Where is the 2018 NBA Draft class going to rank all-time?

[Professor Emeritus]

Only in their 5th season and they are balling out something crazy. Not in order but just naming names....


Luka (regular MVP candidate)
Shai (regular MVP candidate)
Trae (3x All-Star)
Brunson (All-Star putting up 27 and 7 leading a good team)
Jaren Jackson Jr. (All-Star and DPOY)
MPJ (elite scorer for a title team)
Mikal Bridges (20ppg scorer and DPOY runner-up)
Miles Bridges (20ppg scorer)
Anfernee Simons (20ppg scorer)
Collin Sexton (20ppg scorer)
Deandre Ayton (regularly 18 and 10)
Robert Williams (All-Defensive team)
Mitchell Robinson
Donte DiVincenzo
De'Anthony Melton
Grayson Allen
Wendell Carter Jr.
Kevin Huerter
Devonte Graham
Jarred Vanderbilt
Mo Wagner
Gary Trent Jr.
Marvin Bagley III
Landry Shamet
Bruce Brown....



There's got to be very few draft classes in history that looked this good this soon.

 

[Big Boss]

how many hall of famers in this class???

 

[Professor Emeritus]

how many hall of famers in this class???

Hard to say this early on. You figure that Luka and Shai are locks barring injury. Brunson and Trae might get there with consistency and longevity. A couple other remote longshots if they made a leap and ended up in the right situation.

Most of the GOAT draft classes had either 4 or 5 Hall of Famers ('84, '96, '03), but judging a class on just their top 4 players alone is too narrow anyway. How they panned out 10-deep and 20-deep is meaningful too.

Do you see a better class in the last 20 years?

 

[MikelArteta]

Was a great draft

 

[Wacky D]

Do you see a better class in the last 20 years?

2008

 

[Professor Emeritus]

2008

I hope you meant 2009.

2009 is a great draft at the top but it really only ran 17-18 deep. This draft could be a little better at the top and run 25 deep.

2008 ain't nothing special at all.

 

[SchoolboyC]

Hard to say this early on. You figure that Luka and Shai are locks barring injury. Brunson and Trae might get there with consistency and longevity. A couple other remote longshots if they made a leap and ended up in the right situation.

Most of the GOAT draft classes had either 4 or 5 Hall of Famers ('84, '96, '03), but judging a class on just their top 4 players alone is too narrow anyway. How they panned out 10-deep and 20-deep is meaningful too.

Do you see a better class in the last 20 years?

2011 produced 4 HOFers in Kawhi, Butler, Klay and Kyrie. Plus 3 others all-stars in Kemba, Vucevic & IT. Then you had some other guys who became good role players in Tobias Harris, Bogdanovic, Chandler Parsons, Brandon Knight, Morris Twins, Valanciunas, Tristan Thompson, Kenneth Faried, Reggie Jackson, Alec Burks, etc.

 

[Don Snow]

2014 was pretty solid too

Jokic
Embid
Julius Randle
Zach Lavine
Aaron Gordon
Marcus Smart
Wiggins
Nurkić
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jerami Grant
Jordan Clarkson
Joe Harris

 

[Professor Emeritus]

2011 produced 4 HOFers in Kawhi, Butler, Klay and Kyrie. Plus 3 others all-stars in Kemba, Vucevic & IT. Then you had some other guys who became good role players in Tobias Harris, Bogdanovic, Chandler Parsons, Brandon Knight, Morris Twins, Valanciunas, Tristan Thompson, Kenneth Faried, Reggie Jackson, Alec Burks, etc.

2011 is fine but too frail. Kawhi and Kyrie never had the careers they could have, IT was basically one great year then done. So I think they're gonna be a step below 2018.

For comparison just at the top, I think the 2011 class only has 3 first-team All-NBA selections total. While the 2018 class already has 5 and is gonna get 2 more this year. Below those top guys it's hard to judge early, but I think 2018 is gonna come out better.

2014 was pretty solid too

Jokic
Embid
Julius Randle
Zach Lavine
Aaron Gordon
Marcus Smart
Wiggins
Nurkić
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jerami Grant
Jordan Clarkson
Joe Harris

Good draft at the top but dies out about 15-16 deep.

 

[Thavoiceofthevoiceless]

2011 is fine but too frail. Kawhi and Kyrie never had the careers they could have, IT was basically one great year then done. So I think they're gonna be a step below 2018.

For comparison just at the top, I think the 2011 class only has 3 first-team All-NBA selections total. While the 2018 class already has 5 and is gonna get 2 more this year. Below those top guys it's hard to judge early, but I think 2018 is gonna come out better.






Good draft at the top but dies out about 15-16 deep.

A lot of those names you posted from that 2018 is arguably frail as well if we're being honest, so I wouldn't use that as an argument.

 

[SchoolboyC]

2011 is fine but too frail. Kawhi and Kyrie never had the careers they could have, IT was basically one great year then done. So I think they're gonna be a step below 2018.

For comparison just at the top, I think the 2011 class only has 3 first-team All-NBA selections total. While the 2018 class already has 5 and is gonna get 2 more this year. Below those top guys it's hard to judge early, but I think 2018 is gonna come out better.






Good draft at the top but dies out about 15-16 deep.

I mean yeah Kawhi didn't have the career he could have had because of injuries, but also no one in that 2018 class has done something that he didn't do. He's won multiple Finals MVPs, he's been an MVP finalist multiple times, he's been 1st team All-NBA, he's won multiple DPOYs

 

[Braman]

How old are you? It’s a pretty typical ‘good’ class bruh. This kinda prisoner of the moment

Luka and SGA are the high end guys. Trae can go either way. After that you have a bunch of solid 1-2 time all stars and most classes have that. They will be forgotten historically tho. Ie no one is propping up the 95 draft bc of Eddie jones. Drafts arent remembered for depth they’re remembered for the high end hall of famers. And just due to pure math and probability MOST drafts have 1 or 2. If not, certainly 1 out of every 2 will.

It’s when you get to 4,5 hall of famers where a draft is rare and it’s too soon to say this draft has that. Probably doesn’t tho

 

[Wacky D]

I hope you meant 2009.

2009 is a great draft at the top but it really only ran 17-18 deep. This draft could be a little better at the top and run 25 deep.

2008 ain't nothing special at all.

Yea I immediately started thinking of 09 after I posted that.

08 was no joke tho. Alot of guys just had pitfalls.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

I mean yeah Kawhi didn't have the career he could have had because of injuries, but also no one in that 2018 class has done something that he didn't do. He's won multiple Finals MVPs, he's been an MVP finalist multiple times, he's been 1st team All-NBA, he's won multiple DPOYs

Kawhi didn't get 1st-team All-NBA or compete for an MVP until the year he turned 25. Luka just turned 25 last month and already has pulled 4 1st-team All-NBA selections and is in the MVP conversation every season. Luka at the age of 24 already had more 1st-team All-NBA selections than Kawhi did his entire career. And Kawhi did have a great run with Toronto in 2019, but that's literally the only season in his career that he advanced past the 2nd round as a #1.

Luka's career trajectory right now is way ahead of where Kawhi's was at the same age. Shai's trajectory isn't too far from Kawhi's either and is certainly ahead of anyone else in Kawhi's draft class.

A lot of those names you posted from that 2018 is arguably frail as well if we're being honest, so I wouldn't use that as an argument.

My argument is that the actual career accomplishments of the 2011 class aren't that impressive cause several of them had very short peaks. There isn't anyone in the 2018 class that looks likely to apply to. Luka has already made more 1st-team All-NBA teams than Kawhi has, Shai made more 1st-team All-NBA than Kyrie, Jalen Brunson and Trae Young are already better than IT ever was and if their peak is as short as IT's it will be a huge shock.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

How old are you? It’s a pretty typical ‘good’ class bruh. This kinda prisoner of the moment

Luka and SGA are the high end guys. Trae can go either way. After that you have a bunch of solid 1-2 time all stars and most classes have that.

Do you think Brunson and JJJ are only going to make 1-2 All-Star games? You're comparing the entire legacy of other draft class's to 2018's first five years.

What 2018 has that other classes don't is those 3-4 elite players on the top AND around 10 guys total who can be stars for their team with around 25 deep who contribute. Most classes either aren't elite at top, aren't as deep, or are suspect in the middle. 2018 has no weaknesses.

Drafts arent remembered for depth they’re remembered for the high end hall of famers.

Who the fukk cares what somebody else "remembers" a draft for? You're literally saying we should dumb down the thread for a casual take. This is a discussion of what the best draft was, why deflect into popular narratives bullshyt?