Grading Every Lottery Pick from the 2017 NBA Draft
The 2021 NBA Draft is almost a month to date out. We take a look back at the draftees entering free agency - or signing extensions with their ball clubs - this off-season, the 2017 draft class. We know a little more about who these players are so four years later we put some grades on these selections. Names are listed in chronological order of selection.
Grade: C+
Markelle Fultz’s story may go down as one of the weirdest in NBA history. A 23-5-5 guy at the University of Washington, Fultz drew comparisons to James Harden.
To many, Fultz was the consensus number one pick. Soon after being taken atop the draft, Fultz would be diagnosed with “scapular muscular imbalance” and it destroyed his once silky shooting form. T
he 76ers couldn’t find out how to assist Fultz’s recovery and selected sitting the rookie in exercising caution. When he eventually returned, his form looked completely different - most evident at the free throw line. Philly’s patience eventually ran out and he was shipped to Orlando for Johnathan Simmons and a second-round pick.
The Magic showed faith in the young Fultz, naming him a starter and picking up his option. Fultz has shown he can - at least - be a starting point guard and was showing great improvement before an ACL injury ended his 2021 season.
Grade: B
Much like Fultz, Lonzo Ball came into the league with a lot of hype. The patriarch of the Ball family would tell anyone who’d listen that Lonzo would take the league by storm. As Lavar predicted his hometown Los Angeles Lakers took the bait.
He would go on to have a disappointing rookie season, making the All-Rookie 2nd Team as a TOP 3 pick. His averages of 10-7-6 were good but not what many were expecting given all the hoopla that surrounded the former UCLA Bruin.
Between Lonzo’s injury concerns and the Lakers decided to enter “win-now” mode Ball was part of the package that landed superstar Anthony Davis in July 2019. Ball has found better footing in NOLA, averaging 14-5-4, numbers similar to what he put up during his lone season in college.
He also played a career-high 63 games and set personal bests in field goal percentage, 3PT percentage and free throw percentage. Still only 23 years old, Ball definitely has room to grow.
Grade: A+
The number one pick in everyone’s re-draft, Boston couldn’t have picked anyone better here at the third pick. Boston looks very wise moving down in a trade with Philadelphia - knowing how badly they wanted Fultz - while still getting their preferred pick.
Tatum is one of the league’s brightest young stars. A walking bucket, he’s already a two-time All-Star and has made an All-NBA Team at only 23 years old. The heart and soul of a contending Boston Celtics team, Tatum has shown he’s ready for the spotlight with an impressive outing against Brooklyn’s Big 3 in the 2021 playoffs. Coming off a 26-7-4 season and a new head coach and front office, Tatum’s future in Beantown looks very bright.
Grade: D+
The first official “bust” in this draft has to be Josh Jackson. Coming out of Kansas, Jackson was seen as an offensive project but his defensive potential was outstanding. He would fall to Phoenix at four to start his NBA career. After averaging 13-4-1 and having an okay rookie season, he made the All-Rookie 2nd Team.
The rest of his Phoenix tenure wouldn’t be so great, getting lost in the rotation and losing minutes over the next two years. The defense he was highly touted over even seemed to whittle away with Jackson averaging less than a steal and a block per game.
Eventually, the Suns’ decided to end the experiment sending Jackson to Memphis in July 2019. The Grizzlies a few months later would send him down to their G-League affiliate, Memphis Hustle.
A top-five pick playing in the G League, smh how the mighty have fallen. Since December 2020, Jackson has been playing for the Detroit Pistons, a team seemingly a combination of misfit toys. Jackson unfortunately hasn’t improved much from his rookie season. With three teams in four years, a G-League stint, and being relegated to a bench role its clear that Jackson was a big miss.
Grade: A-
One of the lone bright spots on a horrible Sacramento team, Fox is extremely athletic, speedy and a great finisher around the rim, Fox drew comparisons to All-Stars and fellow Kentucky Wildcat alums, John Wall and Rajon Rondo, coming out of college. His impact in California’s capital city was felt almost immediately. After averaging only 11 points as a rookie, he’d jump up to 17 points per game as a sophomore.
He actually came in second place for the 2019 Most Improved Player award behind Pascal Siakam. Unfortunately, due to the Kings being a frequent lottery presence most of the time, Fox is often snubbed from the All-Star Game considerations.
In the 2018-19 season, Fox led the Kings to a 39-43 record and the 9th seed, barely missing the playoffs. This was their best record since winning 50 games in 2004-05. Being extended by Sacramento in 2020, it’s safe to say that Fox was a great pick.
Grade: B-
The 6’11 former Florida State Seminole is one of the most underrated and underappreciated players in the NBA. The problem with Isaac was never ability but an intimate history of injuries. In four seasons, Isaac has only played in 136 out of a possible 309 games. His defensive ability is impressive as his 2.3 blocks per game and his 1.6 steals per game are among the best in the league. But, again, the best ability is availability.
Grade: B
Chicago acquired Minnesota’s pick at 7, Kris Dunn and Zach Lavine in exchange for Jimmy Butler and Pick 16 in the 2017 Draft
A perfect example of a hot start that’s cooled down tremendously is Lauri Markkanen. A 7-footer who can shoot the three-ball with ease, Lauri is perfect for the modern NBA. Markkanen would peak during his sophomore season where he’d average 18 points and 9 rebounds.
Markkanen would also reach 100 three-pointers made in 41 career games, an NBA record. Unfortunately for Markkanen, the Chicago Bulls’ dysfunction would holt his All-Star-like potential. The Bulls would bring in names like Wendell Carter Jr, Daniel Theis, and Nikola Vucevic in coming years; resulting in Markkanen being lost in the rotation. Now coming off the bench, Markkanen still has some potential but he needs to get out of the Windy City to experience a fresh start.
Grade: C-
Coming into the draft I, personally, never saw anything special in Ntilikina. And it looks like four years later, I’m correct. The New York Knicks thought he’d be the answer at point guard when they took him 8th overall but unfortunately, he left more questions than answers.
His shooting never improved and the passing, which he was heralded for, appears subpar - with his career-high in a season being 3.2 assists per game. Ntilikina has never averaged more than 6 points a game and shoots under 40% for his career from the field. With Elfrid Payton and Austin Rivers being brought in as options at point guard, as well as the eventual drafting of Immanuel Quickley it seems as if Ntilikina will be on his way out of NYC this off-season.
Grade: B-
It’s absolutely crazy to think that DSJ was once the future of a franchise. Now as of 2021, he’s been on three teams in four seasons. Peaking during his rookie season, DSJ has been on a downward spiral ever since. After averaging 15-5-3 as a rookie and making the All-Rookie second team, DSJ was supposed to be the centerpiece that the New York Knicks would receive in a trade that sent star Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks.
While playing in New York, DSJ was one of a few lottery picks assigned to the G-League. This move appears to have shaken his confidence. From the fans chanting “We Want Frank” at him during games to being traded yet again, I believe that DSJ will be nothing more than a rotational player from here on out. Playing for the Detriot Pistons currently, Smith Jr is stuck in no man’s land.
Grade: C
Portland acquired Sacramento’s 10th pick in exchange for their 15th and 20th picks in the 2017 Draft
Injuries have really been the tale of the tape for Collins as of late. He was the 10th overall pick yet he’s only started 12 of the 154 games he’s played. Just a spark of the bench for the Blazers, Collins’ numbers aren’t very impressive.
Averaging roughly 7 points and 6 rebounds per game, Collins is merely a role player for Portland. Nobody wants to draft an average role player at 10th overall. Especially considering some of the players that were still left on the board for a Blazers team that had been trying to build around superstar Damian Lillard.
Grade: B-
Coming out of Kentucky, many expected Monk’s smooth shooting stroke to translate to the next level. With Monk falling to pick 11, many experts had him going much earlier. While Monk has slowly improved each season, he’s still just a rotational piece.
It’s an absolute shame that Monk has only started ONE NBA game of his 233 career games. Averaging 11-2-2, Monk pretty much plays a Nick Young, off-the-bench shooter type of role. I was very high on Monk and thought he had a lot of potential but he is what he is at this point in his career. At least he’s making some impact for a young Charlotte team looking to contend behind LaMelo Ball.
Grade: B
I understand giving Kennard a B may seem generous but Kennard has proven to be quite vital when given the opportunity. In Kennard’s only season as a starter, the 2019-20 NBA season, he put up a respectable 15-4-3 average while shooting 44% from the field and 39% from three in the 28 games he played in. Kennard’s shooting touch is a plus to any team that has him.
As of 2021, playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, he’s putting up career-high shooting numbers while getting nearly 20 minutes a game. Not a bad selection at all.
Grade: A+
Utah acquires Denver’s 13th pick in exchange for Trey Lyles and the 24th pick in the 2017 Draft
What more can be said about Donovan Mitchell? The face of the Utah Jazz organization, this was a slam dunk pick. Spida Mitchell helped guide the Jazz through the post-Gordon Heyward era while turning Utah into a true force in the west.
A certified bucket, he has never averaged under 20 points per game ever in his career thus far. Despite controversially losing Rookie of the Year to Ben Simmons, it is not a debate at the moment who is the better of the two. The Jazz rewarded Mitchell with a $163 million extension during the 2020 off-season.
As of 2021, Mitchell lead the Jazz to a #1 seed in the vaunted Western Conference. While losing to the Clippers in the second round of the playoffs., the future is very bright for Mitchell and the Jazz. Tremendous value at 13th overall, Was traded to the Jazz on draft night, drafted by the Denver Nuggets, Utah needs to send yearly thank you cards to Denver for this franchise-changing move.
Grade: B+
One of the best two-way players in the NBA today, Bam is arguably a top 5 player at his position. After a slow start initially, once he was given the opportunity to start Bam showed tremendous improvement. In the 2019-20 season, he’d average 15-10-5 as he helped the newly acquired Jimmy Butler lead the Miami Heat to an NBA Finals appearance.
In the 2021 season, he’s continuing to grow, now averaging 18 points per game, and taking on more of a scoring load. With an offensive arsenal and playmaking defense, at only 23 years old, Bam was a steal for Miami at the end of the lottery.
Grade: C
Sacramento acquired Portland’s 15th and 20th pick in exchange for the 10th pick in the 2017 Draft
Already a junior when he got to the NBA, Jackson hasn’t really done much since entering the league. Part of the Zach Collins trade on draft night, this would be a recurring theme for Jackson. As of 2021, he’s been on 4 different teams and been assigned to the G-League twice. While he’s averaging a career-high 9 points and 6 rebounds a game, at this point his potential doesn’t exceed past being a role player.
NOTABLE PICKS OUTSIDE THE LOTTERY
First Round
John Collins | Jarrett Allen | OG Anunoby | Kyle Kuzma | Derrick White
Second Round
Jordan Bell | Thomas Bryant | Dillon Brooks | Monte Morris