Hindsight is always 20-20, and this is especially true when looking back at past NBA drafts.
Kevin Knox of the New York Knicks played a season-low 10-minutes last night in their loss at Philadelphia, making his only shot, a 3-pointer … just like Ben Simmons did to the delight of the Philly crowd.
Knox was the ninth pick of the draft, which produced superstud Luka Doncic, and today is a good day to take a look back at the Class of ’18.
Related: Doncic MVP Odds Drop Again After Another Triple-Double
No. 1: DeAndre Ayton, Phoenix Suns: The Suns are roughly halfway through his 25-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and a loss last night to the Sacramento Kings left them at 7-6. Aron Baynes and Frank Kaminsky are holding down the fort, but let’s not forget that then-Suns coach Igor Kokoskov pleaded with ownership to take Doncic.
No. 2: Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento Kings: They love him, but he, too, is hurt (thumb). The good news is that he is traveling on Sacramento’s current four-game road trip, so a return is nearing. The 6-foot-11 power forward from Duke averaged 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds last season.
No. 3: Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks: We are all running out of superlatives. He had 33 first-half points last night, and Mavs games are becoming must-see TV. “Tough to lose by 48 points, but a break here or there and it only would have been 42 points,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, then paused and added, “Nobody caught the sarcasm? I was trying to be funny.” Doncic goes against James Harden on Sunday afternoon.
No. 4: Jaren Jackson Jr. Memphis Grizzlies: He fouled out in just 18 minutes against the Warriors on Tuesday with eight points and one 3-pointer. He’ll get the Lakers on Saturday and a chance to redeem himself after getting into foul trouble against Anthony Davis in their last meeting. He is averaging 14.0 points per game, second to Ja Morant’s 18.5.
No. 5: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks: He was actually traded for Doncic on draft night, and those two look like the class of this draft. He is currently seventh in the NBA in scoring, averaging 26.8 points per game for a woeful Hawks team that is two years away from being two years away. At least they’ll have him.
No. 6: Mo Bamba, Orlando Magic: Stuck behind Nikola Vucevic, the return on this young man may not be knows for years …. if he is not traded first – although he should get some run over the next 6 weeks with Vucevic sidelined. He is playing only 13.4 minutes per game and averaging 3.8 points per game. Hard to imagine why they chose him when they knew Vucevic was happy in Orlando.
No. 7: Wendell Carter Jr., Chicago Bulls: The starting center is averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds per game, so the Bulls have a solid young big man to build around as they figure out to do with their three talented young point guards. His free throw percentage, assists, blocks and steals are all down from last season, so work remains to be done.
No. 8: Collin Sexton, Cleveland Cavaliers: Lightning-quick point guards are taking over this league (unless they are from Slovenia), and Sexton is averaging 18 points but just two assists, and his 3-point shooting and free throw shooting averages have dropped. Kevin Love is showing him the ropes, and point guards take years to develop. Just ask Chauncey Billups.
No. 9: Kevin Knox: New York Knicks: If Scott Perry ends up being the guy who takes the fall in New York, this one-and-done product out of Kentucky may be the reason why (aside from the disastrous Kristaps Porzingis trade). Knox’s minutes are down from 28.1 to 21.3, and his rebounds have dropped from 4.5 to 3.1. In the category of bad shot selection, he leads all NBA players.
No. 10: Mikal Bridges, Phoenix Suns: A defensive specialist who comes off the bench behind Kelly Oubre, Bridges is nonetheless averaging 1.5 steals in just 19.5 minutes per game. That ranks him 19th in the NBA, right alongside steals specialist Robert Covington of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
No. 11: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder. Very few players can boast that they were once traded for Paul George, but he is among them … and it is clear when Sam Presti wanted him when he went deep into Steve Ballmer’s wallet. At 19.4 ppg, he is leading the team in scoring, putting himself in the forefront of the Most Improved Player race.
No. 12 Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets: One of six players averaging in double figures, the small forward from Michigan State has produced only one 20-point game all season and is not getting to the free throw line with any regularity. He had an 0-for-8 clunker at MSG last weekend, but he is not yet in Knox territory.
No. 13: Jerome Robinson, Los Angeles Clippers: Tough to get minutes on the league’s deepest team, and he got only a single minute last night in the victory over the Celtics. The shooting guard from Boston College is making 46 percent of his 3s, and you have to believe that at some point, Lou Williams is going to retire.
No. 14: Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets: He sat out all of last season recovering from a back injury, and he is not doing much in his initial campaign for the Nuggets … who don’t exactly have a lot of space to work in a rookie since they are competing for first place in a very competitive Western Conference. Recovering from a back injury takes time, and if time heals all wounds, this once-highly touted prospect will eventually emerge.
This story is updated from its original version.
