A Year In Review: 2017 NBA Draft

It has been a year since the debut of the NBA meme himself known as Lavar Ball, a year of confusion in the form of Markelle Fultz bizarre change in shooting form, and the rise of stars in the form of Mitchell and Tatum. Let's examine the winners and losers from the draft now that one year has passed and see if we can predict how these players will play a few more years down the road.

The league was very fortunate to add some key contributors this year, as many of the rookies were able to impress their respective teams and become part of their team's core for the future. We saw the rise of Donovan Mitchell who has become a star already and looks to be a future All-Star after drawing comparisons to Dwyane Wade. Jayson Tatum exploded in the playoffs and showed his versatile scoring ability against Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. We also had the up and down season of Lonzo Ball. His team did not make the playoffs as Lavar once promised but he did improve a lot this season and has shown why he was the best passer in the draft. He makes players better and this was shown with Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma was another steal of the draft, taken 17th overall by the Lakers, he showed his scoring ability and will look to be part of the Lakers young core with Ingram and Ball.

There are some honorable mentions of losers and winners that are not mentioned in this article such as Hasan Whiteside. The Heat's were able to grab Bam Adebayo with their first-round selection last year and he has been very impressive and has taken away a large chunk of Whiteside's minutes. As of today, Whiteside appears to be on the trading block, as the Heat are prepared to move on with Bam as their starting center. An honorable mention winner is the Dallas Mavericks who were able to take Dennis Smith Jr. with the 9th pick in the draft. He was the fourth point guard taken off the board, and he was very impactful his first year and looks to be the centerpiece for this Mavericks team.

Winners

Boston Celtics

The Celtics wanted Tatum the whole time. Danny Ainge has proven time and time again that he is a wizard at trades and always comes out as the winner in every transaction he has done. The Celtics went through a short rebuild after the breakup of the big four and are now contenders again only a few years later. Fultz missed most of the year with a weird shooting injury that confused fans everywhere. He appeared to have changed his form which made him look uncomfortable on the court, the 76ers defended this by stating he was suffering a shoulder injury. The Celtics not only avoided this drama but they were able to grab a potential superstar in Jayson Tatum along with a future first round pick. Tatum has an incredible scoring ability as an isolation player and is a very capable 3 point shooter. He was forced to take on a larger role after Hayward got injured in the first game of the season, and he demonstrated the potential to become a top 10 player in the league in the playoffs.

LA Lakers

The Lakers had a great draft night as they were able to grab three potential impactful players for years to come. Lonzo Ball struggled at the early stages of the season and people were constantly criticizing him because of his outspoken father. However Lonzo has shown flashes to be a reliable starter if not a future star. His passing vision still stands out as the best in this draft class and his ability to make others better will attract players to want to play alongside with him. Kyle Kuzma was arguably one of the best rookies in the draft after averaging 16 points a game along with 6 rebounds. He provides a strong scoring touch and is able to find different ways to attack the basket. A steal in the draft, since he was picked 17th. I see him as a reliable starter if not a sixth man for a contending team. Lastly, Josh Hart did not put up the drooling stats like Kuzma but he showed many signs of being a contributor to the team despite being a pick away from the second round. His athleticism and shooting ability will allow him to be a good bench presence for the Lakers' second unit and hopefully his minutes will increase as his game develops.

Toronto Raptors

OG Anunoby was a steal for the raptors at pick number 23. Teams were reluctant to take him because of his prior injuries. He quickly became a starter for the best regular season team in the eastern conference. His numbers won't jump off the page but his strong defence and his offensive flashes have given the raptors some insurance for the future if they choose to blow up the roster. Anunoby won't be a superstar or a star but he could have a similar impact as Andre Iguodala for his team. He is a capable starter who will be a strong 3 and D player and provide a strong court presence.

Losers

Charlotte Hornets

I do believe Malik Monk is a better player than the numbers show due to his scoring outburst during his last few games. There is no denying that his rookie season was awful after averaging slightly less than 7 points a game while shooting 36% from the field. Monk will undergo further scrutiny since the future star Donovan Mitchell was selected two picks later. Monk was expected to aid Kemba with the scoring and provide a strong backcourt, however after this past season people will question whether he can be a starter in today's game.

Denver Nuggets

No one expected Utah to make the playoffs this year after their All-Star Gordon Hayward had left in free agency. Donovan Mitchell was acquired in a trade with the Denver Nuggets and he went off during his rookie campaign. He averaged about 20 points per game as a rookie and played a major part in Utah's run in the playoffs. Mitchell will become an All-Star and has looks to be comfortable with being the Alpha Dog of the Jazz. Unfortunately for Denver, they did not see Mitchell becoming as successful as he was but had they known they would have had an abundance of wings with Murray and Harris. Basketball fans will criticize Denver for trading a future All-Star and it would have been interesting to see a backcourt of Murray and Mitchell with Gary Harris as a sixth man.

Chicago Bulls

Trading your franchise player is usually not going to be good for your team, and you are usually not going to get equal value in return. However the Jimmy Butler trade is not as bad as it originally was thought to be. Lavine is coming back from his injury and has shown to be a future scoring force, Dunn has improved immensely and shown his defensive intensity, and Lauri Markannen could be the primary or secondary scoring option for the team for years. The trade that is more upsetting is trading Jordan Bell to the Warriors for money. Jordan Bell won't be a superstar but he could be a good starter or a great bench player for a contending team. He played great for the Warriors as a second round pick and was able to impact the team in similar ways as Draymond Green. He won't be as good as Green, but he definitely will help the Warriors for all their title runs for the next few years. Bell could have been a core piece of the Bulls rebuild and his defensive mind would have been very complimentary to Lauri.

The 2017 NBA Draft has the potential to be one of the best draft classes of all time. With so many players showing promise to be stars and good stars for their respective teams. There are winners and losers and hopefully the losers will not repeat their mistakes for the upcoming draft.