The draft is the top priority after the NBA Finals. Every year, the NBA draft attracts the attention of the world. After all, the old players watch too much, and everyone wants to see the potential of the newcomers. The draft is known to have big and small players. Nian Yi said that in a big year of the draft, the stars are often bright, and whoever is selected or not will have regrets. However, in a small year of the draft, there are not so many stars, and more people will only become role players in the future.
Like the 1984 draft, historical giants such as Olajuwon, Jordan, and Barkley emerged, the 1996 golden generation of Iverson, Kobe, Nash, etc., and the 2003 platinum generation of James, Wade, and Anthony. Leading, etc. are countless. In fact, looking at the drafts of previous years, the 2018 draft can be said to be a big draft year. Many young people who have emerged are already the mainstays in the league today.
For example, the current popular NBA player: Alexander. But as strong as Alexander, he was only ranked 11th in the first round in the 2018 draft. This is completely inconsistent with his current performance and he should move forward. Today let us re-rank the 2018 draft and see what their picks will be?
Fifth pick: Brunson (original 33rd pick)
Brunson's draft pick was the third pick in the second round. People once jokingly called him the "second round pick", but he was 22 years old at the time. In the draft he participated in, he was considered an older rookie in the NBA. In addition, he was only 188cm tall, so he was considered a short guard. People expected this older, short guard to be selected in the second round, so that person at that time The pick was also in line with his expectations.
In the early days of his career, Brunson played more as a substitute. Finally in the 2022 playoffs, Brunson proved himself. As an assistant to Doncic, he averaged 21.6 points per game, and also had After a brilliant performance of 41 points in a single game, he reached the Western Conference Finals. Brunson, who played brilliantly, chose to go to the Knicks this offseason and got a big contract. In the 22-23 season, he averaged 24 points, 6.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. He is the core of the team and, together with Randall, forms the solid core of the Knicks. In the current 23-24 season, Brunson can already take charge of his own game, averaging 25.8 points, 6.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. All statistics are career highs. Now, he is ranked fifth overall, and there is no problem at all.
Fourth pick: Jaren Jackson Jr. (original 4th pick)
As a center, Jackson’s center position was second only to Ayton in the 2018 draft. He is one of the few players in this draft who relies on defense. A player who started his career, Jaren is now an indispensable defensive player in the Grizzlies lineup. He won the block title twice in a row in 2022 and 23, and successfully won the honor of the best defensive player in 2023. His defensive ability is extremely high. Strong and excellent wingspan can help him have a huge defensive area on the court. If he wants to get out of his contract, then I think there will be a lot of teams waiting for him. In the 23-24 season, he averaged 21.3 points and 1.7 blocks per game. The fourth pick in the draft at that time was worthy of his name.
The third pick: Trae Young (formerly the fifth overall pick)
In the 2018 draft, a player with technical characteristics similar to Curry emerged out of the blue. He was Trae Young. His unsolvable three-pointers in college also attracted the Eagles. Trae Young eventually moved to the Hawks after being selected by the Mavericks with the fifth overall pick. Trae Young started his NBA career in this way. He started all games in his rookie season and averaged 19.1 points per game. His performance was quite good. Yes, in the 19-20 season, Trae Young really showed off his talents. His scoring average soared to 29.6 points per game, and he also recorded 9.3 assists. This season, he was also successfully selected to the All-Star team. In the 20-21 season It was the peak period of Trae Young leading the team. In this season, Trae Young led the team back to the Eastern Conference Finals after many years. Although they lost to the Bucks, the future of this young guard is bright.
Second place: Alexander (original 11th overall pick)
Alexander's progress can be said to be rapid. Since learning from Paul for a season in the 19-20 season, Alexander seems to have been reborn, and his average points per game continue to rise. At 22- In the 23 season, Alexander has already averaged 31.4 points, 5.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game, becoming a strong contender for the scoring title. In the new season, Alexander averages 31.5 points per game and is also a good defender, averaging 2.4 times per game. Steals, leading by a cliff. In this season, Alexander led the Thunder to rise and ranked at the forefront of the Western Conference. He was also hailed as the man who would take over the banner of the Thunder's third young master. At present, he has this strength and is only missing Proven himself in the playoffs.
No. 1 pick: Doncic (formerly No. 3)
Doncic is undoubtedly the No. 1 pick in this draft. In his first season, Doncic showed his uniqueness. Averaged 21+6+7, overtaking Ayton, the No. 1 pick in the same session, to become the best rookie. He has a maturity that does not match his age. As a young man, he has very experienced court experience. He is extremely mature and has a strong core with the ball. His style of play also helps the Mavericks remain competitive in the Western Conference all year round. This season, he has averaged 33.6 points, 9.1 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game. His performance is quite comprehensive, and he is a strong contender for the scoring title. So far in his career , Doncic has been selected to the All-Stars 4 times and led the team to the Western Conference Finals once. He is still young. Doncic still has the opportunity to continue to prove himself. He is also a well-deserved No. 1 pick in the draft rearrangement. There is no suspense.
In fact, after the rearrangement, the original No. 1 pick in this draft, Ayton, was not ranked at all. Now Ayton has been labeled as "soft". Although he is very talented, he beat everyone in the draft to become the No. 1 pick. However, his career has shown a trend of starting high and going low, which makes him embarrassed. Now he is in the Trail Blazers, which is just a double-double machine.
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