NBA Mock Draft 2018: Projections for Prospects with Most Star Potential
As the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors continue to battle for a trip to the NBA Finals, the rest of the league is preparing for the 2018 NBA draft.
Those teams with first-round picks are especially focused on adding young talent that could potentially help them become better teams next season.
The Celtics, Cavs and Warriors each own a pick in the first round, giving credence to the old adage that the rich get richer.
The sports world's not entirely unfair, though, considering that the team with the worst record in the Association this past year, the Phoenix Suns, own the No. 1 pick.
This draft has quite a few promising prospects, but only a select few in the bunch could possibly go on to become superstars, if any.
Here, we'll predict the picks with an updated mock draft and cherry pick three players who have the potential to soar into that NBA orbit reserved for the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
2018 NBA Mock Draft
1. Phoenix Suns: Deandre Ayton, C, Arizona
2. Sacramento Kings: Luka Doncic, PG/SG, Real Madrid
3. Atlanta Hawks: Jaren Jackson Jr., PF. Michigan State
4. Memphis Grizzlies: Marvin Bagley III, PF, Duke
5. Dallas Mavericks: Mohamed Bamba, C, Texas
6. Orlando Magic: Wendell Carter, PF/C, Duke
7. Chicago Bulls: Michael Porter Jr., SF, Missouri
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Brooklyn): Trae Young, PG, Oklahoma
9. New York Knicks: Mikal Bridges, SG/SF, Villanova
10. Philadelphia 76ers (via Los Angeles Lakers): Miles Bridges, SF/PF, Michigan State
11. Charlotte Hornets: Kevin Knox, SF, Kentucky
12. Los Angeles Clippers (via Detroit): Collin Sexton, PG, Alabama
13. Los Angeles Clippers: Robert Williams, PF/C, Texas A&M
14. Denver Nuggets: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG, Kentucky
15. Washington Wizards: Lonnie Walker IV, SG, Miami
16. Phoenix Suns (via Miami): Zhaire Smith, SG, Texas Tech
17. Milwaukee Bucks: Dzanan Musa, SG, Bosnia and Herzegovina
18. San Antonio Spurs: Mitchell Robinson, C, United States
19. Atlanta Hawks (via Minnesota): Anfernee Simons, SG, Unattached
20. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Oklahoma City): Troy Brown, SG, Oregon
21. Utah Jazz: Chandler Hutchison, SF, Boise State
22. Chicago Bulls (via New Orleans): Jontay Porter, PF/C, Missouri
23. Indiana Pacers: Keita Bates-Diop, SF, Ohio State
24. Portland Trailblazers: Omari Spellman, PF, Villanova
25. Los Angeles Lakers (via Cleveland): De'Anthony Melton, G, USC
26. Philadelphia 76ers: Khyri Thomas, PG/SG, Creighton
27. Boston Celtics: Aaron Holiday, PG, UCLA
28. Golden State Warriors: Donte DiVincenzo, SG, Villanova
29. Brooklyn Nets (via Toronto): Kevin Huerter, SG, Maryland
30. Atlanta Hawks (via Houston): Jalen Brunson, PG, Villanova
Luka Doncic, PG/SG, Real Madrid
There's a big difference between stars in professional sports and superstars.
There are qualifications, requirements and boxes to check off when determining who belongs in which category, but there's one unmistakable way to classify the latter.
Everyone can just...see it.
It was immediately apparent when you saw Shaquille O'Neal or Jordan or James or Larry Bird or Magic Johnson.
Luka Doncic doesn't have copious dunk highlights all over the web, but he does have that "it" factor.
He jumps off the screen whenever he plays and fans can just see that he's better than everyone else.
And what fans see is what they're getting.
Doncic is only 19 years old, but he's already a European champion, a EuroLeague champion, a EuroLeague MVP and a EuroLeague Final Four MVP.
But more than that, he's a gamer, a player who knows who he is and plays like it.
Right now, it looks like either the Suns or the Sacramento Kings will land him and they are getting a player.
Everyone can see it.
Trae Young, PG, Oklahoma
One doesn't have to be the best athlete to be a superstar.
Case in point: Stephen Curry.
The baby-faced assassin in Golden State changed the game with his deadly shooting and box-office appeal.
Trae Young has the potential to follow in Curry's footsteps, especially if he falls to the New York Knicks at No. 9.
He scored in bunches in college, averaging a nation-leading 27.4 points per game.
It wasn't just that he shot it, though, it was how and where.
He didn't just shoot it from deep, he shot it from deep, deep.
Like Curry, his long ball has the electricity of a posterizing dunk.
Couple that with his other intangibles and you've got the ingredients for Madison Avenue's next focal point.
And it would be quite poetic, for Young and the Knicks, if it was a local call.
Donte DiVincenzo, SG, Villanova
Villanova's overnight sensation won't rise to superstardom right away.
It'll take a couple of years.
And it's not because he doesn't have what it takes, everyone saw that he's for real when he put the Wildcats on his back to win the National Championship.
It'll take a while because he's got to put in some work and take all of that natural talent to the next level.
And then the next.
From there, fans will see DiVencenzo's off-the-charts athleticism.
They'll see his swagger, his confidence, his unshakable mettle.
They'll see that pull up J, those silky smooth moves to the cup, those gravity-defying dunks.
They'll see him size up opponents and bob and weave in the creases of the defense for shots all over the court.
Make no mistake about it, DiVincenzo has a shot to be big, really big.
It's up to him to put in the work to get there.
