2018 NBA Draft: 5 mistakes that teams wish they could go back and change
With hindsight, any team would pick Luka Doncic at No. 1
Compared to the draft classes that came before and after, the 2018 NBA Draft class was one of the best out there in terms of the players available, with prospects like Luka Doncic and Trae Young. Unfortunately, this abundance of talent doesn't mean no mistakes were made by franchises.
With that in mind, here are the top 5 mistakes that franchises made during the 2018 NBA Draft.
2018 NBA Draft: 5 mistakes that teams wish they could go back and change
For this list, we will be looking at which prospect a franchise chose in the 2018 NBA Draft, and in doing so, how big of a prospect they passed up on in the process. The severity of the mistake will also depend on how well the player chosen developed, relative to the prospect that was ignored by the team.
#5 Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)
While many will argue Trae Young is an NBA superstar in his own right, which is true, the franchise's initial pick, Luka Doncic, far surpasses him.
While they were in close competition with each other, neck and neck even during their rookie year, Luka Doncic has now taken a leap that not a single soul in the NBA community expected. Doncic has become an MVP level player in just his second season. He has also become a stunning leader at 21 years of age, guiding his team to the 7th seed in a very stacked western conference.
While Trae Young is undoubtedly an awe-inspiring player, fans of the Atlanta Hawks wouldn't be blamed for thinking of what could've been, if the franchise hadn't traded Luka Doncic away on the night of the 2018 NBA Draft.
#4 LA Clippers (Jerome Robinson)
While Jerome Robinson has shown the potential to be a star in the league, the LA Clippers passed up on a far more talented prospect in Michael Porter Jr. during the 2018 NBA Draft.
Porter was later picked by the Denver Nuggets, and has slowly risen up the ranks to become a key player in the franchise's rotation. He expected to be part of their young core in the coming years.
Perhaps this whole situation came full circle when Michael Porter Jr. hit one of the most clutch shots of the tournament, with a hand in his face in Game 7 that ultimately sunk the LA Clippers in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.