2018 NBA Draft Do-Over
At HoopObsession.com it is a habit to re-select the NBA Draft five-to-six years after it took place. The 2018 Draft offered tremendous depth with 57 of the 60 picks actually logging minutes in the NBA. Even at the the six-year milestone, there are players that are still ascending (Jalen Brunson, Anfernee Simons, Donte DiVincenzo) while others seem to have peaked (Kevin Knox) or at minimum, plateaued (DeAndre Ayton). To date, the class of 2018 has produced five players that have been NBA All-Star selections, and four that are All-NBA performers.
Luka Doncic should have been the first pick in 2018.
So without anymore delay... Our subjective, but data-informed, Hoop Obsession do-over of the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft...
Pick Player Position Drafted in 2018 Notes 1 Luka Doncic 3 Doncic is pretty clearly the best player in the class six years later. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, and a five-time All-NBA First Team performer. He led the NBA in scoring in 2023-24. 2 Shai Gilgeous- Alexander 11 SGA is a two-time All-Star that has been named First Team All-NBA the last two seasons. After his rookie season, the Clippers traded him to OKC along with Danilo Gallinari, and five first round draft picks (plus two pick swaps) for Paul George. 3 Jalen Brunson 33 Still ascending, Brunson was a 2024 NBA All-Star. His emergence as the leader of the Knicks has been good for New York City. In hindsight, Brunson going 33rd was the best pick of the 2018 Draft. 4 Trae Young 5 Young has compiled some great numbers. He has made the All-Star team three times. 5 Mikal Bridges 10 Mikal Bridges made the NBA All-Defensive Team in 2021-22. He is a durable player that has led the NBA in minutes played twice. 6 Jaren Jackson Jr. 4 Jackson was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2022-23. He made the All-Star team that season as well. 7 DeAndre Ayton 1 Ayton ranks fourth in the class in total production but how he is viewed as a player has changed in the last two seasons. He is now in Portland, where they just drafted a Center. Ayton could use a big season to restore his standing as a good starting BIG in the NBA. 8 Michael Porter Jr. 14 He doesn't have the total production that some behind him on this list have but MPJ played a vital role on the Nuggets 2023 championship team. 9 Miles Bridges 12 Miles Bridges is coming off of a season where he averaged 21 points and 7.3 rebounds. His 55% 2-pt. FG% ranks in the top-50 all-time in the NBA. 10 Collin Sexton 8 Sexton ranked fourth in two-guard Hoop Obsession Calculation (HOC) in 2023-24. He averaged 18.7 points, and 4.9 assists. He remains an underrated, under-appreciated player. 11 Wendell Carter Jr. 7 Carter defines "Hall of Solid". He averaged 11 points and 6.9 rebounds in 2023-24.
12 Anfernee Simons 24 Simons is still rising. He put up a career-best 22.6 points per game last season. 13 Kevin Huerter 19 Huerter has a career 38% three-point field goal percentage. He will be coming back from a torn left labrum. 14 Mitchell Robinson 36 Robinson led the NBA in FG% in 2019-20 shooting 74.2% FG. 15 Bruce Brown 42 Brown was a crucial role player for the NBA Champion Denver Nuggets in 2023. 16 Donte DiVincenzo 17 Another player that has yet to peak, DiVincenzo is coming off his best season to date. He scored a career-best 15.5 points per game for the Knicks. 17 Gary Trent Jr. 37 Trent is a dependable shooter with a career 38.6% 3-pt. FG%. 18 Marvin Bagley 2 Bagley finished last season on a high note with the Wizards. He shot a career-best 39.1% from three-point land. 19 Grayson Allen 21 Allen averaged a career-high 13.5 points per game last season. 20 De'Anthony Melton 46 Melton has made a career out of being a tough defender. He put up a career-best 11.1 points per game in 2023-24. 21 Duncan Robinson Not Drafted Robinson has helped the Heat get to two NBA Finals. He is the most accomplished of the 2018 undrafted players. 22 Devonte Graham 34 Graham peaked as a sophomore in the NBA. He scored just 5 points per game last season for the Spurs. 23 Moritz Wagner 25 Moe Wagner just re-upped with the Orlando Magic. He finished eighth in NBA FG% last season. 24 Mo Bamba 6 Bamba has career averages of 7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocked shots per game. 25 Robert Williams 27 Williams will try to return from a torn ligament in his right knee after he sustained a patellar dislocation. He was named 2nd Team NBA All-Defense in 2021-22. 26 Jarred Vanderbilt 41 Vanderbilt is on his fourth team. Despite deep-shooting woes, he adds value with his vision as a big forward. 27 Drew Eubanks Not Drafted Eubanks was just added to the Utah Jazz roster. 28 Kenrich Williams Not Drafted Williams is a role player that averaged 14.9 minutes last season for the Thunder. 29 Jae'Sean Tate Not Drafted Tate is hanging on in Houston. He peaked in 2021-22, averaging 11.8 points per game. 30 Landry Shamet 26 Shamet averaged over 10 points per game with the Clippers as a rookie, but he hasn't done that since.