Zion Williamson, unsurprisingly, remains at No. 1 in the latest mock draft from ESPN insiders Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz. As Schmitz explains, while Williamson was already considered a lock to stay in that top spot, his performance in last week’s ACC tournament was the “latest reminder of just how far ahead of his peers he is.” Schmitz adds that the Duke forward is “far and away the most impressive collegiate prospect I’ve ever evaluated.”
Further down the draft board, Schmitz’s describes Cam Reddish‘s ACC tournament performance as the “most alarming of his yearlong disappearing acts,” though Reddish still comes in at No. 6 overall.
Meanwhile, at No. 11 overall, UNC’s Coby White has emerged as the third-best point guard in the 2019 class behind Ja Morant and Darius Garland, Schmitz writes. Morant and Garland both come in as top-four selections in ESPN’s latest mock.
Here’s more on the 2019 NBA draft:
- Valparaiso junior Derrik Smits confirmed on Monday that he plans to test the draft waters this spring, per Paul Oren of The Times of Northwest Indiana (Twitter link). The seven-footer, the son of longtime Pacers center Rik Smits, will transfer to another program if he decides to withdraw from the draft.
- SMU guard Jimmy Whitt has announced (via Twitter) that he’s entering his name in the 2019 draft pool. Whitt, who began his college career at Arkansas, averaged 12.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 4.0 APG in his junior year for SMU.
- Ben Nadeau of Basketball Insiders identifies four prospects he believes will improve their stocks between now and draft day, starting with their performances in the NCAA tournament. Villanova’s Eric Paschall and Duke’s Tre Jones are among Nadeau’s picks.
He is essentially the same talent at 19 as Kobe and Lebron but was forced to go to one year of college.
He’s been fun to watch
Poor baby, forced into a year of college. Forever linked to Duke U
Not even a full year of college. I will be glad the “one and done” is going away.
The 1-and-done isnt going away. When guys are allowed to enter the draft out of high school, players that choose to go to college will still be able to come out after 1 year if they deem themselves ready.
No one forced him he said he wanted to play college ball
He wasn’t forced to attend college. He could have gone overseas. However, he wanted to attend college. And from a marketing standpoint it certainly worked out for him I’d say.
Kobe and LeBron weren’t the same talent coming out of high school. LeBron was a starter for every team in the league. Zion is more similar to….. Herschel Walker!
my draft boar’s got zion @ 3. he’ll need 2-3 yrs before/if he makes the transition, atlanta would be a great fit
You’d make a great GM.
Is a draft boar like a draft horse?
Low center of gravity pulls the plow right into the ground
Who tf do you have at 1 & 2? There is literally zero talents as game changing as him