The 2018 NBA Draft took place on Thursday night. The Phoenix Suns selected Deandre Ayton with the #1 overall pick while the Sacramento Kings took Marvin Bagley III with the #2 overall pick. Like every draft, it was an exciting event with some winners, losers, and surprises. For complete draft results, check out the results on NBADraft.net here. For more detailed analysis on each prospect, check out the NBALord.com mock draft here.
Winners
Phoenix Suns stock up on talent: Like most teams that pick number one, the Phoenix Suns were the big winners of the NBA Draft. Deandre Ayton projects to be a cornerstone piece for them to build around for the next decade, giving them a chance to finally make some noise in the NBA playoffs. In addition to Ayton, the Suns also added some other quality players like Mikal Bridges, Elie Okobo, and George King. The Suns should feel very optimistic about their future after this draft.
Denver Nuggets snag Michael Porter, Jr: Michael Porter, Jr. has the potential to be the best prospect in this draft if he stays healthy. However, due to concerns over his health, mainly his back, he fell right into the Denver Nuggets' lap at #14. If you are the Nuggets, you have to be thrilled with this pick. To get perhaps the best prospect in the draft at #14 is huge. Even if Porter doesn't pan out, drafting him is still worth the gamble.
Sacramento Kings draft a franchise big man: While Deandre Ayton deserved to go #1, it's not like the gap between him and Marvin Bagley III is huge. Bagley is a fantastic prospect and has just as good of a chance to become an elite NBA player. The Kings need a franchise centerpiece and Bagley projects to be just that. After wallowing in the wilderness for a few years, the Kings appear to finally have something to point them in the right direction.
Dallas Mavericks snag Luka Doncic: Lots of NBA scouts feel Luka Doncic is the best prospect in this entire draft. The Dallas Mavericks have to feel excited to get Doncic, especially since they came into the draft picking 5th. They were able to move up to the 3rd spot to get him, a move that was definitely worth it.
Atlanta Hawks swoop up Trae Young: The Hawks dealt the 3rd pick to the Mavericks for the 5th overall pick and a future first round pick. This was a shrewd move since Trae Young was the guy they wanted all along. Trae Young gets compared to Stephen Curry for his lights out shooting and sensational ball handling. If Young can be anything close to Curry, the Hawks should be competitive for a long time.
College seniors: Duke senior Grayson Allen went #21 to Utah, Boise State senior Chandler Hutchison went #22 to Chicago, West Virginia senior Jevon Carter went #32 to Memphis, Kansas senior Devonte Graham went #34 to Atlanta, Kansas senior Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk went #47 to the Los Angeles Lakers, Missouri State senior Alize Johnson went #50 to Indiana, Purdue senior Vince Edwards went #52 to Houston, Virginia senior Devon Hall went #53 to Oklahoma City, Texas Arlington senior Kevin Hervey went #57 to Oklahoma City, UCLA senior Thomas Welsh went #58 to Denver, and Colorado senior George King went #59 to Phoenix. You hear that if you want to make it to the NBA, you better play one or two years of college basketball or else you'll be considered too old. These dudes all showed that if you work on your game for four years and keep getting better, there's a home for you in the NBA.
Losers
Mikal Bridges' mom doesn't get her wish: When Villanova junior Mikal Bridges was picked 10th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers, it seemed too good to be true. He's a Philly native and his mom works for the 76ers organization. Well, it turns out it was in fact too good to be true. Bridges was shortly shipped to the Suns in exchange for the #16 overall pick Zhaire Smith and a future first round pick.
Michael Porter, Jr. falls to #14: While the Nuggets are major winners, Michael Porter, Jr. is a loser for falling all the way to #14. Few people saw him slipping past the #9 overall pick, making his fall to #14 all the more surprising and unfortunate. The only way there's a happy ending here is if he lives up to the hype and proves all the teams that passed on him to be foolish.
Brandon McCoy goes undrafted: Brandon McCoy was a McDonald's All-American in 2017 and a consensus 5-star recruit, choosing UNLV over several Pac-12 schools. The 7'1", 250 pound big man has all the pieces to have a really good NBA career, making it all the more disappointing that he failed to get drafted. He has since signed with the Milwaukee Bucks, so he too will get a chance to prove his doubters wrong.
Surprises
Michael Porter, Jr. falls to #14: As I said above, few people saw Michael Porter, Jr. slipping past the #9 overall pick. Him falling to Denver at #14 was definitely the big surprise of the night.
Grayson Allen worked his way into the first round: Despite all of his antics and controversies at Duke, Grayson Allen found a way to get drafted in the first round, going #21 overall to the Utah Jazz. Most had him getting drafted in the first round come draft day, but a month ago, he was projected to be a second round pick. Him convincing a team that he can control himself on the court and be a good locker room guy was definitely a surprise. Especially since that team was the Utah Jazz, a team that is known for placing a premium on character.
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