Added 6 and 7 to my list since 7 seems to be the basement for the Nets pick right now. You'll notice I don't have Bagley or Young on my list, they'd probably be 8 and 9 in that order.
1. Doncic - His talent level is through the roof, and he's currently dominating the Euroleague as an 18 year old. He's big enough to play the 4 for stretches, and he has the play making ability of a PG. The only questions about him are in regards to athleticism, because even against Euro competition, he relies a lot on making tough shots.
2. Jackson - Count me aboard the bandwagon. He doesn't play bulk minutes too often due to a bit of a logjam of talent. Nick Ward and Miles Bridges each each up a good share of front-court minutes, and Izzo leans on his veteran quite a bit, while also utilizing small ball. On a per minute basis, he's the most impressive freshman. To me, he's like a more physical Chris Bosh, that's how high I am on him. The biggest question mark for me is if his shot translates, it's a bit of a push shot, I think it'll be fine, but I'm trying to nit-pick.
3. Bamba - His ceiling is a more mobile Gobert with a jumper. How could you not love that? That said, he's raw offensively, but shows the base skill-set that you'd want to work with. I don't think there's any question that his defense plays at the next level, and that makes his floor pretty high. I've heard Thabeet mentioned by his detractors, but Thabeet could barely move whereas Bamba is very mobile.
4. Porter - This ranking is obviously based off his body of work in HS and AAU, where he was dominant, and a lot of people's #1 pick entering the year. He's a very good shooter, and a good ball handler for the 4 spot, although that aspect needs to improve if he's truly going to be a multi-faceted scorer in the NBA. He needs to get stronger, and a back injury is concerning. If he doesn't managed to play a few games this year, I'll probably have to bump him down. I'm ranking him here assuming he gets on the court for Mizzou, and impresses, much like Kyrie did at Duke.
5. Ayton - He's had a stellar freshman year for Coach Miller at Arizona. He's scored, he's rebounded, and he's been blocking more shots lately. At times though, he's lacked energy, and consistency. In most drafts, he'd be one of my top guys, I guess it just speaks to the class we have here.
6. Wendell Carter - He's impressed me a lot more than Bagley. The knock on him is lack of explosiveness, but he looks really mobile and fluid for his size. He finishes well with both hands around the basket, showing great touch. In a limited sample size, he has shown off a good set jump shot. Hasn't been a prolific shot blocker like JJJ or Bamba, but he's been pretty good.
7. Mikal Bridges - I doubt many people have him ahead of Bagley and Young, but I'm a really big Bridges fan. He has good physical tools, and puts them to use. He's been a terrific collegiate defender, and has turned into a really good shooter. He'll probably never get to this level, but he reminds me of Paul George.
