NBA Draft 2018: 5 Biggest Winners
This year's NBA draft had its fair share of surprises, although the top 3 picks went according to the general consensus. The Phoenix Suns drafted Arizona Wildcat DeAndre Ayton with the #1 overall pick, the Kings took Marvin Bagley off the board at #2 and Luka Doncic went at #3. All 3 of them are players with the potential to be transcendent, difference-making stars for their franchises, and there was no way any of them would drop lower than this in the draft.
Also read: The Favorites to win NBA Rookie of The Year 2018-19
As expected, there were some winners in this draft and some losers. There were some steals, and some questionable picks (we're looking at you, New York Knicks) in both the lottery as well as later on in the draft.
All-in-all, though, most teams did a tremendous job scouting and picking up players who were a great fit for their franchise, in addition to having star potential of their own. The following 5 were our biggest winners on this draft, which could turn out to be one of the best in NBA history:
#1 The Phoenix Suns
It is quite difficult to mess up a #1 overall pick, but credit has to be given to the Phoenix Suns for making the right choice and getting a player who looks the part, walks the part and talks the part in DeAndre Ayton. The 7-foot, 243-pound center has a body carved by the basketball gods themselves, and his motor, athleticism and offensive repertoire should allow him to make an instant impact in the NBA.
Pre-draft, Ayton was quoted as saying that he could combine with Devin Booker to be a new iteration of the Kobe-Shaq combo that won 3 straight championships at the start of this century. Without getting ahead of ourselves, we can immediately see why that is actually within the realm of possibility.
If Ayton gets the hang of playing defense in the NBA within the confines of a true system, the sky is the limit for him. As well as the Phoenix Suns, who will look to put their own tanking process on the backburner now onwards.
It does not hurt them that they acquired probably the best 3-and-D prospect on the board in Mikal Bridges with a draft-night trade, and are now primed to put their best foot forward in the 2019 playoff race.