Don’t sleep on the wings in the 2018 NBA Draft

The 2018 NBA Draft is getting most of its focus on the glut of talented, unicorn-like big men, but the wing class is exceptionally strong as well.

For months, the hype surrounding the 2018 NBA Draft class came regarding the big men. DeAndre Ayton and Marvin Bagley III are having monster years. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Wendell Carter have been equally productive, and many more could end up in the first round. Amidst this intrigue, however, the wing class has gone under the radar.

Luka Doncic and Mikal Bridges come to mind right away, but they’re hardly the only ones. When it comes to those two, they’re as good as any wing prospects you could ask for. Doncic has the chance to be a generational talent and be taken No. 1 overall. He’s a 6’8″ point guard who can pull up anywhere on the court with the vision and pick-and-roll savvy of a 10-year pro.

Bridges on the other hand, looks every part of a super role player. A 3-and-D wing doesn’t do him justice. Villanova’s star wing has an enormous wingspan that will let him wreak havoc defending 1-4 in the NBA. His creation leaves something to be desired, but we’re talking about the best wing defender in this draft by a landslide.

After Doncic and Bridges, there’s some legitimate lottery talent. Among those with a chance at being a lottery pick are Oregon’s Troy Brown, Michigan State’s Miles Bridges, Kentucky’s Kevin Knox and Miami’s Lonnie Walker. As a disclaimer, Miles and Knox could be considered forwards, but nowadays the wing vs. forward position is so fluid. Even still, both play predominantly at the 3 this year.

Bridges is thriving more on the wing for Michigan State and showing some better vision and passing than last season. Tied with a good jumper and unreal athleticism, he should be able to carve out a nice career. Expect him to go in the lottery.

Like Bridges, Knox is probably better off at the 4, but because of how interchangeable positions are, it’ll be good for him to defend and play at different spots. Knox is another guy who could easily end up in the lottery. Miami’s Walker on the other hand, could easily not.

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Walker has struggled, but there’s still a lot to like with his athleticism, shooting touch and foot work defensively. He has great size to play the 2 and has suffered from Miami having a ton of guards that need the ball. It’s worth noting he’s coming off a major injury, so we shouldn’t write him off just yet. At this point, unless he kills the pre-draft process, more likely he ends up in the 15-25 range.

Another possible lottery pick is Oregon’s point-forward Troy Brown. Brown is a great team defender whose feel is off the charts. He sees the game better than almost anyone in this class. His lack of elite athleticism and shooting dampens his ceiling, but he has one of the highest floors of this group of wings.

In addition to lottery level talent, there are plenty of options late in the first round as well. What so many of these players have in common is shooting potential, athleticism and decent defensive attributes. Some names to track are Arizona’s Rawle Alkins, Cincinnati’s Jacob Evans, Creighton’s Khyri Thomas and most of all, the high-rising Chandler Hutchison of Boise State. 

A couple other names that are more known, and likely to end up in the first round, are Hamidou Diallo and Dzanan Musa. Diallo has struggled with consistency and defense, but he possesses unreal athleticism and flashes of upside. Musa is a straight bucket-getter, who should be a great weapon off the bench despite a low ceiling. He could even grow into a sixth man role because he just knows how to score. That’s still incredibly valuable.

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft: End of 2017 edition

Looking at this group as a whole, it is an unprecedented bunch. We’ll have to see if everyone declares and how workouts go, but do not overlook the wing position in the 2018 NBA Draft class. For a position that is so hard to find in the NBA, a lot of teams could get useful players.