Doing it over: The 2018 NBA draft.

Cesar Crespo

Cesar Crespo

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Now that all of these players are finishing up their rookie contracts, given the 2018 draft is one of the more interesting drafts, and that I just like re-drafts (redrafts?) I'm curious what SOSH thinks.

Here is the draft order: https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_2018.html
This article was made in September but a lot has changed since then.
View: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2948036-2018-nba-re-draft-who-follows-luka-doncic



I'm not sure there is a consensus 2, but maybe it is Trae Young? I'm just doing the lottery. My list will be controversial, I'm sure. I'm also sure I overlooked someone as this draft has a lot of depth.

Here's my list
1. Luka: Obvious
2. SGA: I love Young but his defense is problematic and it's a length issue. SGA has no such problems and I think he's one of the more underrated players in the league. I never really thought about it before, but he'd be great with the Jays. I guess you can say that about a lot of players.
3. Young:
4. Miles: This is where I probably start to really lose people. I'm a buyer.
5. MPJ: And lose everyone else here. His shot is so nice though. His D, eww.
6. Ayton: I'm sure some have him higher but I think his impact is limited in today's game unless he adds the 3.

After this it gets really hard and a lot of it is based on early play to date. It also depends on how much you value stretch bigs vs wings vs Smalls.
7. Mikal: Limited by his age but he's a really solid player.
8. JJJ: He'd might be higher if not for last year's injury. I'd like to see how he's playing a bit further out from now.
9. WCJ: He's been productive out of the gate and has slowly extended his range. He's also passing a bit more in the early going.
10. Bamba: Looks like a completely different player. I can get this one being argued because he was pretty dreadful the last 3. Can't teach a 7'10 wingspan. He's also hitting 3s.
11. Time Lord: I'd say it's homerism but that site has him 8th. Traditional energy bigs still have a place in the NBA, and at this time in the draft, it's mostly personal choice.
12. Duncan Robinson: The 3 point shot is really valuable.
13. Sexton: The 3 point shot is really valuable.
14. Graham. Honestly didn't know who to pick at this point so I went with Graham. I'm tempted to go with Simons because he's young.

Other notables: Gary Trent, Huerter, Donte, Grayson Allen, Anfernee Simons, Brunson, Milton. Others I'm possibly forgetting.
 
jon abbey

jon abbey

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Knicks pick of Knox at #8 here was franchise-crippling when you see the guys who went at 9-11 and 13.
 
Buster Olney the Lonely

Buster Olney the Lonely

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jon abbey said:
Knicks pick of Knox at #8 here was franchise-crippling when you see the guys who went at 9-11 and 13.
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How about Philly? Traded the 10th pick for Zhaire Smith. Could have had either Bridges, SGA...

I'd put De'Anthony Melton in that honorable mention category. He's getting lots of minutes so far with Memphis and has been solid.
 
nighthob

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Cesar Crespo said:
2. SGA: I love Young but his defense is problematic and it's a length issue. SGA has no such problems and I think he's one of the more underrated players in the league. I never really thought about it before, but he'd be great with the Jays. I guess you can say that about a lot of players.
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I hate to beat this dead horse again, but that Demon Kyzuzu trade was a franchise crippler because SGA was the most Dannyesque player in that draft and he and the JayCrew would be a tier 1 contender. Especially as it would allow Marcus to come off the bench.
 
Cesar Crespo

Cesar Crespo

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Buster Olney the Lonely said:
How about Philly? Traded the 10th pick for Zhaire Smith. Could have had either Bridges, SGA...

I'd put De'Anthony Melton in that honorable mention category. He's getting lots of minutes so far with Memphis and has been solid.
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Definitely. Still has a little developing to do too. He was really good last year and has shown year to year growth.

Curious who else I've missed. I love this draft. If you didn't end up with a rotation player, you either didn't have a draft pick or you failed miserably. Even the Knicks ended up with Mitchell Robinson, who should maybe me an honorable mention too.
 
Sam Ray Not

Sam Ray Not

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jon abbey said:
Knicks pick of Knox at #8 here was franchise-crippling when you see the guys who went at 9-11 and 13.
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It’s such a deep and talented draft, it’s easier to identify the bad picks.

#2 Marvin Bagley
#8 Kevin Knox
#13 Jerome Robinson
#16 Zhaire Smith
#28 Jacob Evans (the last time I listen to GM Draymond; you don’t expect a star at #28, but there were at least 10 legit NBA players drafted after Evans)
 
Cesar Crespo

Cesar Crespo

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Sam Ray Not said:
It’s such a deep and talented draft, it’s easier to identify the bad picks.

#2 Marvin Bagley
#8 Kevin Knox
#13 Jerome Robinson
#16 Zhaire Smith
#28 Jacob Evans (the last time I listen to GM Draymond; you don’t expect a star at #28, but there were at least 10 legit NBA players drafted after Evans)
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If you hate pick 28, you have to hate pick 29 for the same exact reason. And 30 for that matter. Omari Spellman has been out of the NBA for 2 years. What happened there anyway? That's weird.

15, 20, 22, 25 were also not that great. Still, the fact that only 3 players in the 1st round failed to accumulate at least 1500 minutes of play is amazing. The 3 who didn't were 16 Zhaire, 28 Evans and 29 Musa.

Another honorable mention goes to Lonnie Walker.

I meant to point out just how deep this draft was but apparently forget. I haven't looked up some of the recent drafts lately, but I remember the older ones. This one has to be one of the top 10 deepest drafts, if not top 5.
 
nattysez

nattysez

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Sam Ray Not said:
It’s such a deep and talented draft, it’s easier to identify the bad picks.

#2 Marvin Bagley
#8 Kevin Knox
#13 Jerome Robinson
#16 Zhaire Smith
#28 Jacob Evans (the last time I listen to GM Draymond; you don’t expect a star at #28, but there were at least 10 legit NBA players drafted after Evans)
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I can't help but wonder what would've happened to Luka or Ayton if they'd wound up in Sactown.

Would Ayton and Bagley have switched careers if 1-2 had gone the other way? I don't think it's out of the question -- their per-36 numbers are surprisingly (at least to me) close: https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm_finder.cgi?player_id2=baglema01&player_id1=aytonde01&sum=0&request=1

Luka in Sacramento would've been fascinating. Would his supporting cast there have been significantly better than his teammates in Dallas? Imagine a 2019-20 Kings roster of Fox, Hield, Luka, Barnes and Bjelica with Bogdan B, Ariza and Richaun Holmes coming off the bench. Brutal defensively, but they would've scored in bunches.
 
terrynever

terrynever

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Buster Olney the Lonely said:
How about Philly? Traded the 10th pick for Zhaire Smith. Could have had either Bridges, SGA...

I'd put De'Anthony Melton in that honorable mention category. He's getting lots of minutes so far with Memphis and has been solid.
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Philly actually did pick Bridges at 10 and then traded him.
 
moondog80

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nighthob said:
I hate to beat this dead horse again, but that Demon Kyzuzu trade was a franchise crippler because SGA was the most Dannyesque player in that draft and he and the JayCrew would be a tier 1 contender. Especially as it would allow Marcus to come off the bench.
Click to expand...
"Demon Kyzuzu"? I'm not getting the reference.
 
Cesar Crespo

Cesar Crespo

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terrynever said:
Philly actually did pick Bridges at 10 and then traded him.
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Technically. That's how all trades go down though. The C's didn't draft Rondo, the Suns did. The 76ers picked him for the Suns.

Now I'm curious if the C's get credit for drafting Tatum. I'm guessing yes because it was a pre draft trade.

edit: Yeah. C's drafted Tatum. Suns picked Rondo. C's drafted Randy Foye.
 
Cesar Crespo

Cesar Crespo

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I wonder if the C's actually do take SGA though. He is the most Ainge player ever but at the end of Ainge's tenure he also had a thing for short guards who can light it up offensively. There's a small chance he'd actually take the player who really was picked at 8 in Sexton. Still, Sexton would look pretty good alongside the Jays too, at least until you had to pay him.

SGA is 6'6 with a 6'11 wingspan and a 8'6 standing reach. Something that Ainge would love. Ainge also got all of his lottery picks that weren't the 14th pick correct. (KO, RL, AN). With the 8th pick, he probably ends up confusing everyone and reaching for Miles Bridges. Either way, I'm confident he ends up with SGA, Miles, Mikal or Sexton. Sucks it didn't work out with Kyrie and that that draft happened to be absolutely loaded. I was all for the trade at the time though because I knew it was just Kyrie for a pick. It has to be one of the worst returns for a superstar in NBA history.
 
moondog80

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Cesar Crespo said:
Kyrie Irving. The C's would have ended up with the 8th pick in the draft. He's suggesting Ainge takes SGA at 8.
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Aah. Would be nice, yes, but as you suggest, nobody was complaining about that trade, 29 out of 29 GM do that deal. Sometimes stuff happens.
 
ifmanis5

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I'd have Ayton at #4 but the rest is good. Classic Clippers moment with keeping the bust Robinson but trading away the stud Bridges.
 
nighthob

nighthob

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moondog80 said:
Aah. Would be nice, yes, but as you suggest, nobody was complaining about that trade, 29 out of 29 GM do that deal. Sometimes stuff happens.
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In fairness there were a few people around here that were against the trade. And I’m not talking about myself, I was sadly enthusiastic about adding Irving, who derailed two teams that summer. The best thing that ever happened to the Suns was the Cavaliers botching the first Irving deal to Phoenix (by not involving the Demon Kyzuzu).
 
chilidawg

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nighthob said:
In fairness there were a few people around here that were against the trade. And I’m not talking about myself, I was sadly enthusiastic about adding Irving, who derailed two teams that summer. The best thing that ever happened to the Suns was the Cavaliers botching the first Irving deal to Phoenix (by not involving the Demon Kyzuzu).
Click to expand...
i was in on the trade until they added Zizic too. That just seemed like too much to give up.
 
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