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This year's NBA draft class is one of the most stacked we've seen in a long time, with LeBron James going on to say, "This year's rookie class is the best since 2003". Now that's a pretty bold statement to make, considering that the 2003 class boasts luminaries such as Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and King James himself. 4 of the top 5 picks of the 2003 draft became All-Stars and were part of the USA Men's Basketball "Redeem Team" that dominated the global stage.
For any draft class to be compared to the 2003 class is a big thing, but the current 2018 class merits such comparisons - with high-ceiling potential stars oozing across the board.
Here, we present to you the BEST probable picks in this year's NBA draft! We list the players who will most probably go as picks 5 through 10 come draft day.
Stay tuned for ranks 1-5!
#10 Mikal Bridges (Villanova University Wildcats)
Mikal is fresh off winning the National Collegiate Basketball Championship with Villanova University. Villanova has emerged as one of the most dominant basketball programs of not just the last decade, but of all time. In the last 3 years, they've won the National Championship TWICE and they have held 4 Big East Titles and an ABSURD 165 wins in the last 5 years.
Mikal Bridges has been a crucial cog in the success of the program over the last three years - winning two National Championships in the process. He has developed by leaps and bounds during his time in college and is projected to be a top 10 draft pick this season.
He has plenty of positive attributes in his game already, not least a prolific three-point shooting ability which is so important in the NBA today. He shot 43.5% from beyond the arc this past season and has developed into a promising two-way player in 2017-18.
For instance, he complemented his offensive abilities and three shooting with impressive defensive stats. In a competitive Big East, often considered to be the best basketball conference in all of the United States, Bridges was top 5 in steals in each of the past two seasons and was ranked fourth this season in blocks. He was named the Big East Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. From averaging 6 PPG in his freshman season, Bridges now averages 17.2!
These stats are made all the more extraordinary when you consider that Bridges plays small forward, a position that is not traditionally attributed to defensive contributions. As Bridges is a Junior in college, he is also one of the most experienced and consequently, possibly one of the most NBA ready players in the draft.
While the sky is obviously the limit for Mikal, there are a few areas of his game which are in need of improvement. He is lanky for his size and struggles to play physical basketball. Case in point: He doesn't attack the basket and averaged a mere 2.3 free throw attempts throughout his college career. He is also more of a 3-and-D guy and lacks both playmaking (Averaged just about 2 assists per game) and shot-creation for himself in isolation situations. If he bulks up a bit more, he could drive to the basket more often and contribute offensively in more ways than just three-point shooting.
Expect to hear Bridges' name being called pretty early on, come draft day.
#9 Collin Sexton (University of Alabama Crimson Tide)
The University of Alabama Men's Basketball Team has, for the longest time, been under the shadow of the legendary football team that the University fields. While Alabama football has made it a point to absolutely dominate the American Collegiate Football scene year-in-year-out, its Basketball team is a force to be reckoned with, too. Under the stewardship of Avery Johnson, Crimson Tide basketball has developed along a promising trajectory over the past three seasons and has given rise to hope in the hearts of Alabama basketball fans. Hope that the old days where the team defeated #1 ranked Stanford and made deep runs in the NCAA tournament are not far away.
A huge reason behind the renewed optimism among the Bama faithful has been manifested in the form of Collin Sexton. A star recruit out of high school, Sexton was aggressively pursued by a number of collegiate basketball powerhouses but decided to sign with the Tide. Instead of playing peripheral roles at traditional basketball schools, he has the program built around him at Alabama. The team strategy complements his game and allows him to take charge and make massive strides in both his game development and leadership skills -something that not many freshmen can do.
Sexton is one of the most explosive players available in this year's draft. He is supremely skilled in transition play and often uses his incredible speed and inexhaustible stamina to quickly log in points before the opposing defenses have a chance to regroup. He is a rare offensive talent and scored at least 20 points in 5 of his last 6 college games for the Tide. His style of play has been compared to Russell Westbrook and he was also named as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 2016 Under-17 Basketball World Championship. Sexton also has the SEC conference Freshman of the Year award to his name.
While he scored 31 points and was crucial in leading Alabama over fierce rivals Auburn, perhaps the greatest show of his offensive capability came against the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. In what was a freak happenstance, the entire Alabama bench was ejected and Alabama played most of the second half WITH ONLY THREE PLAYERS. Against a full strength starting 5 of Minnesota, of course. Sexton scored an insane 40 points in that game and almost led his team over the line amidst freakish odds.
However, in order to truly elevate to the next level, there are areas of Sexton's game that need to be worked upon. He has to work on both his three shooting ability and amp up his defensive contributions. Once drafted, these aspects of Sexton's game will require development before he can be ready to contribute day in-day out for a potential franchise.
Anyone would rather have Sexton on their team than against. The NBA better watch out for him.
#8 Wendell Carter Jr. (Duke University Blue Devils)
Duke University has long been considered the single greatest basketball playing university of all time. The program has a proud tradition and history of consistently competing for and lifting the National Championship. Coach K is the best mind in the game and will leave behind him an unparalleled legacy when he calls time on his career. The University has churned out NBA caliber superstars regularly - the likes of which include Kyrie Irving, Hall of Famer Grant Hill, among others.
This year too, the Blue Devils had a MONSTER recruiting class that included the likes of Trevon Duval, Marvin Bagley III (Who features higher on this list), and Wendell Carter Jr.
For a Center, Wendell shoots really well. Like Kevin Love or Al Horford (Both All-Star big men), Wendell is not afraid of pulling up for a three - he shot 41.3% from beyond the arc last season. He also has the ability to finish from either hand from the post, with this skill giving him an advantage over interior defenders. When faced with a two-man marking situation, Wendell exhibits a tendency of great floor surveillance and awareness, immediately creating shot opportunities for open guards in his team.
He has a knack for pulling defenders and creating chances for teammates, racking up the assists in the process. His favorable size (6'10", 118 Kg) allows him to play physical basketball at the post and to attack the rim. Wendell's size also allows him to gather offensive rebounds efficiently. After offensive rebounding, Carter either utilizes post skills to score or pulls defenders, assisting other team-mates.
Wendell Carter has a very polished game and developed skill set for a freshman. Despite his young age, he is one of the most mature and useful players available in the draft. In time, he needs to work on his defensive skills. Also, he was very foul-prone in college - which will be a deterrent for prospective selectors. He also needs to become a little quicker so that he is able to catch lobs off pick and rolls.
All in all, the sky is the limit for Wendell Carter Jr. and any team in the NBA would be lucky to have him in their ranks.
#7 Trae Young (University of Oklahoma Sooners)
The University of Oklahoma is another which has a basketball program living in the shadow of a great American Football team. While the Sooners are a go-to name in the world of American Collegiate Football, boasting of numerous Bowl Wins and CFB Championship appearances, the Basketball team has, in the past decade and a half, emerged as a force to be reckoned with in its own right.
Oklahoma Basketball now regularly competes in the NCAA tournament and went as far as the Final Four as recently as 2016. Since the turn of the decade, they have progressed to the Elite Eight thrice and have advanced further 2 times. Moreover, in a conference as competitive as the Big 12, they have Conference Tournament Titles in 2000, 01 and 02 to boast of as well.
Next in a long line of superstar players to come out of the University of Oklahoma is Trae Young. He follows a hallowed list of athletes that include Blake Griffin, Buddy Hield and Terry Stotts. Young is certainly not short on confidence before the draft, going on to say:
"I think I'm the best overall player in the NBA draft. My main focus isn't to be necessarily the best player in the draft, It's to be the best player in the NBA."
Expectations from Young are unreal and he has been regularly compared to Steph Curry due to his playing style. But, according to him, he relishes the comparisons, saying that it motivates him to perform at a higher level. As mentioned, he is certainly not short on confidence. The first thing that stands out when you consider Trae Young is his shooting. He has amazing range and regularly knocks down threes from well beyond the arc. He made 10 triples in a game versus TCU and drained 8 threes in two other contests.
He is a truly gifted scorer as well - averaging a crazy 27 PPG statline. He actually led the country in scoring. Young also has enviable playmaking skills which complement his scoring. In his one season at Oklahoma, he averaged 8.7 assists per game, showing remarkable awareness of floor positioning and a propensity for assist creation. Young has a tendency to draw fouls as well. This has the dual advantage of putting skilled opponents into foul trouble, restricting their minutes, and scoring off of free throws. He attempted 8.6 free throws per game last season.
However, doubts arise when his size is considered. at 6'2" and 82 Kg, Young is certainly not physically imposing. As a result, his ability to drive to the rim is compromised. His drives are regularly blocked by Center players and he can get outmuscled by longer perimeter defenders in the NBA. Moreover, he is turnover prone. This might be a consequence of two factors:
1) The game plan of rival teams centered around getting the ball away from the hands of Young, by far the most threatening scorer for his team.
2) The game plan at Oklahoma centered around Young as well and he got a lot of the ball due to the team's offense flowing through him. Consequently, he saw a lot more of the ball and through sheer increased possession, chances of turnovers also increased.
Lastly, Young needs to improve drastically on the defensive end. While he is gifted at scoring, he still needs to defend well in order to be able to play major minutes for any NBA franchise.
The fact that a player of Young's caliber is 7th on this list is a testimony to the potential that is oozing through in this year's draft class. Come draft day, don't be surprised if you see his name called in the Top 5.
#6 Jaren Jackson Jr. (Michigan State University Spartans)
Michigan State University has, for the longest time now, been an absolute basketball powerhouse. Under Tom Izzo, the University has had a proud tradition of regularly competing and making deep runs in the NCAA tournament and challenging for Conference honors. They have made it to the NCAA tournament 21 years in a row and have, during that time, been Champions, runners-up and have gone to the Final Four 7 times!
Right now, we are not even considering the host of Conference Titles and Elite Eight/Sweet Sixteen appearances that the Spartans have amassed. They were the conference regular season champions this year and were tipped to go as far as the Final Four by analysts across the board. However, they suffered a second-round defeat at the hands of the University of Kansas Jayhawks (Who did go on to the Final Four).
Jaren Jackson Jr. is the latest prospect to have come out of the famed Michigan State program - other athletes of note being Magic Johnson and Draymond Green. Jaren is a projected Top 5 pick in the draft and how high he rises depends on the selections and requirements of the teams drafting players before him. For a Center, he shoots threes quite well - he had a 40% 3PT% last season.
Out of High School, Jaren was a 5 Star recruit across the board. In his one year of college, Jackson went on to become the Big 10 Freshman of the Year and was nominated to the All-Freshman First Team in the Big 10. He also has the Defensive Player of the Year (Big 10) award to his name. While many players in this year's draft need to work on their defense, Jaren exhibits fearsome defensive skills, so essential in a good Center. He led the Big 10 in blocks per game last season (3 Blocks per game). He even went on to record an INSANE 8 blocks in a game versus the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights. While his career average in scoring is 11 PPG, his career high is 27 points which came in a game versus Minnesota.
Even though Jackson is bucking the trend of having poor defensive skills in the draft, he is still a raw prospect. Teams drafting him will do so with the purpose of developing him for the future initially. He needs to develop his post-playing skills and rebounding stats. He is also turnover prone and has a tendency to get into foul trouble in games.
While he is a pick for the future, the mere fact that Jackson is a projected Top 5 pick is a testament to his talent and potential. Come draft day, his name is sure to be one of the earliest to be called.
With this, we come to an end to this part of the TOP prospects expected to be drafted the earliest in this year's NBA draft!
However, we are yet to reveal the rankings for Player 5 through 1! Stay Tuned for part 2!
