While most NBA fans are currently glued to their televisions every night watching playoff basketball, the 2019 NBA Draft is now less than two months away, meaning it’s also time for fans to begin thinking about what their favorite team is going to do on June 20.
Fortunately, Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated has put together a constructive FAQ piece to help the average fan with some common questions related to the NBA Draft process. From whether Zion Williamson is a lock for the No. 1 overall pick to the new rules regarding agents, Woo does a nice job giving an overview of this year’s hot topics.
One of those topics is how the NBA continues to attempt to improve its pre-draft process with the addition of the inaugural G League Elite Camp set to take place from May 12–14 (the night of the NBA lottery), followed by the combine from May 15–19. Part of the camp includes testing of fringe-combine prospects who, if they perform well during the camp, will earn combine invitations.
There are some more draft-related notes to pass along this evening:
- Daulton Hommes, the 2018/19 Division II Men’s National Player of the Year, will reportedly keep in his name in the 2019 NBA Draft and forego his final season of college basketball, per Mark Zeigler of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Hommes, 22, played his college ball at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and is one of the only D-II players to crack ESPN’s big board, currently coming in at No. 93.
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has put out his latest mock draft, and he’s shared some interesting information he obtained from one high-level NBA front office representative. Per that individual, there’s no such thing as a “bad” draft from an NBA scouting perspective, as each team is generally only looking for one player who exceeds the value of where their team’s draft slot is located. Therefore, the league’s premier front offices have confidence they can come away with a player they like relative to their draft position.
- Maryland sophomore forward Bruno Fernando, ESPN’s No. 34 prospect, will remain in the draft, per a message posted on his Twitter account. In the post, Fernando thanks God and everyone who helped him at Maryland along his journey, including his teammates, professors, coaching staff, and head coach Mark Turgeon. Fernando had until May 29 to officially remain the the draft.