The amount of young and talented players declaring for the NBA Draft has increased the past couple of years, while the ages have gone lower. This year’s lottery is a good example of it, as a record number of one-and-done players entered the league, mostly 20-years-old and below.
The class of 2018 will not have a shortage of talent as the likes of Marvin Bagley III, Michael Porter Jr. and DeAndre Ayton, among others, are all expected to make their way to the NBA, and forego their final three years of college eligibility by then. One scout even tweeted recently that there are seven legitimate number one prospects that could all be available to be drafted next year, easily making it one of the deepest pools of talent in NBA Draft history.
In my mind there are still 7 legit candidates to go #1 in 2018. Too early to say anyone is a lock. Bagley certainly makes things interesting
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) August 15, 2017
There’s also a possibility that others could emerge as top prospects as well, especially after they play a year in the NCAA, and even during the Draft Combine, where they can show off their skill set and impress scouts around the league. It won’t come as a surprise if many teams will look to strike deals, or find a way to move up the order, to make sure they have a chance of adding one of the projected early selections.
While the NBA is taking actions about teams tanking by sitting out their stars in different games throughout the season, there could still be more of those done next year, as the reward is higher than ever with the level of talent expected to be available. It will definitely be a good way for rebuilding franchises to add young guns who can be part of their future plans, and make their way back to contention much faster.
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