
Electric shock machine. The Mavericks bought Doncic in a day-long deal with the Hawks, sending Trae Young and a future option to become Cam Reddish to Atlanta in exchange for the Slovenian star. Doncic has been spectacular over his first three seasons, averaging 25.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. Dallas unsurprisingly gave Doncic a five-year, $207 million extension to the supermax rookie this past season. He should be the face of the franchise for a long time.
THAN: Latest injury update on Luka Doncic
Oh, and let’s not forget about Jalen Brunson. The Mavs demoted Villanova’s former keeper in 33rd place overall. He is hitting the top of his career in points (15.3), assists (5.0) and rebounds (4.7) per game this season.
Atlanta Hawks
After Doncic ran away with the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year award, it looked like the Hawks made a big mistake. Who cares about future options when you already have a future MVP right there?
Well, that’s an overreaction. Young has become one of the league’s most lethal offensive weapons, capable of breaking through defenses by scoring and passing his ball. Atlanta also trapped Kevin Huerter in the first round, and he showed himself capable of being a valuable player on a winning team. Reddish is still a question mark, but he has already flashed some fascinating potential.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns confused a lot of fans and analysts on draft night when they picked Ayton with the first pick because Igor Kokoskov, Phoenix’s coach at the time, had developed a close connection with the Suns. Doncic after leading the Slovenian national team to a Eurobasket gold medal in 2017 Above all, there are standard concerns about choosing a traditional big man over a main serveer.
THAN: Why exactly did the Suns not draft Luka?
Ayton experienced increasing difficulties as a rookie, especially in defence, but he has been an integral part of the Suns’ rise to the status quo. He excelled in the 2021 NBA playoffs, averaging 15.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game while shooting 65.8 percent from the field.
Phoenix also acquired Mikal Bridges in a transaction with Philadelphia, giving up Zhaire Smith and one option in the future turning into Tre Mann. Bridges is currently one of the best 3-and-D strikers in the NBA, and he should only improve as he enters his early years.
Michael Porter Jr. and the Denver Nuggets
No one doubts Porter’s talent, but the teams are concerned about his medical history. He missed the entire 2018-19 season after undergoing surgery on his back and he is currently sidelined with another back problem. It is possible that injuries have jeopardized his career.
With that said, the Nuggets were wise to give Porter a chance, especially as they hold the 14th pick. He’s scored 19.0 points per game between 2020-21 and has shot 44.5% from long range. from the 3 point range. That’s why Denver is offering a maximum of five years in September.
If Porter can stay healthy – and that’s a huge if – he will play a key role in the Nuggets’ pursuit of the championship.
2018 NBA Draft Losers
Marvin Bagley III and the Sacramento kings
The Kings went with Bagley in 2nd place, and… yes. The 22-year-old is basically not a factor in Luke Walton’s rotation. Bagley’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, demolished the office earlier this season, saying it was “totally confused” that Bagley did not receive any minutes.
“Clearly [the Kings] there are no plans for him going forward, however, approved potential deals last year and this summer based on ‘value’,” Schwartz said. “Instead, they chose to bring him back but not pay him, a move that is the complete opposite of their ‘value’ argument. This is a case study of mismanagement. of the Kings organization.”
Everything is going great! Choose firmly!
THAN: Could Bagley be featured in a Ben Simmons commercial?
Philadelphia 76ers
You know how the Sun has a Bridge in that trade? The 76ers might love to have a guy like that on the roster right now, right?
Smith struggled with health issues as a member of the Sixers, playing a total of 13 games over two seasons. He was traded to the Pistons in November 2020, later exempted from Detroit. This is just another fair miss by Philly.
New York Knicks
Speaking of misses, we have to make a Kevin Knox pick. (Sorry for killing the good vibes, New Yorkers.)
The Knicks picked the Kentucky striker in 9th place, and the next three picks in order are – swallows – Mikal Bridge, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Bridge and Miles. It’s silly to crush teams for not grabbing the hidden gem in the draft whenever someone like Draymond Green or Manu Ginobili gets into the second round, but all of those players are certainly within that range and available for the Knicks.
THAN: The Knicks starting year is a hot mess
We’ll give New York a little credit for finding Mitchell Robinson in 36th place, but the Knox disaster is too much to ignore.
ESPN NBA Draft broadcast
We’re still dealing with the same problems years later. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic’s Shams Charania repeatedly revealed good picks before NBA commissioner Adam Silver made the official announcement. The picks are then traded, and no one watching the broadcast can keep track of where the players are actually going, especially when they’re wearing the hats of the organizations that drafted them initially.
There must be a better way to do this.
