NBA Mock Draft 2019: PJ Washington, Louis King Shake up Lottery

PJ Washington nba mock draft 2019

Getty Kentucky Wildcats forward PJ Washington

As the 2019 NBA Playoffs roll on, it means we’re one step closer to the lottery and finding out who’ll have the chance to land one of the top prospects in recent memory. The NBA draft is widely considered to be somewhat top-heavy in 2019, but there’s little question that talent and upside are spread throughout the first round and even beyond.

While the official lottery order hasn’t been decided, we’re going to lay out the latest mock draft by going off strictly the regular season records of each team. This means the New York Knicks will hold the No. 1 pick, but tiebreakers have shaken up a few other situations in the lottery.

As the NBA revealed, the Cleveland Cavaliers won the tiebreaker with the Phoenix Suns while the tie between the New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks finished in that order. A number of other tiebreakers were settled, and each one has been factored into the mock draft below.


NBA Mock Draft 2019: Zion Williamson & Ja Morant Remain up Top

*Note: Draft order is not official until the NBA lottery takes place on Tuesday, May 14. This is only for the first round of selections.

TEAM PLAYER
No. 1 New York Knicks PF Zion Williamson, Duke
No. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers* PG Ja Morant, Murray State
No. 3 Phoenix Suns SG RJ Barrett, Duke
No. 4 Chicago Bulls PG Coby White, UNC
No. 5 Atlanta Hawks SG Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech
No. 6 Washington Wizards SF De’Andre Hunter, Virginia
No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans SG Cam Reddish, Duke
No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies (or Celtics)** PF Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga
No. 9 Dallas Mavericks (or Hawks)*** C Jaxson Hayes, Texas
No. 10 Minnesota Timberwolves PF Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga
No. 11 Los Angeles Lakers PF PJ Washington, Kentucky
No. 12 Charlotte Hornets PG Darius Garland, Vanderbilt
No. 13 Miami Heat SF Nassir Little, UNC
No. 14 Boston Celtics (via Kings)**** SF Louis King, Oregon
No. 15 Detroit Pistons SG Romeo Langford, Indiana
No. 16 Orlando Magic G Tyler Herro, Kentucky
No. 17 Brooklyn Nets PF Sekou Doumbouya, Guinea
No. 18 Indiana Pacers SF KZ Okpala, Stanford
No. 19 San Antonio Spurs C Bol Bol, Oregon
No. 20 Boston Celtics (via Clippers) G Kevin Porter Jr., USC
No. 21 Oklahoma City Thunder C Goga Bitadze, Buducnost
No. 22 Boston Celtics PF Cameron Johnson, UNC
No. 23 Utah Jazz SG Keldon Johnson, Kentucky
No. 24 Philadelphia 76ers PG Carsen Edwards, Purdue
No. 25 Portland Trail Blazers SG Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Virginia Tech
No. 26 Cleveland Cavaliers (via Rockets) SF Talen Horton-Tucker, Iowa State
No. 27 Brooklyn Nets (via Nuggets) G Luguentz Dort, Arizona State
No. 28 Golden State Warriors C Bruno Fernando, Maryland
No. 29 San Antonio Spurs (via Raptors) SF Matisse Thybulle, Washington
No. 30 Milwaukee Bucks F Admiral Schofield, Tennessee

*If Cavaliers select No. 2 I’m predicting they trade the pick to the Suns, with Phoenix landing Morant.
**Boston Celtics receive Memphis Grizzlies’ pick if it falls out of the top eight
***Atlanta Hawks receive Dallas Mavericks’ first-round pick if outside of the top four
***Philadelphia 76ers receive pick if it moves up to No. 1

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