NBA Draft Big Board: Final rankings of top 60 prospects from 2018 draft class

Chris Stone

NBA Draft Big Board: Final rankings of top 60 prospects from 2018 draft class image

The 2018 NBA Draft is just days away, which means it’s time to lock in a final set of prospect rankings.

There have been a few last-minute revisions to the Big Board released last week based on additional scouting. Overall, this group feels strong. Sure, the prospects at the top of the class have their warts, but any of the top 12 would be worthy of a top eight selection.

This class also has plenty of depth. It has the potential to bring NBA value into the 40s with a number of prospects in the middle of the class projected to play the wing, a position of significant need in the modern NBA. The margins between prospects ranked 26 to almost 50, in general, are thin.

A few notes on some of the prospects this Big Board differs on relative to others...

Players this board is high on relative to consensus:

Jaren Jackson (No. 2) — Jackson holds value as a switchable center who is also an elite rim protector. He is generally thought of as a 3-and-D prospect, but his upside is much higher.

Jackson has an underrated handle, is capable of attacking closeouts and even flashed some passing vision. As an 18-year-old, his freshman season compared statistically, per KenPom, to four starting NBA centers: Myles Turner, Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid and Steven Adams. Pretty good. That’s a prospect I’m willing to bet on.

Trae Young (No. 4) — Let’s just put this out there now. Trae Young is not Stephen Curry. That’s OK, though.

Young is the best shooter in this class when you factor in his ability to consistently knock down long range 3-pointers off the dribble. He is also its second-best passer. There are very reasonable defensive concerns about Young, but his offensive skill set has the potential to be elite. He just needs to be slightly below average on defense to be great.

Given the importance of primary creators in the modern NBA, Young’s worth the risk.

Zhaire Smith (No. 8) and De’Anthony Melton (No. 13) — I wrote a more in-depth feature on these two prospects last week. Both are young for their class, possess excellent basketball IQ indicators and compare favorably to some prior breakout players as prospects. They likely won’t travel the same path as those they’re compared to, but they have underrated upside.  

Players this board is low on relative to consensus:

Deandre Ayton (No. 5) — Ayton appears set to be the No. 1 pick on Thursday night, but he’s not the top prospect on this board. I’ve espoused my concerns about the 7-footer previously. In short, Ayton projects to be a 20-and-10 NBA center, but his ability to impact winning, particularly on the defensive end, remains a question mark.

Mohamed Bamba (No. 12) — From reworking his jump shot mechanics to impressing in interviews, Bamba has been climbing draft boards during the pre-draft process. Although the physical tools are impressive, it’s hard for me to buy into Bamba as a prospect.

If he doesn’t shoot it, there aren’t many paths for him to create offensive value. He was a mediocre screener and roller at Texas and possesses few post moves. Defensively, his rim protection is high level, but his instincts aren’t great, and he’s not a switchable big. This could prove too low if he hits his ceiling outcome, but the likelihood of that feels low.

Collin Sexton (No. 20) — Sexton’s toughness and competitiveness are second to none in this class, but his on-court production as a college freshman was concerning. His lack of steals and mediocre assist-to-turnover ratio are suggestive of subpar on-court feel.

There are prospects who have succeeded with poor numbers there as freshman — Eric Bledsoe, Isaiah Thomas and Spencer Dinwiddie, for example — but generally speaking, prospects with similar numbers have struggled in the league.

Second-rounders worth highlighting:

Landry Shamet (No. 33) — Shamet took a hit for worse than expected measurements at the combine, but he’s still a good prospect. He’s a career 43.7 percent 3-point shooter on 364 attempts, possesses an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio and can play on the ball or off it. He should be able to contribute to winning at the next level.

Jevon Carter (No. 39) — Carter is an elite defender at the point of attack and possesses the physical strength to translate to the NBA right away. He’s worked hard to turn himself into an NBA prospect, becoming a better than 38.0 percent 3-point shooter in his final two college seasons. The West Virginia guard projects to fill a role similar to Patrick Beverley in the NBA.

Gary Clark (No. 43) — At 6-7, Clark projects as a high-end team defender. He averaged 2.0 steals and 1.7 blocks per 40 minutes as a senior at Cincinnati. Although he needs to develop a consistent jump shot, his success in draft models based on prospects’ past outcomes is another reason worth betting on him.

Now, here’s the final Big Board. These are my top 60 prospects heading into Thursday night’s draft etched in stone...

Rank Player Team Pos. Height Weight Age
1. Luka Doncic Real Madrid G 6-7 218 19.3
2. Jaren Jackson Michigan State PF/C 6-11 236 18.8
3. Marvin Bagley Duke PF/C 6-11 234 19.3
4. Trae Young Oklahoma PG 6-2 178 19.8
5. Deandre Ayton Arizona C 7-1 260 19.9
6. Michael Porter Jr. Missouri SF/PF 6-11 211 20.0
7. Miles Bridges Michigan State SF/PF 6-7 220 20.3
8. Zhaire Smith Texas Tech SG 6-4 199 19.0
9. Mikal Bridges Villanova SG/SF 6-7 210 21.8
10. Wendell Carter Duke PF/C 6-10 251 19.2
11. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Kentucky PG/SG 6-6 180 19.9
12. Mohamed Bamba Texas C 7-1 226 20.1
13. De'Anthony Melton USC SG 6-3 193 20.1
14. Kevin Knox Kentucky SF/PF 6-9 213 18.9
15. Robert Williams Texas A&M C 6-10 240 20.7
16. Lonnie Walker Miami SG 6-5 196 19.5
17. Kevin Huerter Maryland SG/SF 6-7 194 19.8
18. Troy Brown Oregon SG/SF 6-7 208 18.9
19. Elie Okobo Pau-Orthez PG/SG 6-2 180 20.7
20. Collin Sexton Alabama PG 6-2 183 19.5
21. Josh Okogie Georgia Tech SG/SF 6-4 213 19.8
22. Melvin Frazier Tulane SG/SF 6-6 200 21.8
23. Dzanan Musa Cedevita SF 6-9 195 19.1
24. Jacob Evans Cincinnati SG/SF 6-6 210 21.0
25. Keita Bates-Diop Ohio State SF/PF 6-7 235 22.4
26. Chandler Hutchison Boise State SF 6-7 197 22.2
27. Mitchell Robinson N/A C 7-0 223 20.2
28. Jerome Robinson Boston College PG 6-5 191 21.3
29. Khyri Thomas Creighton SG 6-3 210 22.1
30. Shake Milton SMU PG/SG 6-6 205 21.7
31. Bruce Brown Jr. Miami PG/SG 6-5 190 21.9
32. Jalen Brunson Villanova PG 6-2 190 21.8
33. Landry Shamet Wichita State PG/SG 6-4 180 21.3
34. Donte DiVincenzo Villanova SG 6-5 200 21.4
35. Aaron Holiday UCLA PG 6-1 185 21.7
36. Anfernee Simons IMG Academy PG/SG 6-4 180 19.0
37. Devonte' Graham Kansas PG 6-2 185 23.3
38. Moritz Wagner Michigan C 6-11 242 21.2
39. Jevon Carter West Virginia PG 6-2 205 22.8
40. Gary Trent Jr. Duke SG 6-6 204 19.4
41. Kevin Hervey UT Arlington SF 6-7 230 22.0
42. Kenrich Williams TCU PF 6-7 200 23.6
43. Gary Clark Cincinnati PF 6-8 230 23.6
44. Grayson Allen Duke SG 6-5 205 22.7
45. Trevon Duval Duke PG 6-3 186 19.9
46. Rodions Kurucs Barcelona SG/SF 6-9 220 20.4
47. Omari Spellman Villanova C 6-9 254 20.9
48. Chimezie Metu USC PF/C 6-11 225 21.3
49. Rawle Alkins Arizona SG/SF 6-5 220 20.6
50. Devon Hall Virginia SG 6-6 204 23.0
51. Jarred Vanderbilt Kentucky SF/PF 6-9 214 19.2
52. Hamidou Diallo Kentucky SG 6-5 198 19.9
53. Ray Spalding Louisville PF/C 6-10 215 21.3
54. Justin Jackson Maryland SF/PF 6-7 225 21.3
55. Isaac Bonga Frankfurt SF 6-9 200 18.6
56. Tony Carr Penn State PG 6-5 204 20.7
57. Svi Mykhailiuk Kansas SG/SF 6-8 205 21.0
58. Malik Newman Kansas SG 6-3 189 21.3
59. Alize Johnson Missouri State PF 6-8 217 22.2
60. Vince Edwards Purdue PF 6-8 225 22.2

Chris Stone