The 2018 NBA Draft Lottery has officially concluded. With no huge surprises, the Phoenix Suns came out victorious with the first pick, which means it’s time for a new 2018 NBA Mock Draft.
The NBA Draft Lottery is always an interesting event. The 2018 draft lottery featured former rookies from the 2017 Draft, a Little Penny Doll, and a former NBA D-League Champion. Ultimately the lottery did not shake out as planned, but there were no major changes.
With there being tremendous amounts of hype surrounding this draft class, any team could obtain a quality player at any point, even though the draft is definitely more top heavy. The lottery allows teams and fans to know where they will be selecting in the draft, so now it’s time to get into another 2018 NBA Mock Draft for the first round.
As always with my mock drafts, these opinions are based loosely on my player rankings and what I think each team should do with their pick. Without further ado, let’s get into the latest mock draft!
Despite all of the constant Deandre Ayton-to-Phoenix propaganda you will see, Luka Doncic is a legitimate and realistic option for the Phoenix Suns. Doncic recently experienced some struggles in the EuroLeague playoffs against Panathinaikos, but I would not read into this too heavily. This still does not take away the fact that Doncic is a serious MVP candidate for the EuroLeague season, which is the second-best basketball league in the world.
The thought of a Doncic and Devin Booker offense ran by new head coach Igor Kokoskov would be extremely entertaining. Kokoskov was Doncic’s head coach when Slovenia won a gold medal in FIBA EuroBasket. Doncic posses elite level passing vision, scoring and is a quality ball-handler. Having Booker, who grew into a much more ball-dominant role this season, will be great for Doncic to not have tremendous amounts of pressure on himself offensively. Anticipate an immediate offensive impact from the Slovenian superstar.
This pick should be a no-brainer for the Sacramento Kings. With young talent on the wings and lightning fast point guard De’Aaron Fox, they should look to implement a ton of spread pick-and-roll sets. Drafting Ayton will only help their system where the 7’1″ and 250-pound man child will be a dominating rim-runner with his leaping ability and strength. His speed, jumping ability and athletic traits are unlike any big man in this class for his size.
Ayton is probably the safest pick in this draft and should be a guaranteed double-double machine in the NBA. The only real concerns with Ayton are his rim protection and ability to defend on the perimeter in space. Sacramento gave up the fifth-highest field goal percentage to its opponents last season, so Ayton should fit in perfectly.
The Atlanta Hawks an are absolute mess, though they just hired a new coach in Lloyd Pierce. After recent social media speculation, Dennis Schroder, the Hawks’ leading scorer and assist man, is open to being dealt sooner rather than later. The Hawks should just obtain the best player available here and that is Jaren Jackson Jr.
The freshman phenom has all the defensive tools both physical and athletically to become a dominant rim protector, along with having the lateral speed to become a serviceable defender on switches as well.
The question mark with Jackson is how does he develop offensively? He flashed some ball-handling ability on the perimeter and shot the ball well from the 3-point line, shooting 39.7 percent. Unfortunately, his mechanics are hard to project so he needs to prove in workouts that he can knock down the 3 with his extremely low release. Jackson is still an extremely safe pick with all of his defensive upside.
If the Hawks do not select Bagley with the third pick, the Memphis Grizzlies should have their pick in before they are officially on the clock. The southpaw freshman phenom is oozing with offensive talent and upside. His versatility to score both inside and outside make him a real wild card for the Grizz to figure out where they want to take advantage of all his offensive talent.
Defensively, Bagley is a non-factor as a rim protector, which is why a pairing with Marc Gasol, a former Defensive Player of the Year, is a match made in heaven. Bagley really lacks defensive instincts, but should be able to learn eventually in the NBA.
He’s a hard worker that plays with an extremely high motor and when you combine that with all of his physical and athletic talent, that is a player you want to bank on being a quality NBA player for many years to come.
Videos have recently surfaced of Mohamed Bamba working with Drew Hanlen, a skills trainer with a great reputation. In these videos, Bamba has showed off some work he has done on his form as well. During his freshman season at Texas, Bamba was an extremely frustrating prospect to watch. Sometimes he would play like the dominant rim-protecting and offensively engaged player that should make him a top-five selection, and other times he would not even show up and put in minimal effort.
People have raved about how smart of a kid Bamba is and I honestly belive he was not that interested in the college game because he knew he was a one-and-done. Bamba’s allure as a prospect comes from his extremely rare length, athletic ability, defensive instincts and the threat of becoming a potential outside shooting threat. Standing at 7’0″, Bamba boasts a 7’9″ wingspan and blocked 3.7 shots per game at Texas.
My major interest in Bamba is whether or not he works on his body and is willing to become a dominant rim-runner, sort of in the role offensively I anticipate that Ayton will play for the Kings early on. Bamba is a boom-or-bust prospect offensively, but his defensive ability should keep him around.
The Orlando Magic were in desperate need of a point guard pre- and post-Elfrid Payton trade. Trae Young is the answer and a building block for the Magic rebuild. With no players on the roster that are extremely ball-dominant, I anticipate Young to have the ultimate green light from day one of his rookie season — similarly to how he played at Oklahoma, but with a much better supporting cast, even though it is not good by NBA standards.
Young took college basketball by storm this season, putting up historic numbers. Unfortunately, those numbers did not translate well to team success.
Despite his Sooners getting bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Rhode Island, Young emerged as the best point guard prospect and is head and shoulders above his competition. His ability as a passer is extremely unique and even though he may not score with the prowess he did in college, he will be an extremely high-level passer for years to come.
The Michael Porter that many saw at Missouri is no reflection of who he really is. Porter was the No. 1 ranked prospect throughout his high school career over higher rated prospects such as Deandre Ayton, Mohamed Bamba and Jaren Jackson Jr. The only prospect to dethrone Porter of his top ranking was Marvin Bagley when he reclassified.
Porter posses a rare combination of size, knockdown shooting ability, and offensive skill standing at 6’10”. He is a very intelligent player with a high IQ as well. Porter’s draft status will be highly dependent on his medical report at the combine. Porter suffered an extremely serious back injury in his first game of his college career.
Later on in the season, Porter came back and showed just how out of shape and rusty he was. While those postseason performances hurt his mainstream population, scouts already knew who Porter was before the season started. He’s a high-level talent whose draft stock will be heavily dependent on his medical report.
It’s difficult to imagine the Cavaliers doing anything with this pick but trying to keep LeBron James happy. In reality, Cleveland is better off trying to draft a ball-handling shot creator or an athletic big man, but neither one of those options make sense without trading down. So the Cavaliers go with your perfect LeBron complement, a 3-and-D prototype in Bridges.
The growth that we have seen from Mikal Bridges during his time at Villanova has been awesome. Bridges has allure thanks to the high IQ prospects obtain from playing for Jay Wright — along with a projectable 3-point shot after converting 43.5 percent of his looks from the 3-point line. He also has a projectable defensive role where his length and physical tools, combined with his quick feet, make him a multi-positional defender.
Even with the Knicks’ extremely crowded frontcourt, they select Bridges, who can play both a small-ball 4 and on the wing. Hopefully the Knicks will learn to go small and realize what a matchup problem Bridges can be offensively in a small-ball 4 role.
Bridges elected to come back to school this season and pass up on a lottery selection only to find himself to be a lottery pick again. Bridges is only 6’6″, but his great frame should allow him to be able to guard larger 4s and abuse smaller 4s and wings when he drives to the hoop. The southpaw is an explosive leaper and has a proven jump shot.
Even though Bridges will never be a knockdown shooter, he can be respectable and will be able to attack closeouts with a quick first step on the perimeter, where he can finish above the rim. I have grown a lot higher on Bridges throughout the year, even though New York could potentially be a toxic situation. He could thrive being thrown into the fire immediately when he is expected to take on a large chunk of the Knicks’ scoring.
Even though I think there are many better prospects on the board here other than Zhaire Smith, he makes the most sense for the Philadelphia 76ers. With both Marco Bellinelli and J.J. Reddick on the wing, they do not have many even average wing defenders other than Robert Convingtion and Ben Simmons. Smith is one of the top defensive prospects on the perimeter in this class and may be the best.
His rapid rise at Texas Tech came out of nowhere this season. A former three-star recruit is now a one-and-done player. Smith has elite athleticism in pretty much every facet and it makes him a standout defensive prospect. His offensive game has a VERY long way to go. On the bright side Smith, did shoot 45 percent from the 3-point line, but it was only on 1.1 attempts per game and his behind-the-head shooting motion is not encouraging. Smith is exactly what the 76ers need for their young core if they are drafting solely on fit and not best overall.
Carter enjoyed an awesome season at Duke, even though he was overshadowed by Bagley. The Charlotte Hornets do not have much going for them here. They fired their general manager and head coach and have no real direction for their roster. They should be beyond joyful if Carter slips to them at No. 11. New head coach James Borrego spent the last three years in San Antonio and would probably love nothing more than to draft a player with Carter’s high IQ.
Carter is an extremely fundamentally sound, yet modern big man standing at 6’10”. He has great skill for his size and even though his not the quickest on his feet, I would imagine he enjoys some kind of success following an Al Horford archetype. Maybe he will not develop to be as good of an offensive player as Horford, but should have more rim protection value. This would be an extremely solid and safe pick for the Hornets.
This is a tough pick for the Los Angeles Clippers here. They are in desperate need for a ball-dominant playmaker and could try to take either Shai Gilegous-Alexander or Colin Sexton. Ultimately I decided to go with Shai because he is the better prospect in my opinion. The Clippers need to be extremely cautious with Gilegous-Alexander, and the pressure to be good immediately may not let them.
Gilgeous-Alexander emerged as the top prospect on a Kentucky team that has developed the reputation as a one-and-done factory. He is not a great athlete by any means, but works the pick-and-roll very well. Along with being able to get into the lane in one-on-one and isolation situations, his ability to change speeds and decelerate off the dribble is better than anyone in the class.
With a developed and quicker release on his jump shot, Gilegous-Alexander could become a very good two-way role player. He could play alongside another wing creator or guard and become a quality secondary handler that can play with your primary handler as well. Given the Clippers’ roster situation, there’s a chance they could throw him into a ball-dominant role immediately, which would not be good for his development.
The Clippers take Jontay Porter after obtaining back-to-back lottery picks. The depth at center for the Clippers is atrocious. With DeAndre Jordan on a player option, they better hope he opts in. Jontay could be brought along slowly playing spot minutes for Jordan (if he stays) and will give the Clippers a playmaker and a floor-spacer at the 5.
Porter is one of the youngest prospects in this class, and how polished he is already as a prospect is amazing. He’s not the greatest athlete either, but is easily the best passing big man in this entire class. Porter is also an extremely underrated defender. Even though he does not put up high block numbers, he challenges a lot of shots making quality rim rotations. At such a young age Porter could develop athletically as well after he works on his body some more.
Even though I am high on Keita Bates-Diop, this is still a little bit of a reach. The Denver Nuggets desperately need some defensive help and Bates-Diop is one of the best two-way prospects still available. He could provide the Nuggets with an immediate bench scoring punch and should thrive playing alongside Nikola Jokic.
Bates-Diop had the breakout season all of Columbus was finally waiting for. He averaged 19.8 points per game while shooting 48 percent from the floor. Even though he stands at only 6’7″, his elite length makes him a viable small-ball 4 option.
He needs to put on some weight, but Bates-Diop is a smooth scorer that should benefit from a reduced role and NBA spacing. He does not get enough credit defensively as a prospect either. Even though he’s likely never going to be multi-positional, he should have no problem guarding 4s and possibly excel if he bulks up.
The Washington Wizards have not had a real defensive and scoring threat at the big man position in a while. Could you imagine if they hit on a prospect like Mitchell Robinson? It could possibly take that team to a whole new level both offensively and defensively, along with being a major upgrade from Marcin Gortat.
Robinson did not play any kind of organized basketball this year as he left Western Kentucky before the season started. He also was deemed ineligible to play in the G League. Despite all the off-the-court issues with Robinson, there is no denying his elite talent.
Standing at 6’11” with a 7’4″ wingspan, Robinson may be the most athletic big man in this class, which is saying a lot. He can protect the rim and has been trying to develop his perimeter game while working out all year in preparation for the draft. Off-court issues will likely prevent Robinson from getting drafted this high, but if he works everything out, the Wizards potentially picked up a steal.
With the Suns already selecting Luka Doncic, they now go for a role-playing stretch-4 in Kevin Knox. Having two high-usage wings now in Doncic and Booker makes it hard to find a fit-dependent prospect at this stage. Either a hopeful quality defender or big man would make the most sense here, but both of those would be reaches.
Knox was supposed to be the man this season at Kentucky, but instead, he struggled to get adjusted to the college game. I have grown on Knox as the season went on and he started to shoot more consistently, but he is still a very scary prospect. However, if he can become a quality shooter, he has the perimeter game at 6’9″ to be an interesting offensive weapon. It will be intriguing to see how he develops as a defender at the NBA level as well.
This would be a great pick for both Lonnie Walker and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks should have just enough depth on the wing next season where Walker would not be forced into immediate heavy minutes. Playing with a ball-dominant wing like Giannis Antetokounmpo should be ideal for his offensive role in the NBA.
Walker is so much more than just the best hairstyle out of any prospect in the draft. He is an elite level talent that has the explosive leaping ability to finish above the rim whenever he wants. Walker was an extremely streaky 3-point shooter at Miami, but his release is simple and very fundamentally sound. He also seemed very comfortable shooting from NBA range.
Walker has enough ball-handling ability to attack a closeout and looks to be working on his handle during his draft preparation. Walker has the tools to be a quality man-to-man defender and should provide the Bucks with a wing who’s more than just a standstill shooter, which Giannis Antetokounmpo desperately needs.
The San Antonio Spurs need to acquire talent, they need to acquire a lot of it, and they need to acquire it fast. That’s why they bite the bullet and do something very uncanny of them and select a player with off-the-court problems. I think Robert Williams matured throughout his sophomore season at Texas A&M, and being under the wing of LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol should help him mature even more.
Williams is a bouncy rim protector standing at 6’10” with an impressive 7’5″ wingspan. His offensive game will almost certainly be a challenge, but if anyone can figure out what to do with him, it’s Gregg Popovich. Williams has an easily translatable role, but with his offensive game not developing at all in his second season at Texas A&M, I am still puzzled why he has lottery appeal when he’s still valued for his rim protection and his physical and athletic tools.
Like I previously stated, the future between the Hawks and Dennis Schroder appears to be in hot water. So the Hawks select a young point guard in Collin Sexton. Sexton should be thrown into the fire right away, with the Hawks not having any real depth at a position.
Sexton came into his freshman season in Alabama with a ton of hype surrounding him. Unfortunately, Sexton did not meet all these lofty expectations of him, though he was not bad either. He showed that he has the mentality and work ethic to be great. He’s fearless driving into the lane and can become an absolute pest defensively. With a better jump shot, Sexton could develop into a quality starter, but with a player wired like he is, it’s hard to imagine he will not be around for a long time.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are in desperate need for some secondary shooting and scoring help. Musa is the best scorer left on the board. He averages 13.5 points per game in only 23.5 minutes per game during Adriatic play for Cedevita. Musa likely comes over to the NBA immediately as well.
Musa is an extremely difficult prospect to gauge. He’s the primary handler for his team at 6’9″ and has some decent burst off the dribble out of hesitations. However, he is extremely frail and has a hunched over posture. This posture hurts Musa on the defensive end of the floor as it prevents him from getting into a quality fundamental stance.
Despite his defensive woes, Musa is still a quality shooter with a quick and simple release, and can get into the lane off the dribble. This would be an interesting pairing with how much Tom Thibodeau emphasizes defense.
The Utah Jazz need some to add some big man depth with this pick. Unfortunately, this class does not have an abundance of big men at this point in the first round, so with Raul Neto and Dante Exum becoming free agents and Alec Burks going into the last year of his contract, they select Shake Milton. Milton will fit in well in Utah with both Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio.
Milton is a quality combo guard prospect. He has the height at 6’6″ and length with a seven-foot wingspan to guard multiple positions. Shake fits in well with the Jazz because he can play off the ball while Ricky Rubio and Donovan Mitchell share the ball-handling load. Milton is a knockdown catch-and-shoot option, and possesses a solid handle and playmaking ability.
After the Bulls select Michael Porter Jr. to help offensively, they swing back around in the first, addressing the defensive side of the ball. The Bulls do not have a lot of depth on the wing. Even though they have a lot of combo guard/wing players like Khyri Thomas on their roster, none of them will be an All-Star anytime soon.
Thomas also came out of nowhere onto NBA Draft radars this season. An accurate wingspan measurement will be interesting on him as well, since Thomas is only 6’3″, but projects to have an off-ball role.
Thomas is your typical 3-and-D player. He’s an aggressive point of attack defender that may be tasked with trying to guard the opposing team’s point guard in the future. He’s an incredible shooter off the catch and shot 41 percent from the 3-point line. He’s not much of a threat at anything else and needs to improve as a ball-handler.
The Indiana Pacers add some more wing depth here as well. With Lance Stephenson on a team option and Glenn Robinson on an expiring deal, they could be left with little wing depth. There could be a few other options here, but Bruce Brown can play either wing spot rather than a player like Landry Shamet, who is more of a combo guard.
Brown is a prospect that I am higher on than most. He decided to return to Miami after he was a possible lottery pick and it did not turn out very well. Brown’s season was cut short after a stress fracture.
However, if he can return to one hundred percent before the combine, I think Brown will impress in the athletic testing where he is extremely underrated. He shot the ball horribly this year, and will need to become a serviceable outside shooter in order to have a real role. If he does, Brown should be able to play off ball with some secondary handling equity with his passing vision and handle, along with the potential to be a solid defender.
Taking Jacob Evans late in the first round would be a great pickup for the Portland Trail Blazers. It would give them a 3-and-D wing that can play alongside both C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard. The Blazers also have very few true wings on their roster as well.
Evans is a little more skilled than your typical 3-and-D prospect. He can put the ball on the floor as well and can create for others. Evans flourished this year in a very ball-dominant role at Cincinnati, where he averaged 13 points and 3.1 assists per game. Evans shooting is still a slight question mark, but his defense is why you select him in the first round. He’s great in man-to-man and is a high quality team defender off the ball as well.
With the Los Angeles Lakers’ first pick, they take De’Anthony Melton. Melton will be a quality complement to Lonzo Ball and will give the Lakers a quality backcourt defender that they desperately need. Unfortunately, Melton did not play this season due to the FBI investigation in college basketball.
Melton has yet to get the opportunity to play real five-on-five games this season. Hopefully we will get to see him at the combine. Melton is a quality and lengthy defender that has some secondary handling ability and would thrive better next to Lonzo. Melton’s biggest development will be his shot, and if he’s improved his that, he could be selected a lot higher than No. 25.
After the 76ers selected Zhaire Smith, they look to continue to boost their backcourt with complementary players to Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Shamet would provide the Sixers with a lot more shooting than Zhaire Smith would.
Shamet enjoyed a great year at Wichita State last season. He’s a 6’4″ combo guard that can shoot it maybe as well, if not better than anyone else in the class. He shot 44.2 percent from the 3-point line this season. Even though his shot is flat, I firmly believe in it. Shamet can shoot off of spot-ups, movement or off the dribble.
He has some playmaking equity as well, averaging 5.1 assists per game this season at Wichita State. I am not as sold on Shamet’s defense because of his smaller frame though, and I do not think he has the foot speed to stay with quick lead guards.
The emergence of Terry Rozier now has led the Boston Celtics to have another predicament similar to what they will have with Marcus Smart. Rozier could be playing himself into a lot of money that the Celtics just cannot afford down the road. Now this pick, which was formerly the Smart replacement pick, can be the potential Rozier replacement pick too.
Jalen Brunson has mastered and dominated the game of college basketball. He’s a two-time national champion and the reigning Player of the Year in college basketball. Even though Brunson will not even come close to that kind of success in the NBA, he should be a long time backup point guard. Brunson’s smart decision-making, defensive IQ and effort, along with his knockdown shooting will allow him to become a backup point guard in the league for many years to come.
This may be one of my favorite picks. With most of the Golden State Warriors’ bench contracts being up soon, they are going to need a major makeover, so this pick is extremely important. After a year at Syracuse where Battle had to be such a high volume scorer, he has to try to shift to a low-usage role.
Tyus Battle is a born scorer and you have to feel bad for him last year at Syracuse when he had to try and doing everything for his team. He has great size for a wing at 6’7″ and is a quality leaper. Battle is extremely streaky, but took a lot of tough shots last season. I think with less pressure and more open looks, he may find the perfect fit for himself in Golden State.
The Brooklyn Nets saw the emergence of Spencer Dinwiddie this season while D’Angelo Russell was out with an injury. Unfortunately, with Dinwiddie only having one more year on his extremely cheap contract, I would not be surprised if the Nets traded him.
If Dinwiddie does get traded, this leaves the Nets with only one real ball-handler, so they select Troy Brown to become the team’s secondary ball-handler. Even though I am much lower on Troy Brown, I do believe in his passing vision. He has the talent to develop into something more standing at 6’7″, and the former McDonald’s All American could become a matchup problem if he becomes a quality 3-point shooter — but that’s a big if.
After two five-star recruit selections, the Hawks go with a less heralded talent, Tulane wing Melvin Frazier. The Hawks could easily stash a player here or trade this pick with the third selection in the first round. However, Goga Bitadze or Isaac Bonga are still a little too low to be selected.
Frazier is an extremely athletic 3-and-D wing. He has very impressive lateral quickness that helps him be a point of attack defender despite having a small frame. His shooting numbers took a tremendous jump this year, improving 12 percent to shoot 38.5 percent from 3-point range.
Next: Winners and losers of the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery
Frazier doesn’t have much equity anywhere else other than becoming a potential 3-and-D player. He’s not a great handler or finisher at the rim and I still would not be fully confident in his jump shot.