Robert Williams
While Michael Porter Jr's fall down the draft board was the most notable of the 2018 draft, he wasn't the only player who was projected to go high in the draft, only to drop to a much lower pick. Going into the draft, Robert Williams of Texas A&M was projected to go as high as a lottery pick, only to fall all the way down to Boston Celtics at #27. Despite the concerns about his work ethic and a popliteal artery entrapment syndrome diagnosis, the Celtics look to have lucked into one of the better big men. Williams is coming off a sophomore year with the Aggies where he averaged 10.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 63% from the field. A top-notch defender, Williams named to All-SEC Defensive Team and won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in both his collegiate seasons. While there are potential red flags with him, Williams showed abilities as a reliable big man and a dominant defensive threat, and I think he could be a big addition to a Celtics team making a run at the championship.
Billy Preston
Maybe it's just because he's a Cleveland Cavalier, I'm pretty excited to see what Billy Preston does in his rookie season. Coming out of the famous Oak Hill Academy, Preston averaged 15.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game and was named a McDonald's All-American as a senior and was considered a five-star prospect. Preston committed to play at Kansas, but a car accident left him out of the line-up, as the NCAA conducted an investigation into the "financial picture" of the situation. Preston opted to leave Kansas and head overseas to play in Bosnia before declaring for the 2018 draft. Despite being undrafted, Preston would get signed by the Cavaliers and played for their Summer League team, averaging 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 34% from the field. While the last time the Cavs took a chance on a five-star high school player got them three years of Samardo Samuels (which you can read about here), but hopes are high, so don't count out Billy Preston just yet.
Mitchell Robinson
While the New York Knicks are probably going have another terrible season this year, they look set to have bright future ahead of them. A team that already had Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Enes Kanter, the Knicks also added some rookies with a lot of potential through the draft. While the most of the attention has been on Kevin Knox, the Knicks also added Mitchell Robinson, who they drafted with the 36th pick in the draft. A five-star recruit coming out of Chalmette High School in New Orleans, Robinson was coming off a senior year where he averaged 25.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, and a staggering 6 blocks per game and was named a McDonald's All-American when he committed to play at Western Kentucky. However, Robinson would end up leaving the Hilltoppers without playing a game after being suspended for violating team rules. Instead, Robinson opted to prepare for the NBA on his own. It clearly worked out, as he was selected by the Knicks and participated in the Summer League, where he averaged 13 points, 10.2 rebounds, a steal and 4 blocks per game shooting 67% from the field. Robinson may have had an unorthodox path to the NBA, but now that he's here, I think he can surprise a lot of people.
Keita Bates-Diop
Keita Bates-Diop might have had to wait longer than most to hear his name on draft night, but the team that got him, the Minnesota Timberwolves, are probably more than happy that he fell to them. After missing the majority of his junior year following a stress fracture in his left leg, Bates-Diop returned as a redshirt junior the next season and became the top option for THE Ohio State University (yes, I still have to do that.) Bates-Diop would average 19.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 48% from the field and 36% from three-point range in his final season with the Buckeyes, being named the Big Ten Player of the Year and to the All-American 2nd team along the way. Bates-Diop would forgo his last year of eligibility to declare for the 2018 draft and was selected with the 48th pick by the T'Wolves. Bates-Diop would also have a strong showing in the Summer League, averaging 14.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 40% from the field. If given a decent amount of playing time, I could see Bates-Diop putting up some solid numbers for a Timberwolves team looking to make a strong run to the playoffs this season.
Troy Brown Jr
Now that LeBron James is out of the conference and the Cleveland Cavaliers are no longer a title contender, the East is wide open for a team to take their place. While the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors seem like the easy choices to lead the East, the Washington Wizards could be a sleeper to take that spot. Already having two all-stars in John Wall and Bradley Beal along with Otto Porter Jr, the team added one of the better centers in the league in Dwight Howard through free agency. And along with that, they drafted a player with a lot of potential who do big things in the coming years, and that's Troy Brown Jr. Selected with the 15th pick in the draft, Brown Jr played a single season at Oregon and averaged 11.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 44% from the field. After the draft, Brown would go on to exceed expectations in the Summer League, averaging 18.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 43% from the field. A strong defender who showed a fairly strong scoring ability, Brown Jr could have a decent season for himself coming off the bench for a Wizards team looking to take a top spot in the Eastern Conference.
De'Anthony Melton
De'Anthony Melton's journey to the NBA was not without its hiccups. A three-star recruit coming out of high school, Melton committed to play at USC in 2016. Melton would put up moderately decent numbers during his freshman year, averaging 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 steals and a block per game while shooting 44% from the field. After playing his way into the starting line-up quickly that season, expectations were high for Melton's sophomore season. However, that would never happen, as he was caught up in a corruption scandal. 10 people, including USC's assistant coach Tony Bland, were alleged to have received from financial advisors to influence student-athletes to retain their services. As a result of a family member's involvement, Melton was suspended by USC. Melton would withdraw from the university and prepared for 2018 draft himself, and he was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 46th pick, He would end up being traded a month later to the Phoenix Suns with Ryan Anderson for Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss. By that point, Melton had already played in the Summer League and put up solid numbers, averaging 16.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3 steals per game while shooting 38% from the field. Now on a Suns team looking to make the playoffs for the first time in almost 10 years, Melton could provide solid numbers off the bench and go down as a draft day steal.
Svi Mykhailiuk
The breakout star of the Summer League, Svi Mykahiliuk is already looking like one of the biggest steals of the 2018 draft. After playing for two years with Cherkaski Mavpy in his home country of Ukraine, Mykhailiuk would head overseas to play college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks. Mykhailiuk would play out all four seasons of his eligibility with the Jayhawks, concluding his college career with a senior year where he averaged 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 43% from the field, a Big-12 best 44% from three-point range, and 80% from the free throw line. Mykahailiuk would declare for the draft and would be selected with the 47th pick by the Los Angeles Lakers. Mykahiliuk would then go onto the Summer League, where he stole the show for the Lakers team. Mykailiuk would average 16.6 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field and would be named to the All-Summer League 2nd team. Looking to continue that Summer League success into the regular season, Svi Mykhailiuk could have a strong showing coming off the bench for the Lakers, thanks to his top-notch three-point shooting.
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