The NBA draft is about to begin. This year, known as the draft year, may not attract as much attention as in the past. Players flock to the NBA every year, but not many can stay in the NBA, let alone be able to fulfill their talents and become role players for the team. Even among the core, players like Antetokounmpo and Jokic are still in the minority. The two top picks who led the team to the championship this past season also took many seasons to win the first championship of their careers. It has been several years since the 2017 draft. The American media clutchpoints rearranged the 2017 draft. ’s top five picks. Four players were changed among the top five, and the top spot was well deserved. Two players were ruined by injuries.
No. 5 overall pick Markkanen (formerly No. 5 overall pick Fox). Markkanen is one of the players that many teams are interested in pursuing during the offseason, but the Jazz's asking price for him has always been very high. It was previously revealed that they want 4 to 5 draft picks and a star. level players. Last season, Markkanen averaged 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, shooting 48% from the field and 39.9% from three-point range. He was the team's No. 1 scoring point. Players and teams including Spurs and Lakers are all interested in him. The 27-year-old is at the peak of his career. Which team he will eventually join or whether he will continue to stay in the Jazz will depend on subsequent discussions and offers from each team.
No. 4 Adebayor (formerly No. 4 overall pick Josh Jackson) Adebayor is definitely the top tough insider in the current league. His current contract is the previous five-year contract of US$165 million, and his salary will be US$34.85 million after the start of the new season. Last season, he averaged 19.310.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game in the regular season, with a shooting percentage of 52.1%. This data did not allow him to enter the best team list. In the playoffs, his data further improved, averaging 22.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists per game and shooting 49.5% from the field. He is an important part of the Heat inside line. In the absence of Butler due to injury, he assumed more of the team's offensive and defensive performance.
Fox, the third overall pick (formerly Tatum, the third overall pick). Between Fox and Haliburton, the team finally chose to keep Fox and acquired Sabonis in the trade. And Fox is also fulfilling his talent, averaging 20+ points per game for 5 consecutive seasons. Last season, he contributed 26.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists and two steals in the regular season, and his three-point shooting rate was 36.9%. Although the team missed the playoffs, it is undeniable that Fox played an outstanding performance. However, Fox has only made the playoffs once in his 7-season career. The competition for the Western Conference playoffs in the new season is still fierce. I wonder if he can lead the team to the playoffs again this season.
Second pick Mitchell (formerly second pick Ball) Ball can be said to be seriously troubled by injuries. After coming to Bulls , he has been reimbursed for two consecutive seasons. The last time I played was in 35 games in the 2021-2 season, averaging only 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He is still recovering from injury. The team has traded Gidi as his replacement, so in the future Ball's situation with the team is less than ideal.
Mitchell played an outstanding performance in Cavaliers . When he came to the Cavaliers, he was still the core of the team. Last season, he averaged 26.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.8 steals and shots, with a shooting percentage of 46.2%. In the playoffs, he averaged 29.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists and shots. With a shooting percentage of 47.6% and a three-point shooting percentage of 35.5%, the team deserves to be the star. Judging from the information disclosed so far, the team intends to keep him and he also wants to stay with the team; what kind of contract extension the two parties can ultimately reach or whether he can ultimately stay with the team depends on subsequent news.
No. 1 pick Tatum (formerly No. 1 pick Fultz) Fultz is also a talented player who was ruined by injuries. Although he worked hard to get rid of the problem, he has now become a less important player on the team, averaging only 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game last season.
Tatum led the Cavaliers and Celtics all the way to the playoffs last season. In the regular season, he averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists per game and shot 47.1% from the field. In the playoffs, his data declined. He averaged 25 points, 9.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists per game and shot 42.7% from the field, but when he and Brown won the championship under the basket, he also won the first championship trophy in his career. It can be said that he deserves to be ranked first.
