Potential 2019 lottery pick Darius Garland has withdrawn from Vanderbilt after suffering a season-ending knee injury, he announced on Tuesday (via Twitter). According to Garland, he made the decision after “considerable deliberation” with his family and medical staff, and his focus going forward will be on preparing for the draft.
“It was a really hard to decision from sitting down with my family,” Garland said, per Evan Daniels of 247Sports.com. “I talked to coach [Bryce] Drew and the coaching staff and it was the best fit for me because of where I’m placed right now is really unbelievable especially coming off the injury. Just having a chance to play in the league, which I’ve been dreaming about that since I can remember, playing in the NBA, just having that chance I couldn’t turn that down.”
As Daniels observes, Garland and Murray State’s Ja Morant look like the two clear top point guards in the 2019 draft class, and both players figure to be top-10 picks. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony agrees with that assessment, placing Garland seventh in his latest mock draft.
Garland appeared in just five games for Vanderbilt before having his season cut short by his knee issue, but looked good in that limited sample size, averaging 16.2 PPG on .537/.478/.750 shooting. One high-ranking NBA executive tells Daniels that he thinks the knee injury will have “zero” impact on the freshman’s draft stock.
“I think they are being cautious and that’s a good thing,” the exec said. “There’s too much body of work. Anyone that has done their homework, knows what his game and know who he is as a person.”
Hoops Hype has the most recent aggregate mock drafts from Draft.net, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, The Athletic, and Bleacher Report. The other point guards considered first round are Tre Jones of Duke, who lacks athleticism and is considered late first round, and Quentin Grimes of Kansas, once projected to go in the top 10, but has had a poor season, and now may return to Kansas for next season.
The NBA is trying to end one and done incrementally, but it can’t end soon enough for colleges and their basketball programs or the kids. The current system can’t withstand the scrutiny that, at some point, it will inevitably come under.
It’s needs to end ASAP. It sucks for the college system. It definitely sucks for these talented players that actually want to get paid, and not risk injury in college. I guess it’s OK for the league as teams can evaluate further, but looking at how many lottery picks don’t work out, it’s not exactly helping teams evaluate that much.
So you think the league’s evaluation process will improve by letting players come in earlier?
It (age limit) was never all about evaluation, which matters only in a relative sense. Remember, nobody ever really wanted “1 and done” as it exists. League wanted (still officially wants) an age limit of 20. NBAPA didn’t want any age limit (which was the status quo at the time). 19 was the lose-lose compromise.
It’s a funny thing for a union to want, no age limits. Usually unions protect vets, not beginners. That is practically why they exist. But that’s IRL. The function of a rich folks union is so that there is someone official to sign off on salary restrictions.
That rule (no age limits) DOES protect the vets