Last Thursday night, the 2017 NBA draft was held. 60 of the most exciting basketball prospects in the world were selected in two rounds. And, LeBron James himself had a motivating message for all of the hopeful, whether they were selected or not, posting it on his Uninterrupted video snippet platform.
.@KingJames has a special message for the 2017 #NBADraft class. pic.twitter.com/ppvOA78Ksh
— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) June 22, 2017
Ultimately, however, only 60 players total could be picked. And, while some were a virtual lock to be selected, like Malik Monk and Lonzo Ball, other lesser prospects were very nervous on their selection or lack thereof. Take a look at these projections, provided by My Top Sports Books:
The top 10 pick favorites, in order:
Markelle Fultz
Lonzo Ball
Jayson Tatum
Josh Jackson
De’Aaron Fox
Dennis Smith
Jonathan Isaac
Frank Ntilikina
Lauri Markkanen
Zach Collins
The actual top 10 picks on Draft Night:
Markelle Fultz
Lonzo Ball
Jayson Tatum
Josh Jackson
De’Aaron Fox
Jonathan Isaac
Lauri Markkanen
Frank Ntilikina
Dennis Smith
Zach Collins
By understanding team needs, they managed to match up their favorite with the actual picks seven out of 10 times. That’s pretty impressive.
There were possibilities that got many people excited and front offices thinking. For instances, many thought the Josh Jackson could end up on Boston instead of Tatum, but the Celtics preferred a shooter. Another scary thought was Phoenix possibly going down to De’Aaron Fox in order to create a young, dynamic backcourt with Devin Booker.
Some of the surprises included the Minnesota-Chicago trade, in which the Timberwolves selected Lauri Markkanen on behalf of the Bulls. In addition, SEC Player of the Year Dennis Smith was projected to be drafted as early as 6th, but the freakish scorer dropped to 9th. Kentucky Coach Calipari, who had three of his players selected in the lottery and now at least one for the last ten drafts, was surprised that New York didn’t bight on his scoring machine, Malik Monk. Somehow, however, the New York Knicks managed to keep face and meet their draft expectations with a 6’5” Point Guard built for the Triangle.
All in all, there weren’t too many surprises but the additions to these franchises will be placed under the world’s microscope this season. Let’s see who rises to meet the odds of Rookie of the Year, also provided via My Top Sports Books:
Ben Simmons (76ers): 9/2
Markelle Fultz (Washington): 9/1
Lonzo Ball (UCLA): 12/1
Josh Jackson (Kansas): 15/1
Malik Monk (Kentucky): 16/1
Who do you think will be the most sensational rookie in the Class of 2017?
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