2017 NBA Re-Draft
With just about a month of the 2017–2018 season in the books, it feels like the right time to make sweeping generalizations about the rookies selected in the 2017 NBA Draft. I’m sure a few GMs are already kicking themselves for passing on a certain player, so let’s dive into what each team in the lottery would do if the draft happened today:
1. 76ers: Jayson Tatum — I’m still not entirely sure what Tatum’s ceiling is (meant neither as a positive or a negative), but it’s pretty clear that he will have a long and productive NBA career. We knew he had, arguably, the highest offensive floor of any 2017 draftee, but what has been especially impressive is his defense. Perhaps we wouldn’t be saying as much if he wasn’t playing for basketball savant Brad Stevens, but it’s hard to believe any team would pass up on him at number one overall if the draft was today. The 76ers might have a positional need at PG, but with Ben Simmons looking very much like a legitimate stud as point forward, surrounding him with a shooter still works.
2. Lakers: Dennis Smith Jr. — The Lakers originally selected Lonzo Ball with this pick; I’m not entirely out on Lonzo as a pro, but his shooting percentages have been downright atrocious in his first month in the league. With apologies to Lavar Ball, it feels like Dennis Smith might be a better fit in Hollywood than Lonzo. Even if everything about his first professional season screams “great stats, bad team,” Lonzo has been mediocre enough for me to pick DSJ here if the draft was today.
3. Celtics: Markelle Fultz — I honestly considered dropping Fultz completely out of this lottery redraft as he has barely played at all this season, but the more I thought about it the more I realized he might be perfect for the Celtics. Even after considering their trade for Kyrie Irving as well as the fact that they are in win-now mode, their glut of assets allows them to wait out Fultz’s injury rehab and reap the benefits of the prospect with perhaps the highest upside. As long as he fixes that god-awful free throw form, this could be an absolute steal.
4. Suns: Lonzo Ball — OK, a few lines up I basically trashed the Big Baller…but it’s not all bad. He continues to rebound the basketball (an underrated skill for a PG), and his court vision is clearly just as good as advertised. I’d be lying if I said his unorthodox shooting motion didn’t scare me, but his numbers parallel Jason Kidd’s rookie year almost perfectly. I get it, the NBA is a lot different today than it was in the mid-90s, but I won’t give up on Lonzo just yet. Throw in the fact that the Bledsoe-less Suns could use a young PG, and this pick makes too much sense.
5. Kings: De’Aaron Fox — At pick number 5, we get to the first team who might actually re-select the same player it took in the actual draft. His shooting has been just about as mediocre as expected, but his motor and playmaking skills have been just as good, if not better, than advertised. With plenty of time to develop on the relatively barren Sacramento roster, he could become a premier NBA point guard.
6. Magic: Jonathan Isaac — Spoiler alert, we might be on a run of teams re-selecting the same player they took in the actual draft. Isaac is a prospect that evaluators drool over. A nominal stretch-4 with legitimate 3-point range, the Seminole could legitimately develop into a superstar. Like many on this list, I’m skeptical he’ll ever reach that potential, but Orlando has plenty of time to see if he can (I’m not convinced their hot start is sustainable).
7. Bulls: Lauri Markkanen — I was incredibly high on the Finnisher midway through his freshman year at Arizona, but by June I had cooled considerably. Like many others, I had serious doubts about his defense. Well, a month in, I still have those doubts, but his offense has been phenomenal. He continues to set records for three-point makes with seemingly every game, and that might be enough to mask any defensive warts. I do think that, with his size, he could become almost Porzingis-ian (trying to be optimistic), but either way I think the Bulls are pleased with their selection.
8. Knicks: Frank Ntilikina — Hand up, I was one of the first to bash this pick in the original draft (let’s be honest, the last time the Knicks selected a Frenchman early in a draft it didn’t work well…shoutout to Frederic Weis and Vince Carter’s groin). But I really like Frankie Smokes’ fit on this team. The offense might never develop, but he fits in defensively already at a very early age. A few of the picks behind Frankie Nicotine might have been better thus far this season, but I think his upside makes him worth it at this pick.
9. Mavericks: Josh Jackson — Jackson was probably the player I was most confused about where to place in this redraft (even after considering dropping both Fultz and Ball completely). The Kansas Jawhawk has been…fine…thus far. But not spectacular. If it wasn’t for picks 5 through 8 looking pretty good in their real life situations, I think Jackson would have already been reselected, but the Mavericks get pretty good value here. This team’s timeline is a bit longer than most others drafting at this point, so I think it makes sense to draft a younger project with all-league potential.
10. Kings: Kyle Kuzma — It should be noted that this pick was traded to the Trail Blazers in the actual draft. Assuming the Kings would keep this pick in the redraft, I would go with King Kuz. At this point, I’m willing to believe that the Utah product’s high FG percentage might actually be sustainable in the league. The summer league prodigy seems to be the real deal and it looks like at least 15 teams should be kicking themselves for passing up on the IRL 27th overall pick. To be quite honest, I’m not sure what position the Kings should target here, with various youngsters at each level. So, I’m just going to go with who I believe to be the best player available.
11. Hornets: Donovan Mitchell — While Malik Monk has been decent thus far, I feel Donovan Mitchell has been even more impressive a month in. Honestly, I wanted to pick Monk here, but it turns out the “Monk is a better shooter” argument might not actually be true. Mitchell was a popular sleeper pick leading up to the actual draft and he’s been a welcome boost to a Utah team that looks like it will be fighting for a playoff spot all season.
12. Pistons: John Collins — Luke Kennard looked like a solid selection during summer league, but as the season has progressed, it appears he’ll be on the D-League shuttle all season-long. While I think Kennard will be a rotation player over his career, Collins has been a revelation in Atlanta. I’ll admit that, much like Dennis Smith, he screams “great stats, bad team,” but he was generating buzz even before the draft. He was a bit of a late bloomer after being a relatively unheralded recruit and mostly forgettable freshman at Wake Forest, but his sophomore year vaulted him to potential lottery pick status. It’s clear that he has carved out a role in the association, and he could help the Pistons immediately, a team right in the thick of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
13. Nuggets: Malik Monk — The Nuggets have a clear need at point guard, but unfortunately, at this point there is an obvious drop-off at the position after the top five already selected. So, I’m just going best player available. Monk was hyped as a top-10, maybe even top-5 pick leading up to the draft, but dropped all the way to pick 11 on draft night. Looking at overall production thus far, that feels about right. Further, considering the Nuggets are looking to win now (or at least in the very near future), Monk appears more ready to help in that respect than many others available at this point.
14. Heat: Bam Adebayo — In this writer’s opinion, there is a decent dropoff from the top-13, so at this point I went with upside over known commodities. Some of the names in the Just Missed section might have looked better thus far, but Bam has looked really solid to date, especially in the games that Hassan Whiteside has missed.
Just Missed (in no particular order): Jarrett Allen, OG Anunoby, Semi Ojeyele, Jordan Bell, Dillon Brooks
