There were "Welcome the NBA, rookie" moments Wednesday for the top of the 2017 draft class, as well as an on-court welcome to a player who had to sit out his first pro season because of injury/process.
On the whole, the 2017 top-10 draft picks who were in action represented themselves well. A quick video review:
Sixers guard Markelle Fultz (No. 1 overall; 10 points vs. the Wizards):
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Suns forward Josh Jackson (No. 4; 11 points vs. the Trail Blazers):
Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (No. 5; 14 points, five assists vs. the Rockets):
Magic forward Jonathan Isaac (No. 6; seven points, four rebounds vs. the Heat):
Mavericks guard Dennis Smith (No. 9; 16 points, 10 assists vs. the Hawks):
Trail Blazers forward-center Zach Collins (No. 10) did not play.
In addition to those newcomers, Sixers point/wing/unicorn Ben Simmons (No. 1 in 2016) finally got onto the court after missing all of the 2016-17 campaign. He was pretty good; 18-10-5 (points-rebounds-assists) good, to be exact.
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Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (No. 3) has already played twice; Tuesday in Cleveland and Wednesday at home vs. the Bucks. He's averaging 11.0 points and 9.5 rebounds.
Also yet to debut: Lakers guard Lonzo Ball (No. 2); Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen (No. 7); and Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina (No. 8). Their teams open Thursday.
