2019 NBA Draft Prep

[Jamaaliver]

Considering we're likely to be back in the lottery next summer, we might as well start tracking the HS kids as they make their way from amateur to potential draftees.

Read on Twitter

My top 5:

1. R.J. Barrett, SF — Duke

Barrett has been no stranger to the spotlight throughout his high school career. He absolutely destroyed all of his competition playing for Canada at the FIBA U19 World Championships last summer. Barrett is a elite driver that can find lanes on almost any defense. He is a constant competitor and a quality playmaker at the forward position. Barrett may not have all the athletic gifts that Cam Reddish and Zion Williamson have. However, he is easily the most polished prospect of any elite player in this draft class.


2. Cam Reddish, SF — Duke

Reddish has been the most underwhelming prospects during the high school All-Star season. Most of the gripes coming from incredibly low effort levels. However, there is no denying that Reddish is the most talented prospect in this class. His combination of physical and athletic tools to go along with his talent do not come around very often. He has improved his jump shot and handles the ball extremely well for a player his size. With a great season at Duke, Reddish could easily be the unanimous No. 1.


7. De’Andre Hunter, SF/PF — Virginia

Hunter looked poised to have a breakout NCAA tournament and be a key part of Virginia’s March run. Unfortunately, injuries kept Hunter out of the tournament and ultimately lead him to return to school. Hunter really thrived working out of the high post with Virginia and projects to have a ton of defensive versatility in the NBA. If he can develop his handle and work on some one-on-one situational scoring, Hunter will likely outplay his generous preseason ranking


9. Rui Hachimura, PF/SF — Gonzaga

Hachimura made a smart decision returning to Gonzaga for his junior season. He turns a possible first round selection in the 2018 Draft to a likely lottery selection in 2019. Hachimura has elite length. Hachimura is an aggressive cutter and driver offensively that can finish over larger defenders with his length. He gets to the hoop effectively with long strides rather than blowing by defenders. With a more consistent outside shot and adding more muscle onto his encouraging frame, Hachimura could be a standout forward prospect.


10. Louis King, SF — Oregon

Louis King already has an NBA body and elite length. He handles the ball fairly well for his size, and right now King excels in the up and down transition game and finishing through contact. It will be very interesting to see how he fits in and develops with all of the incoming talent Oregon will have on their team next season.

Here

[Jamaaliver]

Names to consider:

23. Donte DiVincenzo, SG/PG — Villanova

We are on a streak of Wildcats here and are not stopping now. DiVincenzo was the hero of the tournament and is known as the Michael Jordan of Delaware. Unfortunately, I think DiVincenzo does not want to ride his tournament bandwagon into the second round of this year’s draft. DiVincenzo’s handle, athleticism and shooting are all alluring traits. However, if he can put together another quality year on another quality Villanova team, he has a better chance of going in the first round in 2019.

24. Omari Spellman, C — Villanova

Pretty much the entire Villanova roster saw a spike in their draft stock after March. Spellman is not a great athlete, but has a very aggressive motor to go along with elite length and a 7’2″ wingspan. There’s easy appeal for Spellman as a real floor spacer at the 5 position, shooting 43 percent from the 3-point line this season. Spellman also declared for the draft, but he probably comes back because of how top-heavy this big man class is.

Hoops Habit


I like DiVincenzo, but agree he needed to go back for another year or two.

Omari Spellman reminds me a bit of Jontay Porter...for better or worse.

[Jamaaliver]

16. Bol Bol, C — Oregon

Our first freshman has appeared on this list. Son of former NBA center Manute Bol, Bol Bol has his dad’s length. Unfortunately, he also inherited his dad’s frame. Bol is widely regarded as a top-five college recruit, but even if there is college success for Bol, it is hard to see it translating. If he puts some weight on and gets more aggressive defensively and on the boards, then maybe he will draw more NBA attention. However, there is no denying a player with Bol’s length and shooting ability is enticing.


18. Carsen Edwards, PG — Purdue

Carsen Edwards is a score-first point guard that is an excellent and efficient scorer. He scored in almost every way possible in his sophomore season at Purdue. He does not have great size for the position at 6’1″ but his length makes up for it a bit. Edwards also has declared for the draft, but is better staying out because this 2019 NBA Draft class looks to be extremely weak for point guards.

Hoops Habit


I don't know much of Bol Bol. But Carsen reminds me of Aaron Brooks (and Trey Burke.)
Undersized, high-level scoring PG with sub-par passing and bad defense.

[Spud2nique]

I’ve been eyeing Zion, Bol Bol and Winston’s Garland’s little rugrat for a minute now. Reddish and Barrett a must most def.

[Jamaaliver]

I’ve been eyeing Zion, Bol Bol and Winston’s Garland’s little rugrat for a minute now. Reddish and Barrett a must most def.

Yes. You have mentioned Manute Jr a number of times. I've literally never watched any of these kids. So after we get this draft in the books, I do look forward to examining the 2019 class a little deeper.

[Spud2nique]

I’ve been eyeing Zion, Bol Bol and Winston’s Garland’s little rugrat for a minute now. Reddish and Barrett a must most def.

Yes. You have mentioned Manute Jr a number of times. I've literally never watched any of these kids. So after we get this draft in the books, I do look forward to examining the 2019 class a little deeper.

Add Romeo Langford for me as well. Knew I was forgetting somebody.

[Spud2nique]

Watch on YouTube

[jayu70]

I don't watch college ball so there is no way I know anything about these high schoolers.

[Robo_Claw]

I like divincenzo from what I saw in the championship game. Dude was cold blooded. I have no clue how to evaluate college or hs players though.

[King Ken]

It's way too soon.

[Spud2nique]

It's way too soon.

Nah never too soon. But I feel ya.

[Jamaaliver]

NBADraft.net has Bruno Fernando as the No. 2 prospect in 2019

It’s far from whatever consensus exists, but will surely catch some eyes.

Though he’s currently testing the process for 2018, Bruno Fernando’s 2019 NBA Draft prospects are highly thought of by at least one outlet.

In its latest mock of next year’s draft, NBADraft.net projects Maryland’s Fernando as the No. 2 prospect, between Duke commit R.J. Barrett at No. 1 and North Carolina commit Nasir Little at No. 3. Their current consensus mock of this year’s draft has Fernando at No. 54.

While incredibly eye-catching, there’s no current consensus on the Angolan center’s draft stock. He’s not ranked in ESPN’s top 100 for 2018 (I’d expect him to be soon) and doesn’t appear on its 2019 mock. While other mock drafts have him somewhere in the first round or unmentioned entirely for 2019.

Fernando’s averages of 10.3 points, 6.5 boards and 1.3 blocks earned him a Big Ten All-Freshman nod. Now he’s looking to capitalize, but it’s hard to peg down what that entails. He could potentially play himself into the late first round of 2018, and worked out with the Atlanta Hawks this week.

SB Nation

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

1. R.J. Barrett, G/F, Duke | HS Sr.

Height: 6'7" | Weight: 210 | Age: 17

As it stands, Barrett is on track to follow Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett as the third Canadian-born No. 1 pick in the last seven drafts. An athletic, slashing wing, Barrett’s ability to get to the basket and create off the dribble coupled with the consistency of his play has earned him the top spot coming out of high school. He’ll eventually have to address NBA teams’ concerns about his jump shot. Watching Barrett, Cam Reddish and Zion Williamson share one ball at Duke this fall will be fascinating.

2. Cameron Reddish, G/F, Duke | HS Sr.

Height: 6'9" | Weight: 205 | Age: 18

Reddish is as talented as anyone in next year’s class (if not more), capable of running the point or playing off the ball and possesses a natural blend of size and strength. He has high-end ability to change speeds and generate space off the dribble, and sees the floor at a high enough level to play point guard at times. It’s early but NBA scouts have concerns about his approach to the game, which is frequently passive. If Duke can get the most out of Reddish the results could be scary, but he can’t be content to sit back and coast.

[Jamaaliver]

One of my faves for the 2019 Draft:

9. Rui Hachimura, F, Gonzaga | Sophomore

Height: 6'8" | Weight: 225 | Age: 20

Some around the league speculated Hachimura may have had a chance to sneak into the back end of the 2018 lottery had he stayed in the draft. Instead, he’ll return to a loaded Gonzaga team that should have a strong shot at the Final Four. A powerful athlete and finisher who should be able to play both forward spots, Hachimura has clear NBA-caliber tools even though he's still raw in several areas. He stands to refine his game off the dribble, and NBA teams will be looking for him to take a step forward as a shooter (he has a capable mid-range game and shot 79% from the line, but made just five of 26 three-point attempts this season).

SI.com

[jayu70]

Read on Twitter

[Jamaaliver]

2nd round prospect for 2019:

Read on Twitter

[Jamaaliver]

Music to my ears!!!

Read on Twitter

[macd-gm]

Read on Twitter

A few percentage points isn't going to change anything. The real question is if you aren't going to make the playoffs, which most teams know by January, then what is the incentive to win games?

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter