2019 NBA Mock Draft: Predictions and Projections for Top Senior Prospects

The appeal with most NBA draft classes is often tied to its freshmen and sophomores, the youngest players with presumably the most room for growth.

But upperclassmen shouldn't be outright dismissed. While they may lack upside, they can also offer plug-and-play potential given their established (and therefore projectable) skills.

While the 2018 draft didn't see any of its seniors pop, the 2017 group has already seen several emerge as valuable bargain buys. Monte Morris, the 51st pick, sits seventh among his classmates with 6.4 win shares. Josh Hart, the 30th selection, and Derrick White, the 29th, also hold top-20 rankings in the category.

After running through our latest mock first round, we'll spotlight the top three senior prospects in this player pool.

2019 NBA Mock Draft

1. New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson, PF/C, Duke

2. Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant, PG, Murray State

3. New York Knicks: RJ Barrett, SG/SF, Duke

4. Los Angeles Lakers: Jarrett Culver, SG, Texas Tech

5. Cleveland Cavaliers: De'Andre Hunter, SF/PF, Virginia

6. Phoenix Suns: Darius Garland, PG, Vanderbilt

7. Chicago Bulls: Coby White, PG/SG, North Carolina

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

9. Washington Wizards: Jaxson Hayes, C, Texas

10. Atlanta Hawks (via Dallas Mavericks): Bol Bol, C, Oregon

11. Minnesota Timberwolves: Sekou Doumbouya, SF/PF, France

12. Charlotte Hornets: PJ Washington, PF/C, Kentucky

13. Miami Heat: Kevin Porter Jr., SG, USC

14. Boston Celtics (via Sacramento Kings): Nassir Little, SF/PF, North Carolina

15. Detroit Pistons: Romeo Langford, SG, Indiana

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

17. Brooklyn Nets: Goga Bitadze, C, Georgia

18. Indiana Pacers: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG, Virginia Tech

19. San Antonio Spurs: Brandon Clarke, PF/C, Gonzaga

20. Boston Celtics (via Los Angeles Clippers): Carsen Edwards, PG, Purdue

21. Oklahoma City Thunder: Tyler Herro, SG, Kentucky

22. Boston Celtics: Rui Hachimura, PF, Gonzaga

23. Utah Jazz: Talen Horton-Tucker, SG/SF, Iowa State

24. Philadelphia 76ers: Cameron Johnson, SF, North Carolina

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

26. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Houston Rockets): Mfiondu Kabengele, PF/C, Florida State

27. Brooklyn Nets (via Denver Nuggets): KZ Okpala, SF/PF, Stanford

28. Golden State Warriors: Ty Jerome, PG/SG, Virginia

29. San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto Raptors): Luka Samanic, PF, Croatia

30. Milwaukee Bucks: Isaiah Roby, PF/C, Nebraska

Top Senior Prospects

Cameron Johnson, SF, North Carolina

A little over a week after NBA All-Star D'Angelo Russell celebrated his 23rd birthday, Johnson did the same. That likely limits the latter's upward mobility.

The good thing is scouts should already know what he offers.

He's a three-point sniper who shines both with volume and efficiency. During his senior campaign at UNC, he splashed 96 triples at a 45.7 percent clip. Two years prior, he provided the Pitt Panthers with 78 threes and a 41.5 percent perimeter conversion rate.

Teams won't target him for shot-creation, and outside of decent rebounding, his arsenal is limited. But teams in need of a three-point gunner who's comfortable launching off the catch and on the move—basically, every team in today's NBA—should envision a quick transition for him.

Matisse Thybulle, SF, Washington

Thybulle's absence from the combine suggests he's either comfortable with his draft stock or perhaps received a promise from a potential employer. Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler thinks it's the latter with the Thunder looming as the potential match.

Thybulle would fit the apparent draft type of OKC general manager Sam Presti. The executive has made a habit of adding lanky, athletic defenders to his roster (Terrance Ferguson and Hamidou Diallo in recent years), and Thybulle, the 2019 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year recipient, could add to the list.

He capped his Huskies career with 330 steals, the Pac-12's all-time high mark. To appreciate what that number means, it's nine more than the previous record-holder: Hall of Famer and nine-time NBA All-Defensive team selection Gary Payton. The 6'5" Thybulle also averaged a team-best 2.3 blocks this past season, a number only Myles Turner and Mitchell Robinson cleared in 2018-19.

It might be generous to label Thybulle as a complementary scorer, though. His scoring average never reached higher than 11.2 points per game, and his career average was a forgettable 9.2. While NBA teams will surely hope he can blossom into a three-and-D role, his career 35.8 percentage from distance was nothing special.

Dylan Windler, SF, Belmont

While Windler fell just short of our first-round board, it isn't a stretch to think teams could peg him differently.

His statistics this past season were astounding. The 6'8" swingman paced the Bruins in both points (21.3) and rebounds (10.8), while ranking second in both steals (1.4) and blocks (0.6).

Some clubs might question the validity of those numbers since he called the Ohio Valley Conference home. But others might see that skepticism as a way of giving Windler major bargain potential. He wasn't just a volume contributor. He hit a face-melting 65.9 percent of his two-point shots and 42.9 percent of his threes (on 7.1 attempts per night).

"He has fans around the league," Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman wrote. "... He figures to be one of the first names called in the 30s if he's not taken in the 20s."