2018 NBA Draft Top Five Pick Projections

By: Hinton Weston

Posted 6/21/18 8:00 AM

The NBA Draft has always been quite unpredictable and as we approach this year’s draft, there are quite a number of question marks surrounding the top 5 picks. Allow me to clear the air on what will happen this Thursday at 7 pm ET. Deandre Ayton will most definitely go #1 overall to the Phoenix Suns. Adding Ayton to the young core of Devin Booker and Josh Jackson would be the final piece to redirect Phoenix’s stagnant rebuild onto the right path. Along with being 7’1 and around 250 pounds, Ayton is a freakish athlete with tremendous upside. Although he averaged 20.1 PPG and 11.6 RPG, many have pointed out he never really unlocked much of his potential which means he might be a work and progress to start out. While this is true, he should easily start Day 1 and be a potential All-Star after two years in the league. With the #2 overall pick, the Sacramento Kings will pick Luka Doncic, the 19 year old EuroLeague MVP. The skill set that Doncic brings to the table is arguably the best in the draft and if Phoenix did not already have Devin Booker, Doncic would’ve been the easy prediction. He brings all the scoring abilities Gordon Hayward possesses along with better court vision. He’s the most ideal player for Sacramento to start a rebuild around. Moving to the #3 pick, the Atlanta Hawks will go with the popular choice in Trae Young. The 6’2 point guard shares all the likenesses of a Steph Curry offensively as he lead the NCAA in points and assists per game, but not much so defensively. According to sources, he has worked on his body since declaring for the draft and gained around 11 pounds of muscle as a result and this may in turn lead to more physical defense. Lloyd Pierce, the new head coach in Atlanta, has expressed great interest in the young prospect taking Young’s workout into his own hands and even giving him some looks defensively. The Hawks would never draft Young this high, but from the sound of it, they might not hesitate to trade down and draft him. He would bring many fans to the games and might even attract the likes of big-time superstars. The Memphis Grizzlies will draft Michael Porter Jr. at #4 because it is the best pick for them as they need more depth at the forward positions. He has the height of some NBA bigs, but he would need a few years to grow in the weight room as he is only 215 pounds right now. His strengths consist of Scoring Versatility, Instincts, and All Around Potential. He would be a great addition to Memphis’ almost non-existent frontcourt. He has a long ways to go but Grizzlies fans could be looking at the next Paul George. With the fifth pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks will draft Michigan State’s Center Jaren Jackson Jr. who will fulfill their long-term needs at the 4 spot. He is a 3-and-D Big who plays with a lot of toughness defensively and has the potential to evolve into a Serge Ibaka or LaMarcus Aldridge type. He was the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year and has all the physical tools to be a 1st team All-NBA Defensive player given time and polish. His offensive game is limited right now, but as he has improved his shot mechanics there is no reason why he could not improve his footwork and spacing ability. Jackson stands at 6’11 with a 7’5 wingspan and has elite shot-blocking ability as he averaged 3 BPG last season. His only apparent weaknesses are his decision making skills. His turnover totals almost doubled his assist totals last season, but that’s not as much of a concern especially since he is a forward. Dallas will have to develop him but he has many of the tools already there so it may only be a matter of time. There are a few players who could sneak into this top 5 as the draft approaches and teams start to propose trades to move up and down, but as of right now this is the best prediction of the top 5 picks.