It seemed unlikely, as recently as a year ago, that the youngest Ball brother (LaMelo) would be selected higher in this draft than the oldest Ball brother (Lonzo) was selected three drafts ago — but here we are. The 6-6 point guard, who is still only 18 years-old, has developed into an incredible playmaker and passer who faired well playing professionally in Australia this past season. Some will choose to focus on his perceived negatives and low shooting percentages. But when you focus on what he can do, and how rare it is for somebody his age to do those things he can do, Ball becomes a legitimate option to be the first player picked in this draft.

Nobody helped himself more this season than Toppin. The former zero-star recruit turned CBS Sports National Player of the Year averaged 20.0 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 63.3% from the field and 39.0% from 3-point range. He’s a super-athletic forward who dunks everything and reliably makes jumpers in pick-and-pop situations. That he’s already 22 years old is something that must be considered. But it shouldn’t matter as much as the idea that Toppin has a chance to be the most impactful player selected in this draft.

Edwards is a big, strong and athletic guard who is one of at least four players who could reasonably be selected first overall. The 6-5 freshman averaged 19.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in his one season at Georgia — but only shot 40.2% from the field and 29.4% from 3-point range. So he was really good but hardly great. And though I clearly see the same potential for stardom that everybody else sees with Edwards, I simply think Ball and Toppin will have better NBA careers.

Wiseman’s decision to quit on Memphis midseason raised eyebrows with some NBA executives — but his natural ability is so overwhelming that he can’t possibly slip too far in a draft this devoid of high-end talent. Obviously, this is the worst time in the history of professional basketball to be a center and only a center because the position has never been less valued. But it’s still hard to imagine a physical specimen like Wiseman going any lower, or at least much lower, than fourth or fifth in this draft.

Avdija should be the first non-American international prospect to come off the board. He’s a former Most Valuable Player of the FIBA Under-20 European Championships who is now a rotation player for Maccabi Tel Aviv. The 19 year-old Israeli performed well in games leading up to the season being suspended. At 6-9, he’s tall enough to play power forward and skilled enough to play on the wing. His shooting has improved. So, according to most evaluators, Avdija now projects as a likely top-five pick.

Anthony’s in-season knee surgery that limited him to just 22 games is the biggest reason — not the only reason, but definitely the biggest reason — the Tar Heels’ season spiraled. Remember, they were 6-3 with a win over the eventual Pac-12 champion (Oregon) before Anthony got hurt — but were never the same afterward. The 6-3 point guard’s shooting numbers as a freshman leave something to be desired, but he took so many tough shots, sometimes out of necessity, that it’s hard to know exactly what to make of them. Either way, Anthony probably isn’t a real option at No. 1 like he was once believed to be. But a spot in the top half of the lottery is still attainable.

Okongwu mostly operated off of the national radar this season because he played for an unranked team on the West Coast. But he was fantastic — averaging 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds while shooting 61.6% from the field. He’s the main reason USC won 16 of its first 20 games and would’ve been in the NCAA Tournament. Is he an undersized big? Yes, probably. But the NBA is now littered with undersized bigs. So even though he wasn’t thought of this way coming out of high school, it’s now reasonable to call Okongwu the second best big prospect in the draft.

Halburton, like Toppin, is an example of a mostly unheralded high school prospect who became a statistical monster in college. The 6-5 sophomore averaged 15.2 points, 6.5 assists and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 50.4% from the field and 41.9% from 3-point range before suffering a season-ending injury in early February. So he’s a lead guard with size who consistently makes shots. And there’s not a team in the NBA that couldn’t use a player who fits that description.

Hayes is an American-born lead guard who was raised in France and spent this season playing professionally in Germany. The 18 year-old shared Most Valuable Player honors in the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic international game and was averaging 12.0 points and 5.6 assists for a German team before the season was suspended. Hayes is better inside of the arc than he is outside of the arc, which is one way to say his 3-point shot must improve. But he already does enough things well enough to make him worthy of a lottery pick.

Okoro was merely a borderline top-40 prospect coming out of high school but quickly emerged as one of college basketball’s best freshmen. He averaged 12.9 points and 4.4 rebounds for an Auburn team that started 15-0 and finished 24-4 with Okoro in the lineup. His athleticism and ability to shutdown opposing wings thanks to unusually great defensive instincts for an 18 year-old are his best attributes. A franchise looking for a high-upside player who impacts winning should make him a top-10 pick.

Hampton could’ve been a difference-maker for Kansas and made the Jayhawks even better than what they were — which was already the best team in the country. That’s wild to consider. But it was always hard to blame him for pursuing an opportunity to play overseas, make real money and prepare for the draft by competing against professionals. He’ll be a combo guard in the NBA, probably for many years to come, thanks to a versatile offensive game that allows him to make plays in a variety of ways.

The ceiling on Memphis’ season was lowered drastically when Wiseman quit, but it’s hard to argue Achiuwa didn’t personally benefit at least statistically. The super-athletic forward averaged 15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds, making him the only freshman in the sport to average a double-double. He’s terrific in transition, effective around the rim, comfortable away from it and capable of guarding smaller players in space. All of that, combined with a great motor, should be enough to make Achiuwa a lottery pick.

Bey was merely a sub-125 recruit in the Class of 2018, the least-heralded prospect in Villanova’s four-player class. So the idea that he can be a two-and-done player who gets selected in the first round speaks to his development, and growth, over the past two years. The 6-8 forward averaged 16.1 points while making 45.1% of his 3-point attempts this season for a Villanova team that shared the Big East title. He has the potential to be very good on both ends of the court.

It’s true that Nesmith only played 14 games this season before suffering a season-ending foot injury — meaning the sample size is on the smallish side. But it can’t be ignored that the 6-6 guard made 52.2% of the 115 3-pointers he attempted. That’s an incredible percentage. When you consider Nesmith has great size for his position, plus a good body, it’s not crazy to think he could sneak into the back side of the lottery.

Maxey got 26 points in the season-opening victory over Michigan State while showing all of the things that made most assume he’d be UK’s leading scorer. But, for much of the season, the 6-3 freshman was inconsistent while making just 29.2 percent of his 3-point attempts. Regardless, Maxey still mostly projects as a lottery pick because he measures well, presumably can be a better shooter than he showed this season, and is really good at scoring inside the arc.

Maledon is a skilled athlete and interesting prospect — even if this season, while playing professionally in France, didn’t go smoothly. He missed time with an injury and was mostly underwhelming, although, in fairness, he played better as the season progressed .Either way, it’s important to note, in 2018, he became the youngest LNB All-Star in history. And the talent that made that possible still exists.

Stewart was perhaps the only good thing about Washington’s wildly disappointing season that culminated with the Huskies finishing last in the Pac-12. The 6-9 center led Washington in points (17.0), rebounds (8.8) and blocks (2.1). Scouts acknowledge guarding in space could be a problem at the next level. But Stewart’s high motor, incredible production, and better-than-some realize skillset should keep him in the top 20.

Mannion only shot 32.7% from 3-point range this season, which obviously isn’t great for a lead guard who has the ball in his hands a lot. But he’s still an interesting talent because of his ability to make reads and run an offense. Is he athletic or physically impressive relative to current high-level NBA point guards? No. And that’s an undeniable concern. But, in the simplest terms, I’m a believer in Mannion figuring things out.

Vassell’s numbers — 12.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game — don’t jump off the screen, but that has more to do with playing at Florida State than anything else. The Seminoles had four players who averaged between 9.2 points and 12.7 points. So Leonard Hamilton’s team was simply balanced at the top. Either way, what’s important to note is that Vassell made 41.7% of his 168 3-point attempts over the past two seasons. That suggests he’s a two-way wing who can make jumpers reliably, which is why he should go in the top 20.

Not all prospects who return for their sophomore seasons actually help themselves — but Smith clearly did. He added strength, improved his field goal percentage by 4.6 points, his 3-point percentage by 8.0 points and averaged more points (15.5), rebounds (10.5) and blocks (2.4) than he did the year before while helping Maryland win a share of the Big Ten title. The 6-10 forward should be able to play either the 4 or the 5 at the next level. That makes him a real option anywhere outside the lottery.

McDaniels is a 6-9 forward who has the skillset to operate on the perimeter, which is the main thing that always made him an obvious one-and-done prospect. But his freshman season did not go well. He was a disappointing team’s most disappointing player — one who led the Pac-12 in fouls. McDaniels, at one point, even got benched by his coach, Mike Hopkins. So while the upside McDaniels possesses will lead to him still getting selected in the first round, he did nothing to help himself in his one season at Washington.

There’s nothing sexy about Jones. He doesn’t create many highlights nor is he a great shooter. But he remains a terrific run-the-team point guard who really defends on one end of the court, and really creates opportunities for his teammates on the other. He averaged 16.2 points and 6.4 assists this season — and actually shot it well enough from the perimeter down the stretch to get his 3-point percentage up to 36.1. So there’s enough good stuff about him to make selecting him in the 20s a sensible option for any franchise comfortable spending a pick in this range on somebody whose ceiling might be lower than others, but whose floor is definitely higher.

Williams is probably more of a longterm investment than an instant-impact rookie considering he’s still only 18 years-old and developing. But the 6-8 forward measures well, was a key piece on a Florida State team that won the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title, and performed strongly down the stretch while scoring in double-figures in five of the Seminoles’ final seven games. Again, it’s possible he won’t help an NBA team much next season. But what Williams could become in a year or two is enough to get him selected in the first round.

Ramsey was a borderline top-35 prospect coming out of high school who, just like Zhaire Smith and Jarrett Culver before him, developed into a projected first-round pick after working with Chris Beard at Texas Tech. The 6-4 guard averaged 15.0 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 42.6% from 3-point range. There are concerns about what else he does really well besides make shots. But shot-making is super-important in today’s NBA. So Ramsey should be selected in the first round — perhaps in the teens but definitely in the 20s.

Tillman used his size and strength to be one of the best defensive bigs in the country this season — one who is also comfortable guarding in space on the perimeter. The 6-8 forward averaged 13.7 points and 10.3 rebounds while shooting 55.0% from the field. He also made 37% of his 3-point attempts inside the Breslin Center, which suggests he’ll be able to make jumpers in the NBA and spend many years in the league as a reliable and quality frontcourt presence.

It’s wild that Arizona only finished tied for fifth in the Pac-12 with three projected first-round picks, but that’s what happened — and some of it was tied to Green’s inconsistency. He showed flashes, sure. But the truth is that the 6-6 wing is more advanced defensively than offensively, and there are real concerns about his ability to put the ball on the floor and pass it. So while his athleticism and toughness will get him picked in the first round, the questions attached to Green could theoretically push him outside of the top 30.

This same version of Carey would be a top-10 pick in a different era. But with un-athletic centers devalued and sometimes unplayable in today’s NBA, there are a lot of things working against the Duke star even though he was the best freshman in college basketball this season while averaging 17.8 points and 8.8 rebounds for a team that finished fifth at KenPom. Will he be played off the floor by certain opponents in certain situations? Yes, that seems likely. And that’s why going somewhere in the 20s, as opposed to somewhere in the lottery, is probably a best-case scenario for Carey.

Lewis is a sophomore but will still only be 19 years-old on draft night. So he’s young. And he’s light. But the 6-3 point was super-productive this season — averaging 18.5 points, 5.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds for an Alabama team that finished 60th at KenPom. He made 48.8% of his 3-point attempts in the Crimson Tide’s final seven games. So it appears he can be a reliable, and perhaps terrific, perimeter shooter as professional.

Winston is small and not the best athlete. So he’ll never measure or test great — and that’ll turn some franchises away. But he’s smart, great in pick-and-roll situations and someone who has proven to be a high-level shooter in all four years of college by making 43.0% of the 602 3-pointers he attempted in his Michigan State career. Teams picking in this range are often good teams already winning in search of a piece who can maybe help immediately. And Winston is somebody who could help an NBA team immediately.

Nnaji emerged as the biggest surprise of Arizona’s freshman class. The 6-11 forward was a borderline top-40 prospect coming out of high school, just the Wildcats’ third-best recruit on paper. But he was Sean Miller’s most productive player — one who averaged a team-high 16.1 points and a team-high 8.6 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game. The best-case scenario has Nnaji developing into a power forward who can create space rather than trying to be a full-time center because he’s not really a rim-protector. Either way, this deep in the first round, the fast-developing prospect is deserving of a serious look.