the draft class was the youngest draft class to date, with the most freshmen and fewest seniors selected in the first round; the top seven picks in the draft were college freshmen. it was the third time, and the second in a row, that three players were selected from serbian team kk mega basket in the same draft (vlatko čančar, ognjen jaramaz, alpha kaba), with it previously occurring during the 2014 and 2016 nba draft. the draft also received a lot of media coverage from espn pertaining to eventual no. 2 pick lonzo ball and his outspoken father, lavar ball, much to the chagrin of many sports fans and even some espn employees. this was one of the rare occasions where a player drafted from their year did not win rookie of the year; the award went to 2016 first overall pick ben simmons, the first player since blake griffin to win the award in a year he wasn't drafted.