The Disastrous Draft Class: How the 2018 NBA 2K17 Rookies Struggled to Make an Impact

August 9, 2017 by EverythingNBAUK Leave a comment

As we reflect upon last year's highly anticipated NBA draft class in NBA 2K17, it becomes clear that some teams' hopes for immediate returns were left severely dashed. The Philadelphia 76ers, who had recently coined the term 'Trust the Process' following their historic tanking efforts to land second overall pick Markelle Fultz and No.1 overall selection Luka Doncic's former college teammate, Lonzo Ball's UCLA compatriot - none other than Jaylen Brown at third overall - found themselves facing a daunting task in trying to justify those top-5 picks.

Fast forward 12 months later & it’s safe to say that history did not exactly favor these young guns. Fultz struggled mightily with injury issues throughout his rookie campaign, playing just nine games before being shut down for the season due largely due 'sic' a sprained left ankle he suffered during training camp. Meanwhile, Brown's sophomore year didn't fare much better as well; after showing flashes of promise early on both ends of the floor (averaging respectable 7.6 points & 3 boards per contest), his minutes gradually decreased until eventually disappearing from coach Brad Stevens' rotation altogether.

Meanwhile, other lottery picks fared no more impressively either - including Trae Young who went with the #2 overall pick to Atlanta Hawks after having a monster freshman campaign at Oklahoma where he put up mind-boggling numbers across all statistical categories (24.8ppg / 5apg / .421FG%). Despite these lofty expectations out west however; young Trae struggled mightily adjusting to NBA speed & physicality - managing only modest returns on his draft stock through first two seasons before finally finding some form last season under new coach Lloyd Pierce.

So what exactly went wrong for this talented crop of fresh faces? Was it simply bad luck or was there something deeper at play here?

Regardless, one thing is certain: none of these highly touted prospects will soon be remembered fondly by NBA fans who watched them struggle to make even the smallest dent in their respective franchises' rotationally speaking.

As we move into next season's draft cycle - perhaps some valuable lessons can indeed be learned from last year’s misfire? After all, as old adage goes: 'pride comes before a great fall.

2018 draft class nba 2k17