NBA Draft Order 2019: Round 1 List of Picks and Latest Mock Draft

The NBA's identity as a league of haves and have-nots becomes as clear as ever during the stretch run.

The former will use the 2018-19 campaign's closing weeks to either improve their postseason positions or secure their seats at the playoff table. The latter will crawl to the finish line in search of the best draft-lottery odds possible—which may not be as rich as they once were but still give some benefits to the bottom-feeders.

The haves, in other words, will count their victories. For the have-nots, it's all about increasing their proximity to the 2019 draft class' top prospects.

We'll focus on the latter portion here by unveiling our most recent first-round mock draft, order courtesy of Tankathon.com, then spotlighting three prospects who improved their stock during the first weekend of March Madness.

2019 NBA Mock Draft

1. New York Knicks: Zion Williamson, PF/C, Duke

2. Phoenix Suns: Ja Morant, PG, Murray State

3. Cleveland Cavaliers: RJ Barrett, SG/SF, Duke

4. Chicago Bulls: Jarrett Culver, SG, Texas Tech

5. Atlanta Hawks: Cam Reddish, SG/SF, Duke

6. Atlanta Hawks (via Dallas Mavericks): Jaxson Hayes, C, Texas

7. Washington Wizards: De'Andre Hunter, SF/PF, Virginia

8. Memphis Grizzlies: Coby White, PG/SG, North Carolina

9. New Orleans Pelicans: Brandon Clarke, PF/C, Gonzaga

10. Los Angeles Lakers: Bol Bol, C, Oregon

11. Minnesota Timberwolves: Darius Garland, PG, Vanderbilt

12. Charlotte Hornets: Kevin Porter Jr., SG, USC

13. Miami Heat: Romeo Langford, SG, Indiana

14. Boston Celtics (via Sacramento Kings): Rui Hachimura, PF, Gonzaga

15. Orlando Magic: Keldon Johnson, SG/SF, Kentucky

16. Detroit Pistons: Tyler Herro, SG, Kentucky

17. Brooklyn Nets: Cameron Johnson, SF, North Carolina

18. San Antonio Spurs: PJ Washington, PF/C, Kentucky

19. Oklahoma City Thunder: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG, Virginia Tech

20. Boston Celtics: Goga Bitadze, C, Georgia

21. Utah Jazz: Sekou Doumbouya, SF/PF, France

22. Boston Celtics (via Los Angeles Clippers): Tre Jones, PG, Duke

23. Indiana Pacers: Nassir Little, SF/PF, North Carolina

24. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Houston Rockets): Talen Horton-Tucker, SG/SF, Iowa State

25. Portland Trail Blazers: Matisse Thybulle, SF, Washington

26. Philadelphia 76ers: Grant Williams, PF/C, Tennessee

27. Golden State Warriors: Daniel Gafford, C, Arkansas

28. Brooklyn Nets (via Denver Nuggets): Luguentz Dort, SG/SF, Arizona State

29. San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto Raptors): Ty Jerome, PG, Virginia

30. Milwaukee Bucks: KZ Okpala, SF/PF, Stanford

March Madness Stock Increases

Ja Morant, PG, Murray State

If Morant wasn't a household name before the tourney, his round-of-64 masterpiece should've garnered that status.

The springy sophomore did a little (or a lot, actually) of everything to help his 12th-seeded Racers run away from the fifth-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles. Morant's final line featured 17 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds, giving him the tourney's first triple-double since 2012.

"If (people) honestly don't know me by now, I don't know what to say," Morant told reporters.

Morant, the first NCAA player since 1992 to average 20 points and 10 assists, could stand to sharpen both his outside shooting and decision-making. But with loads of athleticism, creativity and skill, he's as interesting as any prospect in this class not named Zion Williamson. Morant's one-man show at the Big Dance should have cemented him into the draft's No. 2 slot.

Coby White, PG/SG, North Carolina

We'll let White's college coach, Roy Williams, deliver the opening of this sales pitch.

"I've said it before: He's the best scoring point guard that I've coached," Williams said last month.

White has the versatility coveted in the modern NBA, with the ability to either lead an offense or play an off-ball shooting role. He has already put both assets on display, starting his tournament by tying for the team lead with four assists against just one giveaway in 31 minutes, then helping the Tar Heels through the second round with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting (4-of-7 outside).

Mock drafts have some splits over whether White or Garland is the second-best point guard in this class. White's strong start to the tournament could be settling that debate.

Brandon Clarke, PF/C, Gonzaga

With the top-seeded Bulldogs untested by 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson in the opening round, Clarke was able to ease into March Madness. Nothing particularly jumps off the page with his opening line—12 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal—save, perhaps, for the fact that all those numbers were compiled in just 23 minutes of action.

Turns out, that was just the appetizer. In the second round, Clarke served up a five-star entree the likes of which are almost unseen this time of year. He erupted for 36 points on 15-of-18 shooting, eight boards, five blocks, three dimes and two thefts, joining Shaquille O'Neal and David Robinson as the only players with 35 points and five rejections in an NCAA tournament game.

"This is easily the most fun I've had playing ball ever," Clarke told reporters.

Clarke combines quick hops with endless energy to form a relentless rim presence at both ends of the floor. His draft ceiling might be capped by the fact he's already 22 years old, but his stock is trending up nevertheless.