NBA Mock Draft 2019: 1st Round Projections and Top Sleeper Prospects
If handled correctly, the NBA offseason can function as a life preserver for teams drowning in mediocrity or stuck in the unforgiving seas of a multiyear rebuilding project.
For most clubs, the first true test of the summer comes on draft night. And while many hope the basketball gods deliver a jackpot prize at the lottery—in 2019's case, Zion Williamson—the reality is most can only hope to awaken a sleeper who outperforms his draft position.
The connection rate plummets the further down the draft board you traverse, but year after year, unheralded picks emerge as difference-makers. In 2018 alone, Landry Shamet (26th pick), Jalen Brunson (33rd), Mitchell Robinson (36th) and Rodions Kurucs (40th) all proved there's more to a draft class than the marquee names snatched up in the lottery.
It takes good fortune and the right fit to extract maximum value from a selection. But the process starts with identifying overlooked players with an underrated growth potential, so after laying out our latest mock, we'll spotlight three sleeper prospects likely to land outside the lottery.
2019 NBA Mock Draft
1. New York Knicks: Zion Williamson, PF/C, Duke
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: Ja Morant, PG, Murray State
3. Phoenix Suns: RJ Barrett, SG/SF, Duke
4. Chicago Bulls: Coby White, PG/SG, North Carolina
5. Atlanta Hawks: De'Andre Hunter, SF/PF, Virginia
6. Washington Wizards: Cam Reddish, SG/SF, Duke
7. New Orleans Pelicans: Darius Garland, PG, Vanderbilt
8. Memphis Grizzlies: Jarrett Culver, SG, Texas Tech
9. Atlanta Hawks (via Dallas Mavericks): Jaxson Hayes, C, Texas
10. Minnesota Timberwolves: PJ Washington, PF/C, Kentucky
11. Los Angeles Lakers: Bol Bol, C, Oregon
12. Charlotte Hornets: Romeo Langford, SG, Indiana
13. Miami Heat: Kevin Porter Jr., SG, USC
12. Boston Celtics (via Sacramento Kings): Brandon Clarke, PF/C, Gonzaga
15. Detroit Pistons: Sekou Doumbouya, SF/PF, France
16. Brooklyn Nets: Goga Bitadze, C, Georgia
17. Orlando Magic: Keldon Johnson, SG/SF, Kentucky
18. Indiana Pacers: Cameron Johnson, SF, North Carolina
19. Boston Celtics (via Los Angeles Clippers): Talen Horton-Tucker, SG/SF, Iowa State
20. San Antonio Spurs: Rui Hachimura, PF, Gonzaga
21. Boston Celtics: KZ Okpala, SF/PF, Stanford
22. Oklahoma City Thunder: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG, Virginia Tech
23. Utah Jazz: Nassir Little, SF/PF, North Carolina
24. Philadelphia 76ers: Tyler Herro, SG, Kentucky
25. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Houston Rockets): Mfiondu Kabengele, PF/C, Florida State
26. Portland Trail Blazers: Matisse Thybulle, SF, Washington
27. Brooklyn Nets (via Denver Nuggets): Luguentz Dort, SG/SF, Arizona State
28. Golden State Warriors: Grant Williams, PF/C, Tennessee
29. San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto Raptors): Dylan Windler, SF, Belmont
30. Milwaukee Bucks: Carsen Edwards, PG, Purdue
Draft order via Tankathon.com
Top Sleeper Prospects
Talen Horton-Tucker, SG/SF, Iowa State
Perhaps no prospect better captures the forward-thinking aspect of the NBA draft than Horton-Tucker.
One glance at his stat sheet isn't going to wow you. He averaged 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 27.2 minutes per game. Some nights, he'd dazzle (six games with 20-plus points). On others, he'd disappear (six with five or fewer).
But once you account for his upside, that's where he starts getting interesting.
He doesn't turn 19 until late November, and the massive 7'1" wingspan that stretches out from his thick 6'4" frame hint at major defensive versatility. He's slippery off the bounce, although clubs will closely monitor his workouts to see if he's a better marksman than his shooting rates suggest (40.6/30.8/62.5 slash line).
"Going into NBA workouts I would like to show teams that I am a better shooter than my numbers showed," Horton-Tucker told ESPN's Jonathan Givony. "Also I would like to show teams how hard I have worked on my body and my playmaking abilities at the 2-guard and lead guard spots."
Nassir Little, SF/PF, North Carolina
Since the college game isn't an exact replica of the NBA, prospect pedigree can sometimes matter more than production.
That's the hope with Little, at least.
Just last summer, 247Sports tabbed Little as the third-best recruit in the 2018 class—ahead of Williamson, Bol and Langford, to name a few. But Little never found his groove with the Tar Heels, coming off the bench for all 36 of his outings, which included forgettable averages of 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds.
Still, the tools responsible for his lofty ranking are all still present. He looks the part of a blue-chipper at 6'6" with a 7'1" wingspan, and scouts will salivate over his explosiveness, defensive versatility and aggressive nature.
"I've been a head coach for 31 years," North Carolina coach Roy Williams told B/R Mag's Mirin Fader, "and he could be the most explosive athlete I've ever coached."
If Little never puts it all together, maybe his NBA experience mimics his one-and-done stay at UNC. But if he does, plenty of front-office executives will remember him as the one who got away.
Carsen Edwards, PG, Purdue
If you want to talk yourself out of Edwards, it isn't difficult. He's just 6'1" in shoes and had more turnovers (113) than assists (104) this past season.
But if you feel like buying his potential, that's pretty easy, too.
He's an electric scorer (24.3 points per game in 2018-19) and three-point bomber (career 2.6 triples at a 36.8 percent clip). He's also coming off a stock-boosting run at the Big Dance, where he averaged 34.8 points on 45.1 percent shooting (45.9 from range) and had a pair of 42-point outbursts—one against defending champion Villanova, the other versus eventual champion Virginia.
"I think what he did proved just how good he is offensively," one NBA scout told Nathan Baird of the Lafayette Journal & Courier. "He's going to be someone who doesn't fit everywhere, but at the same time, we haven't seen what Carsen can do when he doesn't have to handle a heavy load."
There are (many) more complete prospects in this draft than Edwards, but few who can match his quick-strike scoring potential. He has enough offensive weapons to boost an NBA bench right now, and if he develops as a playmaker, he might eventually fit the sixth man mold of another 6'1" hooper, two-time Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams.
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