I am confident that Luka Doncic, Collin Sexton, and Kevin Knox will be terrific players in the NBA, but other than those three compelling prospects, the 2018 NBA Draft class is still oozing with talent. Without further ado, here is my final Mock Draft and Big Board before tonight’s highly-anticipated event.
Final Mock Draft (where they’ll end up):
Suns: DeAndre Ayton (↔ from Mock 2.0)
Kings: Marvin Bagley III (↑2)
Hawks: Luka Doncic (↓1)
Grizzlies: Jaren Jackson, Jr. (↓1)
Mavericks: Mo Bamba (↔)
Magic: Trae Young (↔)
Bulls: Wendell Carter, Jr. (↑2)
Cavaliers: Michael Porter, Jr. (↓1)
Knicks: Collin Sexton (↑3)
76ers: Mikal Bridges (↔)
Hornets: Kevin Knox (↔)
Clippers: Miles Bridges (↓4)
Clippers: Lonnie Walker IV (↑2)
Nuggets: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (↔)
Wizards: Robert Williams (↓2)
Suns: Troy Brown, Jr. (↔)
Bucks: Zhaire Smith (↑2)
Spurs: Dzanan Musa (↑ from N/A)
Hawks: Elie Okobo (↑2)
Timberwolves: Kevin Huerter (↔)
Jazz: Aaron Holiday (↑ from N/A)
Bulls: Chandler Hutchison (↑2)
Pacers: Khyri Thomas (↔)
Blazers: Jerome Robinson (↑ from N/A)
Lakers: Mitchell Robinson (↔)
76ers: Josh Okogie (↔)
Celtics: Grayson Allen (↑ from N/A)
Warriors: Donte DiVincenzo (↑1)
Nets: De’Anthony Melton (↓2)
Hawks: Jacob Evans (↓12)
Final Big Board (raw player ranks)
Luka Doncic (↑2 from Final Mock, ↔ from Big Board 2.0)
DeAndre Ayton (↓1, ↔)
Jaren Jackson, Jr. (↑1, ↑1)
Marvin Bagley III (↓2, ↑1)
Collin Sexton (↑4, ↑1)
Michael Porter, Jr. (↑2, ↓3)
Kevin Knox (↑4, ↔)
Mo Bamba (↓3, ↔)
Wendell Carter, Jr. (↓2, ↑2)
Trae Young (↓3, ↓1)
Mikal Bridges (↓1, ↑1)
Miles Bridges (↔, ↓2)
Lonnie Walker IV (↔, ↔)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (↔, ↔)
Khyri Thomas (↑8, ↔)
Zhaire Smith (↑1, ↔)
Troy Brown, Jr. (↓1, ↔)
Robert Williams (↓3, ↔)
Donte DiVincenzo (↑9, ↑1)
Elie Okobo (↓2, ↑ from N/A)
Jerome Robinson (↑3, ↑8)
Josh Okogie (↑4, ↓3)
Jacob Evans (↑7, ↓1)
Melvin Frazier (↑ from N/A, ↓3)
De’Anthony Melton (↑4, ↓2)
Chandler Hutchison (↓4, ↓1)
Kevin Huerter (↓7, ↓3)
Keita Bates-Diop (↑ from N/A, ↓2)
Jarred Vanderbilt (↑ from N/A, ↓1)
Hamidou Diallo (↑ from N/A, ↔)
Finals Thoughts
Rumors: Even with fewer than 24 until the start of the draft, there’s infinite uncertainty about how the things will shake out. The Kings could take Bagley III, Doncic, or Porter, Jr. Memphis has been talking with several teams regarding the No. 4 overall pick. Nobody definitely knows what the Mavericks or the Magic will do with the fifth and sixth selections. The Cavs are in a weird situation because their draftee may or may not be playing with LeBron next season. If not, that draft pick will have added pressure to shoulder the weight of the next year’s Cleveland squad. The Knicks are rumored to be in on Kevin Knox, Collin Sexton, and Mikal Bridges (among others). The Clippers may or may not trade one (or two?) of their lottery picks for a higher selection. The possibility of trading Kawhi Leonard on draft night is not out of the realm of possibilities. With so many questions, there will be a lot of fun on Thursday night.
Good fits: Despite these rumors, I think Sexton will wind up being drafted by NYK because of their push for a more tough-nosed, competitive culture. With new head coach David Fizdale and a promising young defender in sophomore guard Frank Ntilikina, picking Sexton will help boost that vision. Assuming that the Celtics re-sign Marcus Smart this offseason, those Smart-Sexton matchups at TD Garden & MSG will be must-see stuff. As for the 76ers, the assumption is that they’ll either draft Mikal Bridges or Wendell Carter, Jr.––assuming that they retain the draft pick––and that decision may come down to whichever of those two is left. Without a GM at the moment, I believe that they will take Villanova’s Bridges, as he played he college ball in Philadelphia and can bring a championship mindset and defensive versatility to a team looking to make a deeper run next season.
27th and 28th overall picks: These are the selections that can be easily overlooked since they are tucked in at the end of the first round, but for the moment, they belong to the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors. With the 27th pick, Danny Ainge will likely draft Duke’s Grayson Allen if he is on the board, perhaps because he plays like Ainge himself did back in the day. If this were to happen, the Celtics would have the very real possibility of playing Allen, Smart, and Marcus Morris together: three bad dudes. As for the Warriors’ selection, Golden State will likely have the option to take Villanova’s Donte Divincenzo. In the scenario that the defending NBA champs draft this NCAA champion, Divincenzo will provide another young, confident player who will likely see important minutes in the playoffs, much like Jordan Bell did this past postseason. Additionally, if the Dubs end up with Grayson Allen, the rest of the league will loathe them on another level––if that’s even possible. Imagine a lineup with Draymond Green and Grayson Allen; there’d probably be plenty of trips and kicks to the groin…
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