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With the Final Four on the horizon, and the annual lottery tank fest in full swing, the 2017 NBA draft is on the minds of many. But why stop there?
Admittedly, it's far, far, far too early to be projecting anything about the 2018 draft. There are about an infinite amount of things that can change in the next 15 months. However, this isn't so much about trying to accurately predict who's going to what team. It's more about taking an early look at the future talent of both college basketball and the NBA, and with the best high-schoolers on the planet set to showcase their skills at the 2017 McDonald's All-American game on Wednesday night, this is the perfect time to analyze what the 2018 NBA draft class may look like.
Starting Wednesday, there are two names you're likely to hear more than any other over the next year: Michael Porter Jr. and DeAndre Ayton. The former, a 6-foot-10 forward with powerful athleticism and deep range, has drawn comparisons to Kevin Durant, while the latter, a skilled 7-footer with endless length, is invoking parallels to Karl-Anthony Towns and David Robinson. Those kind of comparisons are unfair and are never really a good thing for anyone involved, but both players nonetheless look like potential franchise-altering prospects.
Throw in a number of other talented incoming freshman (who will be on display in Chicago on Wednesday night), at least one--and probably more--intriguing returning sophomore, and a star international talent in Real Madrid's Luka Doncic, and the 2018 class is already looking like a deep one. With that in mind, you can click through the gallery for my way-too-early 2018 projected Top 10 (NBA teams are not taken into account), or if you're more interested in the present, you can head here for my 2017 first-round mock draft.