A way-too-early look at the 2018 NBA Draft

The Rest

As of right now, the 2018 draft class appears more top heavy than previous years. Still, there are some very enticing names outside of the top five, including Miles Bridges, Collin Sexton, Jaren Jackson and Justin Jackson.

Although teams picking outside the top five will be missing out on this draft’s star power, there is a lot of interesting talent at all five positions.

Sexton, a point guard that plays more like a pit bull, leads the crop.

It is impossible to not think of LA Clippers guard Patrick Beverley when watching Collin Sexton try to tear his opponents to shreds with his bare hands. But the main difference between the two is that where Beverley provides elite defense, Sexton provides elite scoring, averaging around 39 points per 40 minutes.

Bridges fits the modern NBA 3-and-D prototype, shooting 38 percent from three mostly off-ball with few glaring weaknesses. He may never be an All-Star but every team in the NBA could use a guy who fits his profile.

Similarly, the Maryland Terrapins’ Justin Jackson has a great three-point stroke (43 percent) and can guard multiple positions. Both he and Bridges should find NBA roles with relative ease.

Like Mohamed Bamba and DeAndre Ayton, Jaren Jackson is the rare center who can stretch the floor and block shots. Jackson is a little farther away from being a positive rim protector. But his size and athleticism give him loads of potential on that end.

Next: Orlando Magic finding out which player is most vital

Trevon Duvall, Kevin Knox, Robert Williams and Troy Brown are a few other names to watch. But this draft is all about the top five. Within that top five a team really cannot go wrong. Rank those players in any order and you would not get much of an argument from me. All of them have distinct star potential.