2018 NBA Draft: Top 60 big board, Part 1

Tier 1

The first tier on my big board represents the two players I feel the most confident in becoming the best overall players in this 2018 NBA Draft class. Both are incredibly memorizing talents, for completely opposite reasons. While both have the potential to grow into outstanding NBA players, this dynamic duo also has the ability to improve and one day become the faces of their respective franchises.

1. Luka Doncic, SG/SF — Slovenia (Real Madrid) 

Luka Doncic has owned the No. 1 spot on my rankings for quite awhile now. I even wrote a piece on five reasons he should be the No. 1 pick. While that is unlikely to happen, Doncic will be an incredible player wherever he gets drafted.

Doncic’s equity as a prospect comes on the offensive side of the ball, where he is a wizard in the pick-and-roll, sees the floor like a quality NBA playmaker and has tremendous quick reactions on his passes at 6’8″. These taller ball-handlers seem to be very trendy and different options for an NBA team and really give opposing teams trouble. If I was just high on Doncic’s pick-and-roll ability and passing vision, he would not be my No. 1 player in the class.

Doncic also has tremendous equity off the ball in the NBA as a scorer and somebody who can knock down open shots, snake his way into the lane with his advanced handle and create open shots for his teammates.

Defensively, though Doncic is fine on ball, his overall foot speed is probably not where it should be, but his height should make him an easy player to hide on the wing. His high basketball IQ makes him a fabulous off-ball defender as well, so he should be borderline average, to just a notch above-average as an overall defender.

2. Deandre Ayton, C — Arizona 

Deandre Ayton is an absolute freak of nature, standing at seven feet tall, with a 7’5″ wingspan while being slightly over 250 pounds of solid muscle. He’s more than ready and should even stand out physically in the NBA game from day one.

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Offensively, Ayton definitely has some low-post equity, which still is one of the higher usage play types run in the NBA given the small-ball infatuation. Ayton will be a scary force running to the rim out of pick-and-rolls as well, which is something he did not get to do often at Arizona. He has shown some signs of shooting development and has a mid range jump shot in his game that is ready to go immediately, but his low-arching line drive shot makes it hard to project him as a quality option shooting NBA 3-pointers.

Defensively, Ayton struggles heavily. His rim protection instincts are pretty poor. While he’s usually good for a block a game with strong on-ball, low-post defense, that does not quite hold the same value that is used to for big men. Where Ayton really flounders defensively is defending in space out on the perimeter (watch two minutes of his game against Buffalo).

That feels like an absolute must for NBA big men in today’s game. Ayton’s overall mobility leaves me optimistic that he will eventually become serviceable defending on the perimeter, although it will not happen immediately. Despite Ayton’s defensive woes, he is a double-double machine from day one who still has potential to grow into a better player.