5 Bold predictions for the 2018 NBA draft class

#2 Trae Young will have the better rookie season, but Collin Sexton will have the better career

Sexton (L, first row), Young (C, first row) and Doncic (R, first row)

The fates of the three rookies standing in the front row in the picture above shall forever be linked to those of each other. Before the draft, Sexton vs Young was a debate a lot of analysts were having as to who the most NBA-ready point guard is right now, while the Mavs traded up in the draft to pick Doncic, sending Trae Young the other way to the Atlanta Hawks.

These 3 are the top non-big picks of the draft, and all of them will be playing as point guards for their teams for the most part - except a few short spells for Doncic. I have reserved my judgement for him in a latter slide, but between Young and Sexton, Young is by far the more finished product as of now.

Neither Young nor Sexton projects as a starter at this moment, since the Hawks have acquired Jeremy Lin from the Nets while the Cavs still have George Hill at this point. But Young's accuracy from deep and his playmaking ability are a notch above Sexton's right now, and he is likely to get much heavier minutes and a bigger role than Sexton. This vaults him into Rookie of the Year contention.

But Sexton's physical gifts will probably count for more in the long haul. He already looks among the fastest players in the league right now (based on what we observed from the Summer League), and he's a tough-nosed defender who looks primed to be a two-way menace in the long run. If we could gaze through a crystal ball right now, I'm positive that Sexton will emerge as the player with the better career.