2019 NBA Draft Mock Draft 1.0

Our first mock in preparation for the 2019 NBA Draft

1. New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson, Duke [Editor’s note: Duh]
2. Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant, Murray State
3. New York Knicks: RJ Barrett, Duke
4. Los Angeles Lakers: Darius Garland, Vanderbilt
5. Cleveland Cavaliers: De’Andre Hunter, Virginia
6. Phoenix Suns: Coby White, North Carolina
7. Chicago Bulls: Cam Reddish, Duke
8. Atlanta Hawks: Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech
9. Washington Wizards: Sekou Doumbaya, International/Limoges CSP
10. Atlanta Hawks: Jaxson Hayes, Texas
11. Minnesota Timberwolves: Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga
12. Charlotte Hornets: Nassir Little, North Carolina
13. Miami Heat: Kevin Porter Jr., USC
14. Boston Celtics: Romeo Langford, Indiana

Disclaimer: If I don’t talk about the pick in-depth below, that means that I assume the team will draft the best player available or for positional need. You can ask any questions about this mock to me on Twitter @ZenMasterMike

Zion Williamson and Ja Morant are no-brainer picks that don’t need a ton of analysis in this space. They are both generational talents that give New Orleans and Memphis clear championship windows. Between Williamson and Morant, I am less sure on Morant, whose awkward jumpshot form and small physical frame could hurt his chances to become an absolute superstar. But either way both players will be awesome day one Rookie of the Year front-runners.

Bulls Need to Make Lonzo Ball a Priority

Things start to get interesting at the №3 and №4 picks. I expect the New York Knicks to select RJ Barrett with the third pick in the draft for three BIG reasons.

1. His NCAA production was great (22.6 PPG/ 7.6 RPG/ 4.3 APG)
2. He has the star power to appeal to the NY market
3. He is likely the second or third best prospect on most NBA draft boards, meaning he likely has the highest trade value

The Knicks will want to get in on the Anthony Davis sweepstakes, and have all the time in the world to wait out the other suitors, even more so if they get Kevin Durant as expected. As far as the Lakers, I trust that the only thing that I know about the Lakers, is that they should be expected to do literally anything.

With the Lakers being so predictably unpredictable, what I definitely count on is them doing something dramatic. In this case I do believe there is some smoke to the fire that is the Lonzo Ball trade rumors. So that leaves them looking at top PGs in the 2019, leading to the selection of Darius Garland.

Bulls Need to Make Lonzo Ball a Priority

It definitely makes sense for Rob Pelinka and the rest of the Lakers front office to look for a point guard with some solid scoring skills, and Garland is definitely that.

That being said, it will be interesting to see if the Lakers are willing to stake so much of their future on a PG with so little NCAA gametape. Garland’s background heading into the draft is slightly similar to that of Kyrie Irving — who only played 303 minutes over eight games in his lone year at Duke — and it is easy to see LeBron talking himself into Garland as the pick. But more likely is that he continues his run of trading rookies for veterans, which brings us to picks №6 and №7…..

As we get closer to the draft, my prediction is that the Bulls (unfortunately) become the third team that comes in to facilitate the Anthony Davis-to-the-Lakers trade waiting to happen, which makes the Garland pick a little more intriguing. Either way, with Garland off the board I see the Suns taking Coby White as the best PG available, with the size to develop into a solid defender next to Devin Booker.

With all of the point guards off the board, the Bulls front office jumps at the opportunity to take the highest rated player left on their board, Duke’s Cam Reddish. He flashed playmaking potential in high school but averaged more turnovers (2.7) than assists at Duke. He didn’t shoot the 3-ball well in college (33.3 percent) or finish at the rim at a solid rate. There were big moments for Cam throughout the rough season though, including his (albeit wide-open) game-winning 3-pointer against Florida State.

But what Reddish did do consistently, was show an ability to play great defense. If he can stay engaged on defense at the next level, Reddish figures to be an excellent fit next to Zach LaVine. He has legit star potential if he develops into an elite movement and spot-up shooter at the next level.

The last thing I felt the need to touch on was a few Southeast Division teams taking shots on high-upside prospects. I absolutely love the fit of Sekou Doumbaya on the new direction Washington Wizards. The team is a clean slate of sorts with John Wall out for the 2019–20 season, and a Bradley Beal-Doumbaya pick-and-roll could have devastatingly effective results.

Doumbaya is ridiculously young (18 years old) and has the potential to turn in a two-way forward with some serious Giannis-like grab-and-go ability. The Wizards don’t have much in terms of long-term upside on their roster, and he has that in spades. Doumbaya is also a player who serves a clear role playing next to Beal and one day Wall, as a high-energy forward who can crash the glass, and should be an effective rim protector in time.

Is Mike Conley to the Bulls the Right or Wrong Move?

The final pick I will discuss here is Miami Heat President Pat Riley taking Kevin Porter Jr. at №14. KPJ is one of my favorite prospects, the ultimate “boom-or-bust” prospect. I have discussed at length how his amazing ability to create separation puts him in the upper echelon of prospects despite a lack of production and some character concerns.

Porter Jr. averaged 17.2 points per 40 minutes, and a decent amount on his baskets came on shots with an incredibly high degree of difficulty.

Without the necessary cap space to make a big free agent splash, taking a chance on a player who has the skills to develop into a big-time scorer would be a prudent move by Riley.