5 Bold predictions for the 2018 NBA draft class

2018 NBA Summer League - Las Vegas - Orlando Magic v Phoenix Suns
2018 NBA Summer League - Las Vegas - Orlando Magic v Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns were rewarded for their expertly done tanking process during the 2017-18 season with the #1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Picking DeAndre Ayton with it meant taking the safe step - selecting the rookie with the greatest guarantee of not being a bust more than anything else.

Only time will tell whether or not the NBA's newest draft class will live up to its pre-advertised potential, but there's a reason why it was the most anticipated draft in several years. A draft frontloaded by big men is a refreshing change for the league, which hasn't had drafted a single player capable of challenging for MVP honours since Dwight Howard in the 2004 NBA draft.

Also read: The Favorites to win NBA Rookie of The Year 2018-19

And so, here we come with a bunch of predictions that may or may not turn out to be true in the future, but will most certainly raise eyebrows all the way up until the end:

#1 Mo Bamba is the prospect least likely to bust

2018 NBA Draft
2018 NBA Draft

The top big men selected in this year's draft are Ayton, Marvin Bagley, Jaren Jackson, Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr. Of these 5 players, Bamba is possibly the most impressive physical specimen alongside Ayton because of his Draft Combine record 7'10" wingspan and his incredible motor that allows him to cover 94 feet in timings comparable to the likes of John Wall and Russell Westbrook.

Bamba looks like the least likely of these 5 players to bust because of his sky-high defensive potential, but defense is not the only reason I'm so high on this youngster. From all accounts, he figures as a player who can mould his style of play as per the needs of his team, and he already has a sweet-looking jump shot that could theoretically stretch defenders way outside the paint and allow other players easier plays in the paint.

Rudy Gobert with a jump shot is what Bamba has the potential to become, but Rudy Gobert without a jumper looks like his floor, and that's why I feel he's the least likely rookie to bust.

#2 Trae Young will have the better rookie season, but Collin Sexton will have the better career

2018 NBA Draft
Sexton (L, first row), Young (C, first row) and Doncic (R, first row)

The fates of the three rookies standing in the front row in the picture above shall forever be linked to those of each other. Before the draft, Sexton vs Young was a debate a lot of analysts were having as to who the most NBA-ready point guard is right now, while the Mavs traded up in the draft to pick Doncic, sending Trae Young the other way to the Atlanta Hawks.

These 3 are the top non-big picks of the draft, and all of them will be playing as point guards for their teams for the most part - except a few short spells for Doncic. I have reserved my judgement for him in a latter slide, but between Young and Sexton, Young is by far the more finished product as of now.

Neither Young nor Sexton projects as a starter at this moment, since the Hawks have acquired Jeremy Lin from the Nets while the Cavs still have George Hill at this point. But Young's accuracy from deep and his playmaking ability are a notch above Sexton's right now, and he is likely to get much heavier minutes and a bigger role than Sexton. This vaults him into Rookie of the Year contention.

But Sexton's physical gifts will probably count for more in the long haul. He already looks among the fastest players in the league right now (based on what we observed from the Summer League), and he's a tough-nosed defender who looks primed to be a two-way menace in the long run. If we could gaze through a crystal ball right now, I'm positive that Sexton will emerge as the player with the better career.

#3 Kevin Knox will win Rookie of the Year honours

2018 NBA Draft
2018 NBA Draft

As far as rookie performances at the Las Vegas Summer League 2018 go, no player in this draft class showcased the kind of ability that Knox already has against borderline NBA opposition.

What sets Knox's candidacy apart this season is the fact that he will likely be one of the featured scorers for the Knicks right from the get go. This is because their franchise player Kristaps Porzingis will be ruled out for an extended spell at the start of the season with an ACL tear sustained at the start of 2018, effectively consigning the Knicks to a bargain basement season before tip-off for even one game of the season.

The bleak outlook for their near future means coach David Fizdale can focus on the development of youngsters like Knox and Frank Ntilikina this year. Knox projects as a combo forward with extremely good athleticism and knock-down shooting capability, and I'm betting on him being able to average between 15-20 points per game on good shooting splits.

#4 Grayson Allen will be a crucial rotation player for the Jazz this year

2018 NBA Draft
2018 NBA Draft

The 4-year Duke product could have seen himself picked a lot higher had he declared for any of the 2016 or the 2017 NBA drafts, but finishing out 4 seasons at Duke and then entering the league as a 22-year-old has its advantages as Grayson Allen looks one of the more NBA-ready players in the draft class due to the significantly higher time he spent in college as compared to most other first-round recruits.

The Jazz as a team relies on Donovan Mitchell as their primary scorer and Rudy Gobert as their defensive anchor, but doing so means that the other players on their roster have to fulfil specific roles to the best of their abilities. At 6'5", Allen looks like he'll be set for a career as a 3-and-D player, what with his incredible bounce and pure scoring ability.

On nights when the Spida's shots are not falling and their frontcourt isn't clicking, the Jazz will have a viable off-ball threat to rely on for buckets - Allen offers much more to them than Thabo Sefolosha on offense without a visible drop-off on the other end. And this is what will make him an important member of their rotation.

#5 The best player in the draft will be Luka Doncic

It surprises me a whole lot that despite Doncic winning the Euroleague Final Four MVP a few weeks before winning the championship with Real Madrid, he wasn't heralded as the consensus best player of the draft right now. Even the Suns' coach Igor Kokoskov preferred bringing a big man into the Suns roster rather than his fellow countryman Luka.

If the accolades Doncic has already accumulated thus far don't convince you as to why he's the best player right now, a look at his mixtape from his Real Madrid times will go a long way towards allaying all the concerns surrounding the youngster. He wasn't even the most athletic player in Europe and will probably be lower than the 50th percentile among vertical leapers in the NBA for his whole career, but the same disadvantages haven't really stopped the likes of Chris Paul and James Harden from submitting season after season of MVP-caliber performances.

Doncic projects as a do-it-all swingman who can be the primary ballhandler for a really successful team, and should the Mavs be able to surround him with a complete roster in the near future, expect him to vault into MVP candidacy before long. Players with his combination of size, finesse and vision come by once in a long while, and should be treasured for what they're able to do.

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Edited by Amulya Shekhar