NBA: A way-too-early redrafting of the 2017 lottery picks

1. Philadelphia 76ers – Jayson Tatum

If I would have done this redraft at the start of the season, I probably would have picked Donovan Mitchell first. And perhaps it’s recency bias, but the way Jayson Tatum played the last month before the NBA suspended play lands him the top spot.

Carrying his highest usage rate of the season, Tatum racked up averages of 30-8-3 in February while also scoring at his most efficient rate of 2019-2020. Not to mention his defense, which also saw a season-best defensive rating in the same month.

Tatum’s Player Impact Plus-Minus (4.38) is also the ninth-best in the NBA this season and the highest among his fellow 2017 draft alumni. Numbers don’t always tell the full story, but Tatum’s numbers match what you see on the screen when you flip on a Celtics game. And when the numbers and your eyes tell you the same thing, it’s pretty easy – Tatum is the best player in the 2017 class.

Side note: can you imagine a Tatum/Simmons/Embiid led Philadelphia 76ers team? A truly great “what if?” for Sixers fans.