The Los Angeles Lakers received strong grades for their first round selections in the 2017 NBA Draft; how did the rest of the NBA fare?
The Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets got the 2017 NBA Draft festivities started a few days early when they agreed to a trade Tuesday. It didn’t become official until Thursday when the 2017 NBA Draft took place.
30 players had their dreams fulfilled hearing their name called by commissioner Adam Silver as a first round selection.
The Boston Celtics won the first pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, but traded it to the Philadelphia 76ers. It was no secret who the 76ers were taking, as Markelle Fultz was the clear-cut No.1 prospect of this year’s draft class.
How did the 76ers and the rest of the NBA fare in the first round? Check out our full 2017 NBA Draft first round grades, starting with Philadelphia’s selection of Fultz.
Due to a recent trade, there wasn’t much question about who would be the first overall pick in the NBA Draft. The Philadelphia have been trusting the process and that has resulted in them having the first overall pick once again after a trade with the Boston Celtics.
Throughout the draft process, Washington point guard Markelle Fultz has been the top prospect, and that’s exactly who the 76ers will be taking. The hope in Philadelphia is that Fultz will be the final piece to an impressive young core that already has Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
The 76ers have been one of the worst teams in the NBA in recent years, but that might have finally paid off. Fultz appears to be a great prospect coming out of college. He has the size and speed to be an elite point guard on both ends of the court. In college, he was able to fill up a stat sheet with ease.
Now, the 76ers will be poised to be one of the teams to watch in the Eastern Conference. Injuries have been an issue so far for them. However, they have arguably the best young core in basketball after they take Fultz first overall.