The 2018 draft will take place next week in Brooklyn. But how has the class fared before? SPOX looks at the seasons of all first round picks as well as some surprises and also at the performances of Daniel Theis and Maxi Kleber. In part 1, all first round picks that did not make it into the top 10 as well as some highlights of the second round are illuminated. The second part will be released with the Top 10 and the Germans on Friday.
So now he’s back after all. The mysterious shoulder injury has left Fultz behind and showed some good signs in the final spurt of the season. He knows how to make room for himself and his jumpers with his moves, even if he doesn’t fall regularly. Fultz is aggressive, attacks the basket and already showed his qualities as a floor general. For the coming season, however, he must work on his litter in order to be more than a banker.
Playoff bonus: In the postseason Fultz didn’t play a role anymore, the stage was a bit too big after the few matches in the regular season. Instead, T.J. McConnell took over the role of Ben Simmons’ backup completely.
The No.6 pick fought with numerous injuries and only managed to re-establish itself in rotation towards the end of the season. But what he offered was quite promising. Especially defensively, his game is full of potential. He already knows very well how to use his athletics, especially if he already seems beaten. In time it should become the anchor of the Magic-Defense. Offensive is also a lot of leeway, it’s a good sign that he dares and takes the long jumpers. He could make a huge jump next year if he stays fit.
It was an up and down with Frankie Smokes. Defensively he already set his scent mark as a chain dog against Kyrie Irving, but as a playmaker there is still a lot missing. Especially in ball handling and pick’n’roll, the Frenchman has to improve significantly to be able to play on the one. Most recently, he was employed by coach Jeff Hornacek primarily as off-guard. But: Nitlikina is still damn young. He is not a bust for a long time, even though Ntilikina may never become more than a good role-player on the offensive. He’s already more defensive than that.
After an extremely bumpy start, Collins was able to establish himself in the rotation of the blazers. Mostly he was used as Power Forward next to Ed Davis and could prove so several times his good little hand from the distance. It was also a bit surprising that Collins did very well defensively and was already acting as a ring protector. With his lateral mobility, the Big was able to keep even smaller players in front of him more often. After the draft, he was predicted to have some bust-potential, which Collins has so far been able to refute.
Playoff bonus: In the sweep against New Orleans he had an average of 20 minutes and did a good job as a floor spacer. In game 2 even 12 points and 5 rebounds jumped out.
In the end, coach Steve Clifford let his rookie off the leash after all. Previously, Monk stewed almost exclusively on the bench because he was defensively simply too weak. This had not changed at the end of the season, but Monk was now able to do what he does best: Throw the ball on the basket. The Shooting Guard played more than 20 points in April and proved that it could be a microwave from the bank in the next season. In addition to his defense, however, he must urgently improve his decision making in pick’n’roll, where he is still acting too incorrectly.
That he was bred before Donovan Mitchell is extremely unfortunate for him, but Kennard improved steadily over the course of the season and was one of the few bright spots of a messed-up Piston season. The ex-Dukie is not only a strong shooter, but also indicated qualities as a secondary ball handler. Even as a defender he always presented himself poisonous within the scope of his possibilities. Kennard no longer becomes a franchise player, but he can definitely be used as a solid roleplayer.
A good pick for the Heat. Adebayo surprised some with a soft hand after not taking a single threesome in college. This allowed coach Erik Spoelstra to put Adebayo on the four. Bam is also standing behind his husband with his unbelievably good physical conditions. Whether center-edge or small guard – Adebayo can be very unpleasant as an opponent. It is no coincidence that Spo often ordered Bam to the field instead of Whiteside during crunchtime.
Playoff bonus: There was very little of that in the series with Philly, but Spoelstra was still working on his Big Men rotation. Adebayo held against Joel Embiid several times, but he was not a big factor, also because he was extremely weak at the free-throw line (3/14 FT).
Page 1: The Lottery Picks outside the Top 10
Page 2: The further first round picks
Page 3: The best second round picks
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