NBA: The 2018 draft class can go down as the greatest draft class in history

The 2018 NBA Draft class could go down as the best draft class in NBA history. 

With the 2021 NBA Draft now in the rear-view mirror, I thought it would be a fun idea to look back at prior drafts and see what players they produced. In that process, I came across the 2018 NBA draft, and my god, what a draft that was!

Here’s a list of the notable players selected in 2018 in no particular order: Luka Doncic, Trae Young, DeAndre Ayton, Shia Gilegoeus-Alexander, Michael Porter Jr, Mikal Bridges, Jaren Jackson Jr., Collin Sexton, and DeVonte Graham. Sheesshhhh!

That’s a lot of really good young players. And that’s not even mentioning guys like Jalen Brunson, Gary Trent Jr, Bruce Brown, Kevin Huerter, Shake Milton, Donte DiVincenzo, Miles Bridges, Robert Williams, and Mitchell Robinson who are all really solid role players.

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There are even guys like Marvin Bagley III, Mo Bamba, and Wendall Carter Jr who, despite not living up to their high draft selections due to injuries and poor opportunity, have each shown real promise.

Even though 2018 was only three years ago, I’m already willing to go on the record and say that the 2018 NBA draft has the potential to go down as the greatest draft in league history.

Before you go clicking off this article, hear me out for a second. Depending on who you talk to, the best NBA draft in league history is either the 1984 draft or the 2003 draft.

The 1984 draft featured arguably the greatest player ever in Micheal Jordan as well as hall of famers John Stockton, Charles Barkley, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Also, from that class were too overlooked players in Sam Perkins and Otis Thorpe.

Then there’s the 2003 draft which featured the other greatest player to ever play in LeBron James as well as Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, David West, Boris Diaw, Kyle Korver, and Kirk Hinrich.

Oh, and then there’s the 1996 draft, which I forgot to mention. If the person you’re talking to really knows their stuff, or is a big Kobe Bryant fan, then they might say this was the best draft ever. Kobe, Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Peja Stojakovic, Marcus Camby, Stephon Marbury, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jermaine O’Neal, and Derrick Fisher were all taken in ‘96.

Even knowing all of that, I’m still willing to say, again, that the 2018 draft will not only live up to those previous historic draft classes, but it also has the potential to go down as the greatest ever.

Let’s break it down.

The 2018 NBA Draft class

The main reason I think so highly of this draft is because of Luka Doncic.

Luka Legend, Luka the Don, El Matador, Too Easy, El Nino Maravilla, or just Luka, whatever you want to call him, he’s got it.

At just 22 years old, Luka is already one of the best players in the league. He’s certainly in the top 10 best players in the game right now and maybe even top 5. Through just three years in the league, Luka has won rookie of the year, has been selected to two All-Star games, and has made two All-NBA first teams. His career averages are 25.7 points, 8.4 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 52.7 percent shooting from the field, and 33.1 percent 3-point shooting. The Slovenian kid is a walking triple-double who can’t be stopped no matter who’s guarding him.

Then, in the playoffs, where the pressure dramatically increases, Luka gets even better. He just torched some of the best defenders in the league in back-to-back postseasons. Against the likes of Kawaii Leonard, Paul George, and Patrick Beverley, Luka has a playoff average of 33.5 points, 9.5 assists, and 8.2 rebounds, with a 56.6 percent effective field goal percentage and 39.2 percent shooting from 3.

No player in the history of the NBA has had three better first years, statistically, in the league than Luka Doncic. I have ZERO doubt that Luka will win multiple MVP awards and multiple titles throughout his career.

If his career continues down the arc that many believe it will, Luka will go down as one of the greatest to ever play the game, and one day he might even be seen as the GOAT. GASP! I know, it sounds crazy now, but with how good he already is at 22, it’s possible.

Luka alone will make the 2018 draft one of the more memorable drafts ever, but it’s the other guys taken that will make it the best ever.

The guy right below Luka, in the pecking order right now, and the player that will always be compared to Luka, is Trae Young.

Young will forever be linked to Luka because of the Atlanta Hawks’ infamous draft-day trade that sent Luka Doncic to Dallas in exchange for Trae Young and a 2019 first-round pick that turned into Cam Reddish. With that being said, even though the Hawks passed up on Luka, they did land a real star in Trae Young.

Young has put up some impressive numbers through his first three years in the league, but he really burst into stardom during these past playoffs.

Young led the Hawks all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals where they lost to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in six, and If it weren’t for a fluckly injury to Young’s ankle, maybe the Hawks, not the Bucks, would have moved on to the Finals.

The way Young just took over the Madison Square Garden and the Knicks, buried the 76ers in Philly, and led a team deep into the playoffs was just legendary stuff for a 22-year-old.

Now, I know people are saying these playoffs should have an asterisk on them because of all the injuries that happened to big stars like James Harden and Kawaii Leonard, but this does not apply to the Hawks.

They went through a perfectly healthy Knicks team, then a healthy Sixers team, and if it weren’t for the injuries they faced to Trae Young and DeAndre Hunter, we might be talking about a different champion.

With his incredible shooting and passing ability, and newfound leadership, there’s no reason to doubt that Young will be an all-star for many years to come. Hell, would it shock you two or three years from now if the Hawks were atop the Eastern Conference and Young was the favorite to win the MVP? It wouldn’t shock me. That’s how much confidence I have in this guy.

If he continues on his career trajectory, Young will be a hall-of-famer, and will just add to the legacy of this draft.

The other guy that really burst onto the scene during the playoffs was Deandre Ayton.

Ayton was the anchor to a really impressive Suns team that made it all the way to the Finals. He showed how he, more so than Rudy Gobert or Karl-Anthony Towns, is the new model big man in the NBA.

He’s got great touch around the rim, a solid post game, a clean jumper from mid-range and even from beyond the arc and he’s a reliable foul shooter. On the defensive end of the floor, he’s a very talented defender and rim protector (despite Giannis beating all over him in the Finals), he has a great basketball IQ and footwork.

In the playoffs, Ayton gave the reigning MVP, Nikola Jokic, all he could handle in the second round and despite Giannis having one of the best statistical Finals ever, Ayton did show signs of elite defense in spots against him.

At only 22, Ayton has serious all-star potential and the Suns have two legit young franchise cornerstones in Ayton and Devin Booker.

Another guy with real all-star potential is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

As a rookie with the Clippers, Shai was really good. He averaged 10.8. points, three assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game in 26.5 minutes per game as a starter for a playoff team. Then he got traded to Oklahoma City, which is where he really burst onto everyone’s radar.

In Oklahoma City, Shai has emerged as one of the best young guards in the league. The guys got it all. At 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, he can get his shot over just about anyone in the league.

Through his three years in the league, Shai has improved his scoring average every year, averaging an impressive 23.7 points per game last season. Also, under Chris Paul’s tutelage last season, Shai has really improved as a playmaker, rebounder, and leader.

Just watching Shia last season, you could tell that he’s got such a higher understanding of the game than just about anyone in the league. He’s so smooth with how he plays the game. He makes everything look so effortless.

Of course, Shai still has to improve as a defender, as a playmaker, and as a leader in order for the Thunder to get back into relevance, but Oklahoma City has a legit young rising star in Shai Gilegoeus-Alexander. That is if Sam Presti doesn’t trade him for more and more picks.

I’m confident that Shai will make multiple all-star appearances for whatever team he plays for throughout his career. I believe Shai can become a top two or three guy on a championship-contending team.

Another player from the 2018 draft with huge potential is Michael Porter Jr.

Porter came into the 2018 draft with major question marks. Well, nobody really questioned his talent, just his health.

During his one year at Missouri, Porter played in only three games before having back surgery. Concerns over his health caused Porter to drop the 14th pick where the Denver Nuggets took a gamble on him. What a deal it’s turned out to be for Denver.

Despite not playing during the 2018-19 season due to his back, in just two seasons Porter Jr. has Nuggets fans salivating over his future. At 6-foot-10, 218 pounds of all muscle, with one of the smoothest jumpers in the game, Porter is the most ideal player in today’s NBA.

He had a much improved second season in the league, averaging 19 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 64.6 percent effective field goal percentage and 44.5 percent shooting from 3.

The kid gets compared a lot to Tracey McGrady, and on the right night, Porter can look just as good as the hall of fame. But that’s the thing with Porter, one night he can look like a superstar, and the next you forget he’s out there. Porter has to become more consistent for the Nuggets to make the next step. He is the key to the Nuggets being a real Finals threat, to just being a playoff team that gets bounced in the first or second round.

The biggest question around Porter though is the same one scouts had when he entered the league: his health. If Porter can stay healthy throughout his career, and continue on his career trajectory, he will be an absolute superstar in the NBA for years to come.

Those five guys: Luka, Trae, Ayton, Shai, and Porter Jr, all have the potential to be selected to multiple all-star games and even, one day, make the hall-of-fame (they let anyone in the hall of fame these days, but it’s still the freakin hall of fame).

After those five we get into more of the role players taken in this draft, but, there are some really good role players that came out of this draft. In fact, in my opinion, some of these guys have the potential to be even more than role players, like Mikal Bridges.

Bridges, like his teammate Deandre Ayton, really shined under Chris Paul’s tutelage and in the playoffs. He went from guarding the LeBron James to Micheal Porter Jr. to Paul George to Khris Middleton throughout the playoffs and held his own. He’s a very talented defender at 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan. And as he gets older and matures his offensive game, he could develop into a real threat alongside Devin Booker and Ayton.

Another guy that could be more than just a role player is Jaren Jackson Jr. When healthy, triple J is a stud. But the thing is he is just never healthy. Throughout his young career, he’s shown flashes of all-star potential, but he’s just never been able to stay healthy for a full season. If he can ever stay healthy and really start to build some chemistry with Ja Morant, the young Grizzlies are going to be scary.

Then there’s DeVonte Graham who burst onto the NBA scene last year when Terry Rozier got hurt by averaging 18 points per game for a middle-of-the-road Charlotte Hornets squad. He was recently traded to the New Orleans Pelicans and will now have a chance to flourish next to Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson.

A player in a similar situation to Graham is Collin Sexton, another guy from the 2018 draft. Despite the hate from seemingly everywhere about his selfish play and lackluster defense, Sexton still averaged 24.3 points per game last season. To be fair, he did that for a terrible Cavs team. And he does play a somewhat selfish style of basketball. But I believe though that in the right system, with teammates that will actually hold him accountable for some of his bad decisions, Sexton can be a bucket off the bench for a contender.

Oh, and who could forget about Kevin Huerter who just stepped up in the biggest way possible by putting up 27 points in a Game 7 against the 76ers en route to the W. Don’t let his looks deceive you, the kid can hoop. He’s not just a 3-and-D player, he’s capable of putting the ball on the floor and creating his own shot, and finding teammates for open looks. Huerter will be a quality role player for 10-plus years in the league if he wants to.

There are so many more guys like Huerter from the 2018 draft that will just be really good role players for years down the line in the league like Gary Trent Jr, Donte DiVincenzo, Shake Milton, Wendall Carter Jr, Jalen Brunson, Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, Lonnie Walker, Miles Bridges, and Bruce Brown.

Last but not least, well, maybe least, are the “busts” from 2018. Surprisingly, there are really only two “busts”: Marvin Bagley and Mo Bomba.

I’m not sold on Bamba ever living up to being selected sixth in the draft. Maybe, he could develop into a modern Tyson Chandler type, who is just a rim protector on the defensive end and a good screener and lop threat, with the ability to sometimes space the floor and knock down some spot-up 3’s on the offensive. Sadly, I feel like Sheck Wes’ song “Mo Bamba” will end up being the career highlight for Mo Bamba. But, who knows, maybe all Bamba needs is a change of scenery.

He really hasn’t gotten an opportunity through his three years with the Orlando Magic. His career minutes per game average is 15.3, with his rookie season being the year he got the most minutes at 16.3. Maybe, all Bamba needs is an organization that is committed to developing him but actually giving him real minutes. That is if he can ever stay healthy.

The other guy, Marvin Bagley III, I’m more optimistic about.

Like Bamba, Bagley has struggled early on in his career with injuries. He’s experienced injuries to his hand, groin, calf, wrist, foot, thumb, knee, and back. That’s a lot for a 22-year-old. However, unlike Bamba, Bagley has been given more opportunity and has shown flashes of all-star potential. He is just too inconsistent, like many young players.

Also, Bagley hasn’t really gotten any better since entering the league. Looking at his basketball reference page, Bagley’s numbers through his first three years are almost identical. During his rookie year, he averaged 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in 25.3 minutes per night. During his second year, he was at 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in 25.7 minutes per game, and last season Bagley averaged 14.1 points and 7.4 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per game.

If Bagely doesn’t improve he will never live up to being taken second, over the likes of Luka and Trae, but he wouldn’t be a bust either. At 14 points and seven rebounds per game, with some nights looking like the next incarnation of Chris Bosh, Bagley can certainly be a key piece to a contending team.

From having the best 22-year-old basketball player ever in Luka Doncic to possible potential perennial all-stars in Trae Young, Michael Porter Jr, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Deandre Ayton, and quality role players like Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Gary Trent Jr, and many more, the 2018 draft is shaping up to be one of the best drafts in NBA history.

Don’t be surprised if decades from now, fans and NBA experts think of the 2018 draft as the best ever.