James Gordon
We saw a few trades happen at the tail end of the 2017 NBA Draft, and a few players have been dropping big names on social media like the 2017 and 2018 drafts hold a similar number of potential superstars. Now, who would win?
This year’s draft class was one of the best in recent memory, and one of the deepest. The strength came from a handful of players at the top of the board who were viewed as safe picks. While we don’t know what the future holds for these players, it’s clear that they’ll have a chance to wow at the next level. But how will they compare with the 2018 class? The 2017 class has some key differences. The 2018 class isn’t as strong at the top, but there are some names that will be talked about for years to come.
The 2018 Major League Baseball draft is over, and we can now start to evaluate who the best players were this year. It only took about a day to get through the 2018 draft and the results were staggering. In fact, it took less time to finish the first round of the 2018 MLB draft than it did to get through the entire 2017 MLB draft. Brock Holt, Mike Soroka, and Matt Thaiss, all 2018 picks, are the only three players from this year’s first round who are still in the big leagues. (The most recent to do so was Kolten Wong.) For the 2017 draft, about 50% of all players are still playing in the big leagues. For the 2018 draft,. Read more about 2017 2018 nba draft and let us know what you think.
Most lottery selections increase in value over the course of two to three years. When a draft selection encounters a new style of play, their youth makes it a learning opportunity for them. Many of the younger talents from the 2017 and 2018 draft classes are beginning to show their real potential as the 2020-2021 season draws to a close. These courses, based on what we’ve seen, could be talked about for years.
It would seem like an All-Star Game if these two classes played an exhibition game. Four of our ten players, five starters for each side, have been named All-Stars, while the other six are on the verge of earning their first mention in the coming years. Nine of the ten draft selections have played in the playoffs, and five have played in the Conference or NBA Finals.
The two teams have a number of great players in this game. Let’s look at who would win between the All-2017 and All-2018 draft teams in more detail.
De’Aaron Fox, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, John Collins, and Bam Adebayo are all members of the 2017 Draft Class.
De’Aaron Fox, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, John Collins, and Bam Adebayo are all members of the 2017 Draft Class.
Trae Young vs. De’Aaron Fox
The point guard position pits speed against shooting ability. Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox, a member of the 2017 season, is the league’s quickest player. He is coming off a season in which he averaged 25.2 points on 47.7% shooting. Fox is one of the finest when it comes to going inside the lane and completing.
Young is coming off a season in which he led the Atlanta Hawks to their first Conference Finals victory since the club relocated to Atlanta in 1968-1969. Young has had two outstanding seasons, averaging 29.6 points and 9.3 assists in his lone All-Star selection last season and 25.3 points and 9.4 assists the following season. Both guards aren’t great outside shooters, but they offer a unique kind of lane finishing that will be shown for the next decade.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Donovan Mitchell
Despite being overlooked for All-NBA honors, Donovan Mitchell was the leading scorer for a Utah Jazz team that won the Western Conference’s top seed last season. Mitchell had a career-high scoring average of 26.4 points per game. Mitchell has been compared to Dwyane Wade and has averaged over 20.0 points per game in each of his four seasons with the Jazz.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just finished his first season as the starter. He played a key role in the Paul George deal that brought him to Oklahoma City. He had a career year, averaging 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. This is aided by a 50.8 percent field-goal percentage and a 41.8 percent three-point shooting percentage.
Luka Doncic vs. Jayson Tatum
You’re looking at the top and second-best overall players in this matchup when it comes to overall star power from these two drafts. Starting with Tatum, he is the No. 2 overall pick in both drafts. In his short career, Tatum has showed glimpses of Kevin Durant. Tatum has been a member of two Celtics teams that have advanced to the Conference Finals in the last four seasons. Tatum has two All-Star selections under his belt, with a career-high 26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.2 steals last season.
Doncic, who is just 22 years old, has accomplished amazing feats. Doncic already holds the club record for triple-doubles with the Dallas Mavericks. Since the days of Oscar Robertson, we’ve had to wait 56 years for Russell Westbrook to average a triple-double in a season. Doncic has a 25.7 point, 8.4 rebound, and 7.7 assist average throughout his career. Doncic will very certainly shatter Westbrook’s all-time triple-double record when all is said and done.
Michael Porter Jr. vs. John Collins
There are no All-Stars at power forward, but both of these guys are on the verge of earning their chance. Collins is one of the league’s most underappreciated players, and he proved it in the Conference Finals. Collins is coming off a season in which he scored 17.6 points per game and grabbed 7.4 rebounds per game. In each of his four seasons with the Hawks, he has shot above 50%.
Porter Jr. had his first season in the league as a healthy player in his third season. We’ve finally seen what he’s capable of when he’s at his best, and it’s really remarkable. Porter shot 54.2 percent from the floor and averaged 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Many many projected Porter as the No. 1 overall selection before he was injured in college and throughout his first season. Those abilities are finally maturing.
Deandre Ayton vs. Bam Adebayo
Deandre Ayton vs. Bam Adebayo
In three seasons with the Heat, Ayton has averaged 16.0 points and 10.6 rebounds. While his offensive scoring was at an all-time low this season, it was aided by the additions of Chris Paul and Jae Crowder. Defensively, Ayton had one of his finest seasons, becoming into a rim protector. His 3.1 defensive win shares were more than twice what he had in the previous two seasons.
Advantages of the 2017 Draft Class
When you have three guys on your squad who average 25.0 points per game, it definitely helps. Given that John Collins averaged over 21.0 points per game last season, we might technically claim that the club had four 20-point scorers. This squad is one of the greatest within the arc because of the offensive effectiveness of Fox, Mitchell, Tatum, and Collins.
Adebayo is a two-way player who is as good as they come defensively. Every night, he’ll give you a double-double with a side of hustle plays that matter. Overall, if these ten players were awarded a “Hustle Award,” Adebayo would be the winner. His intangibles and intensity make him a game-changing player.
Advantages of Every Draft Class in 2018
If the game was tight, you had two players in Young and Doncic who are the league’s most clutch young superstars. Young possesses a lethal floater that is almost difficult to defend. Doncic has the ability to score inside, outside, and at the free-throw line. In his first three seasons in the league, we’ve seen him hit a slew of game-winning jumpers.
Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t the best choice, but he has to play in OKC. He excelled as a role player when he was paired with veterans like Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder. As the No. 3 scoring option, he would flourish in this lineup. Ayton’s defensive improvement enables him to equal Adebayo’s 3.2 defensive win shares from last season, making him a valuable asset on the opposite side of the floor.
Who Do You Think Would Win?
Let’s take a look at the star power since this is such a tight game. Tatum and Doncic may be able to go shot-for-shot with each other. While Doncic has better stats, Tatum’s statistics are almost identical to Doncic’s, making this contest essentially a wash. John Collins and Michael Porter Jr. fall under the same category. Both games feature a game that is quite similar to one another. Although Porter has a greater ceiling, Collins has done so on a more consistent basis.
Because of how similar Adebayo and Ayton are right now, the argument between them is fascinating. Although Ayton has a better total field goal percentage (62.5%), Adebayo shoots the ball two more times each game. Even though it’s just two extra shots, they pile up, and Adebayo converts 57% of the time. Their defensive win shares are 0.1 indifferent, making this one of the most evenly matched seasons in history.
Mitchell can play back-to-back with Trae Young as the two-guard. Mitchell has a 46-point game on his resume, while Young has a 50-point game. When it comes to total field goal % and three-point field goal percentage, they are nearly identical.
Fox and Gilgeous-Alexander are the last two players on the roster. Although Fox has the higher career statistics, he also has one more year of experience. Some of those statistics are exaggerated since Fox played for a poor Kings club that never reached the playoffs. When it comes to advanced statistics, the figures are almost identical. Fox scored 34.4 points per 100 possessions compared to 33.3 for Gilgeous-Alexander, and Fox had a 3.4 win share compared to SGA’s 2.7.
For this reason, 2018 gets the nod in the end. Young and Doncic are the league’s two most exciting offensive talents. Who in 2017 will be able to slow down and convert both of those guys’ usual offensive numbers? Mitchell is much too unpredictable, while Tatum has space to improve in a pinch. In crunch time, both Young and Doncic connect. This game would be tight, with 2018 perhaps winning 115-11, but in the end, their two young superstars would carry them in the fourth quarter.
As the NBA seeks to expand globally, it can be hard to separate American culture from that of the rest of the world. The NBA Finals have been a staple of American culture for decades, and the NBA Draft has been as well, with a little something for everyone. Because the NBA Draft has such a strong cultural following, the two rounds of the draft each generate a lot of interest. The 2017 and 2018 versions of the NBA Draft are no different.. Read more about how many draft picks in nfl and let us know what you think.
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James Gordon
