Future Game-Changers: Young Stars That Teams Should Absolutely Tank For

The one constant with bad teams is that there’s always next year. It's a promise of hope that isn’t always empty, especially if game-changers are available in the draft, ie, future sports stars that teams should absolutely tank for, because they can turn a sad-sack franchise into a playoff or championship contender.

Although there are no guarantees in sports, it’s always been true that superior talent, good coaching and a little bit of luck can pay off. That is why you can already hear fans of the Sacramento Kings and Philadelphia 76ers salivating over the prospect of their teams landing Lonzo Ball, the 6’6” UCLA Bruins point guard with a wicked handle, outstanding court vision and a memorable first name.

The criteria for the athletes on this list are that they are acknowledged by many experts to possess the talent to excel at the next level, and they are eligible for the upcoming draft in each of their sports.

One important caveat is that baseball players are not included in this list, because the MLB plays by a different set of rules than the NBA, NFL and NHL in that many teams improve through free agency and signing players from overseas, and if they do draft talented players, they often remain in farm systems for years.

So without further ado, here are nine prospective supernovas that are well worth intentional losing, though in the case of franchises like the Cleveland Browns, tanking just means playing up to the team’s potential.

Lonzo Ball: Basketball

Pegged as a possible transformative player for the UCLA Bruins, Lonzo Ball has lived up to every preseason accolade and then some.

The silky-smooth freshman point guard ran a fast-paced offense when he steered his Chino Hills High School team in California to a state title in 2016. His ability to move the ball has made the Bruins offense far more dynamic.

Per Sports-Reference.com, Ball is averaging 14.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 block through the first nine games of the season.

More importantly, he has staked UCLA to a 9-0 record, including a show-me 97-92 victory against the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena in Lexington. Ball also set a UCLA freshman record with 13 assists in the Bruins’ November 30 win against UC Riverside.

But Ball isn’t just contributing with points, assists and steals, but also with a mindset change that has transformed UCLA from a moribund, turnover-prone team into a squad that Brad Botkin of CBSsports.com refers to as “The best offensive team in the country, hands down.”

Botkin also wrote that Ball’s three-point accuracy, superior court generalship, rebounding and assists place him as a potential No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft.

Myles Garrett: Football

The junior defensive lineman for the Texas A&M Aggies had an injury-plagued season. But NFL scouts representing teams that lack a game-changing speedster who can pressure opposing quarterbacks and disrupt offensive rhythm would be hard-pressed to find any player who fits the bill better than Myles Garrett.

Per Sports-Reference.com, Garrett had 81 solo tackles and 59 assisted tackles in his three years with the Aggies to go along with 31 sacks, seven fumbles forced and one interception.

But it’s Garrett’s ability to shed offensive linemen and stuff the run or blow up a play that has NFL scouts drooling.

NFL Media draft analyst Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote that Garrett is similar to Denver Broncos all-world defensive end Von Miller, but that the more accurate comp is to Jevon Kearse, the 6’4” phenom once known as The Freak who was prized for his explosive movement, strength and play-making ability.

Nolan Patrick: Hockey

Nolan Patrick, 18, plays for the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League and is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NHL draft.

The genes must run in the family, because Patrick's father, Steve, also played in the NHL.

At 6’2” and 190 pounds, Patrick had 41 goals and 61 assists in 72 games last season, per NHL.com, while also earning MVP honors in the WHL playoffs after he led his team to the championship with a stat line of 13 goals and 17 assists in 21 games.

Patrick is so well-regarded that Bob McKenzie at TSN has taken to calling the upcoming NHL draft the “Nolan Patrick Draft,” with 10 out of the 10 scouts who were surveyed naming Patrick as the consensus No. 1 pick and a possible first-line center in the NHL.

Bottom-dwellers such as the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche may want to maintain their losing ways for a shot at a future NHL star that could become the building block of something special.

Markelle Fultz: Basketball

The 18-year-old freshman for the University of Washington may be the only point guard in the country who can match the acclaim for UCLA’s Lonzo Ball.

Unfortunately, Markelle Fultz is playing for a team that is 4-4 through the first eight games and coming off a three-game losing streak, including a 98-71 drubbing by Gonzaga on December 8 in which Fultz scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. 

But the upcoming Pac-12 schedule will provide Fultz with some prime-time opportunities to showcase his considerable skills on the national stage.

And despite his team’s rough start, Fultz who is 6’4” and 195 pounds with an Anthony Davis-like wingspan, and franchise-changing skills is averaging 23 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists a game per Sports-Reference.com.

All Fultz has to do to become a lottery draft pick is maintain his current pace and excel during games against elite competition, which he will get plenty of in his team’s Pac-12 campaign.

Draft Express has Fultz listed as its top prospect for the NBA draft, citing his size, court vision, handle and ability to penetrate and score.

Fultz fits the bill for a league hungry for playmaking point guards with size, shooting range, defensive skills and leadership qualities, and teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets that lack a franchise-changing point guard are likely scouring their schedule for losable games to gain more pingpong balls in the draft.

Leonard Fournette: Football

Leonard Fournette recently announced the best-kept secret since Noah’s Flood and declared that he was leaving for the 2017 NFL draft.

The LSU running back came into this season following a sophomore year in which he rushed for 1,953 yards for an SEC-record 162.8 yards per game.

But injuries derailed his junior season, even though per Sports-Reference.com, he rushed for 843 yards and eight touchdowns in the seven games in which he played.

Fournette runs with power, speed and a punch-in-the-mouth aggression that will serve him well as an every-down back in the NFL.

Nearly every NFL scouting expert has him ranked in the top five of all college prospects, and David Ching of ESPN.com wrote that draft analyst Todd McShay has Fournette as the top player in the upcoming draft.

General managers of teams such as the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars with anemic offenses and no running game would sell their firstborn child in exchange for Fournette’s draft rights, especially considering the assessment of NFL.com’s lead draft analyst Lance Zierlein, who compares Fournette to Bo Jackson.

Timothy Liljegren: Hockey

The 17-year-old Swedish-born hockey player is considered one of the top prospects for the 2017 NHL draft.

The 6-foot, 200-pound defenseman is projected by DraftSite.com to be the second overall pick in the upcoming draft. He is a top-ranked defensive player, whose ability to move the pack, shore up the back line and score has NHL general managers dreaming of his potential.

Timothy Liljegren’s combination of superior skating, ice-vision and puck control has TSN’s Director of Scouting Craig Button comparing him to the Los Angeles Kings’ All-Star and Stanley Cup champion Drew Doughty, who has been a game-changer for the Kings since he came into the league in 2008 as the No. 2 pick.

De'Aaron Fox: Basketball

Say what you will about John Calipari—and many have weighed in—but the coach of the Kentucky Wildcats recruits one-and-done talent better than anyone in the country, and in De'Aaron Fox, 18, he has yet another budding NBA superstar.

In a guard-driven league, Fox has the size (6’4”), speed and handle to succeed, though he might need to bulk up his 170 pounds to play effectively in the paint.

Per Scout.com’s evaluation, Fox can play both guard positions and has sublime passing skills. But he can also score, which makes him an ideal combo guard, a position prized by many NBA general managers.

Through nine games, Fox is averaging 15.1 points, 7.4 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.

Fox has already been named SEC Freshman of the Week twice since the start of the season and posted the second triple-double in Wildcat history on November 28 against Arizona State with a line of 14 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds.

Even in Kentucky’s 97-92 home loss to UCLA on December 3, Fox had 20 points, nine assists and two rebounds and showcased his all-around game that will likely land him in the top five of the 2017 NBA draft.

Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com selected Fox as the best NBA draft prospect on the Wildcats team, ahead of stud teammates such as Edrice Adebayo and Malik Monk, and compares the point guard favorably to Washington Wizards All-Star John Wall.

NBA teams in need of a point guard that can play off-ball, score, pass and play defense should start tanking now to begin their rebuild.

You listening, Mark Cuban?

Jabrill Peppers: Football

The redshirt sophomore and Heisman Trophy finalist is one of the most dynamic linebackers/athletes in college football. Though his defensive stats weren’t as robust this past season, that was largely due to the fact that Jabrill Peppers had to shoulder so much responsibility on the stout Michigan Wolverines defense.

Remember also that Peppers primarily played safety in the 2015-16 season, but this season head coach Jim Harbaugh moved him to linebacker to take advantage of his coverage ability and run-stuffing prowess.

Peppers also played on offense, returning kicks and taking snaps at receiver, though far less than he did in the 2015-16 season.

Per Sports-Reference.com, Peppers played in 12 games this season and had 46 solo tackles, 20 assisted tackled, 13 tackles for loss and three sacks.

On offense, he rushed for 167 yards on 27 carries for three touchdowns and scored another touchdown on a kick return.

In his evaluation of Peppers, Chase Goodbread of NFL.com wrote that one NFL executive sees him as a new-age Troy Polamalu, the outstanding former safety of the Pittsburgh Steelers, while another compared Peppers to Charles Woodson, and another to Jalen Ramsey, the No. 5 pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2016 NFL draft.

Although Peppers has not yet declared his professional intentions, he can apply for early draft eligibility. A team like the New York Jets could use his all-around playmaking abilities, considering that the Jets secondary has a total of six picks through 12 games, and the kick return team has zero touchdowns.

Josh Jackson: Basketball

Josh Jackson : Basketball

Josh Jackson, 19, is a 6’8”, 205-pound freshman shooting guard and small forward for the Kansas Jayhawks, who has helped lead his team to an 8-1 record through nine games.

Multiple scouting experts rate him as the top player in the 2017 NBA draft. Through nine games, he is averaging 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists, per ESPN.com.

The basketball scouting site NBADraft.net rates Jackson as the top pick on its big board, citing his superior athleticism, leadership and ability to score, pass, handle the ball and finish strong at the rim.

The site also notes that Jackson needs to improve his jump shot and develop his post-up game—because his size and quickness would make him a matchup nightmare for opposing defense—and compares him to San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, an NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP and two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

That’s high praise, and if Jackson can live up to even 80 percent of the projections, he can step right in with a team such as the Sacramento Kings or Brooklyn Nets and instantly become a franchise cornerstone.