NBA Re-Draft 2018: Luka Doncic & Trae Young Lead Class
During the 2018 NBA Draft, it was largely expected for Deandre Ayton to be selected No. 1 overall by the Phoenix Suns. With the Sacramento Kings still focused on building around De'Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III was next up on the projections.
It hasn't taken long to realize how big of a mistake it was for the Suns to pass on selecting Doncic. Nothing better encapsulates it than Doncic leading the Dallas Mavericks over them in the Western Conference Semifinals.
To make matters worse, the Suns hesitated to give Ayton a max contract and potentially strained their relationship with him. It took him signing an offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers to even receive the standard four-year max deal.
In a re-draft of the 2018 class, Bleacher Report put Doncic atop the list. The rationale is quite simple: he has earned three First-Team All-NBA nods and has been an MVP finalist over the last three seasons.
Through four seasons, Luka already has three first-team All-NBA selections and three top-six MVP finishes. There's no way to put a ceiling on what might next for the 23-year-old.
Doncic has been nothing short of incredible during his time with the Mavericks. He is coming off a season with averages of 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.7 assists. He's routinely elevated his game in the playoffs with a historic scoring average at 32.5 points per game, behind only Michael Jordan (33.5).
Imagine if the Suns had selected Doncic? They've benefited significantly from the point guard play of Chris Paul, but he's already 37. Doncic could have formed a dynamic duo with Devin Booker in the backcourt long-term with Mikal Bridges on the wing.
In this re-draft exercise, the Mavericks' original draft placement, the No. 5 overall pick, would have netted them Bridges. Had they still traded up to No. 3 overall, it would have resulted in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with Trae Young being the selection after Doncic.
The two players who went before Doncic in the actual draft, Ayton and Bagley, ended up dropping in the re-draft. Ayton was selected No. 4 overall while Bagley plummeted to No. 18 overall. Jalen Brunson, who was drafted by the Mavs with the No. 33 pick, was re-drafted all the way up at No. 12.
You can follow Grant Afseth on Twitter at @GrantAfseth.
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