NBA Finals 2018 season has become a year-round process at this point, as these kids are pretty well-scouted already by the time they hit the NCAA or hit the major international hoops stage. So it's not that surprising that last season, Gary Parrish nailed 11 of the top 23 picks in 2018 in his lottery preview.
In 2018, things are much murkier. The incoming freshman class is not nearly as strong or deep once you get past the top-three players, in my opinion, which is going to lead to more uncertainty at the top. Basically, there are fewer sure things in the Jahlil Okafor, Karl Towns, Emmanuel Mudiay, or even Myles Turner mold this season. Most of the guys involved here have more questions or need some sort of development to get them to the one-and-done level. Also, seemingly fewer players decided to return to school than average, leading to a bit of a lull in the returning NCAA product pool.
So what does that mean moving forward? Well, that means once you get past the top-seven or so players, this one is going to be wide open. Here's how I'm tentatively listing out my top-14 prospects for 2018.