The 2019 NBA Draft is quickly approaching and all eyes will be glued to the screen to see who their favorite team selects. While no one truly knows who will select who we do know that there are some future stars in the making although not as many as previous drafts.
There are three guys in this draft that are separated from the pack Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, and RJ Barrett. All three are coming off of huge years and have big expectations at the pro level. Then there’s you second tier guys like Jarrett Culver, Cam Reddish, and De’Andre Hunter who can be key complementary pieces to a team.
Take a look below at where the top 60 rank on my big board.
1.Ja Morant PG-Murray State
Coming out of Murray State, Morant has all the makings of a star point guard in the NBA. At 6’3 and weighing a lean 175lbs he soars above the rim with endless highlight reel dunks and is able to finish strong at the rim while using his elite speed to get by defenders. His ball handling and excellent court vision allows him to make plays for not only himself but his teammates as well. Morant will likely be a top 3 pick and could eventually be one of the top guards in the league.
2.Zion Williamson PF-Duke
At 6’7 and 285lbs Zion is a force to be reckoned with at the rim and out on the break. His superhuman frame matched with his speed and strength allows him to terrorize rims all over the country. For his size Zion has unheard of agility and is able to get out on the break and make plays for him and his teammates as well as swat shots into the 10th row on the defensive end. His quickness allows him to recover if he is beat and he is able to use his agility to get to the hoop at will. If this former Duke star is able to tune up his jumper Watch Out!
3.RJ Barrett SG/SF-Duke
This former Blue Devil is ready to take over the league and is ready to lead whatever team he joins. Hailing from Ontario,Canada RJ Barrett in many eyes is the top wing in the draft. While at Duke alongside the likes of Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish Barrett was able to put together a solid freshman year averaging 22.6ppg 7.6rpg and just over four assists while shooting nearly 50% from the field. His playmaking ability and knowledge of the game show early signs of a long star studded career in the NBA who many would love to have on their team.
4.Jarrett Culver SG/SF-Texas Tech
Culver who is listed at 6’5 looks more like 6’7 in person and uses his length to his advantage on both ends of the floor. Culver is in many minds the best defender in the draft and is able to use his length to block shots and poke balls away which is arguably his best asset. On offense Culvers bread and butter move was his hesitation dribble that often got him that first step to blow by defenders. Culver was able to show a ton of improvement from his first year to his second while at Texas Tech. He improved his points per game average by 7.5 points and lead the Red Raiders to their first ever final four and first national championship appearance. Culver’s talents will be coveted by many teams in the draft.
5.Cam Reddish SG/SF-Duke
Reddish is one of the most interesting pieces in this years draft and has a chance to have the best NBA career out of all the draft hopefuls. The former number three ranked prospect coming out of high school played his college ball at Duke where most of the time he saw himself playing in the shadows of Barrett and Williamson, and even though he didn’t get as many touches as he would have liked (averaging only 13.5ppg) that didn’t stop him from showing off his elite athleticism and NBA potential. His three point shooting is one of the things that sets him apart from the rest and mainly his ability to catch and shoot and being able to be a threat scoring off the ball. Reddish is the perfect player to pair with another young piece to build around or to add as depth off the bench to come in and be a scorer on a team that already has a nucleus, making him one of the most desired players this years draft.
Below is the full list of the top 60 draft prospects on my big board.
6.Coby White PG-North Carolina
7.Darius Garland PG-Vanderbilt
8.De’Andre Hunter SF-Virginia
9.Bol Bol C-Oregon
10.Jaxon Hayes PF/C-Texas
11.Rui Hachimura SF/PF-Gonzaga
12.Sekou Doumbouya SF/PF-France
13.PJ Washington PF-Kentucky
14.Brandon Clarke PF/C-Gonzaga
15.Tyler Herro SG-Kentucky
16.Romeo Langford SG/SF-Indiana
17.Nassir Little SF-North Carolina
18.Nickeil Alexander-Walker SG-Virginia Tech
19.Kevin Porter Jr. SG-USC
20.Cameron Johnson SF-North Carolina
21.Keldon Johnson SF-Kentucky
22.Goga Bitadze C-Republic of Georgia
23.Mfiondu Kabengele C-Florida State
24.Grant Williams PF-Tennessee
25.KZ Okpala SF-Stanford
26.Nicolas Claxton PF-Georgia
27.Bruno Fernando PF-Maryland
28.Darius Bazley SF-Princeton HS (OH)
29.Eric Paschall PF-Villanova
30.Matisse Thybulle SF-Washington
31.Luka Samanic PF-Croatia
32.Ty Jerome PG/SG Virginia
33.Carsen Edwards PG-Purdue
34.Luguentz Dort SG-Arizona State
35.Admiral Schofield SF-Tennessee
36.Talen Horton-Tucker SF-Iowa State
37.Chuma Okeke PF-Auburn
38.Dylan Windler SF-Belmont
39.Terence Davis SG-Ole Miss
40.Isaiah Roby PF-Nebraska
41.Daniel Gafford C-Arkansas
42.Jontay Porter C-Missouri
43.Shamorie Ponds PG-St. Johns
44.DaQuan Jeffries SG-Tulsa
45.Jalen Lecque PG-Brewster Academy (NH)
46.Zylan Cheatham PF-Arizona State
47.Deividas Sirvydis SF-Lithuania
48.Tremont Waters PG-LSU
49.Louis King SF-Oregon
50.Miye Oni SG-Yale
51.Jaylen Hoard PF-Wake Forest
52.Jordan Bone PG-Tennessee
53.Jordan Poole SG-Michigan
54.Quinndary Weatherspoon SG-Mississippi State
55.Nazreon Reid C-LSU
56.Zach Norvell Jr. SG-Gonzaga
57.Jalen McDaniels PF-San Diego State
58.Dedric Lawson PF-Kansas
59.Jared Harper PG-Auburn
60.Jaylen Hands PG-UCLA