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Getty Gallery: 6/6
No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans: PF Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga
No. 10 Utah Jazz: PG Darius Garland, Vanderbilt
Hachimura is another underclassman that started college as a project and has worked his way into a top NBA prospect. NBA scouts would love to see Hachimura be more consistent, but he flashes enough to make him a high-level pro prospect heading into the season. Here's how ESPN's Mike Schmitz breaks down his game.
"Strengths: Intriguing physical profile for a modern power forward. Light on his feet," Schmitz explains. "Can play above the rim in space. Plays with exceptional strength. Finishes through contact. Potential as a versatile defender given his feet, strength and length. Excellent touch 15 feet and in. Comfortable pulling up off the bounce in midrange spots. Shows promise as a standstill 3-point shooter. Can straight-line drive. Still only 20 years old. Improvement areas: Feel for the game still a work in progress on both ends of the floor. (Didn't start playing basketball until he was 14.) Not a natural facilitator. Career 62 assists to 121 turnovers. A step slow reacting on defense at times. Much more comfortable in midrange spots than 3. Ball comes off the side of his hand on occasion. Career 28.7 percent from 3 on 122 attempts. Confidence and assertiveness fluctuate."
The Gonzaga forward is an interesting prospect given he is not a freshman like many of the top projected player. However, Hachimura possesses some of the same upside of the younger players since he did not grow up playing basketball until later on.
Hachiumura provides the Pelicans with an interesting big man to eventually pair with Anthony Davis. He has a much different skill set than DeMarcus Cousins gave the team during his brief stint in New Orleans, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.
The 2019 Draft Class Could Be Weak at Point Guard
This does not look to be a particularly strong year for point guards. Darius Garland is likely to be fighting Ja Morant and others to be the top point guard selected in the 2019 draft. Garland had an up and down McDonald's week but is part of the reason there is excitement around the Vanderbilt program for the first time in years. The local product combined with Simi Shittu makes Nashville a must-stop place for NBA talent evaluators this college basketball season.
Garland's 6'0.5" height will be cause for concern for some NBA front offices. Garland will look to prove his play outweighs any concern about his size. Here's how The Stepien's Ignacio Rissotto broke down Garland's game.
"One of the best passers at the top of this class," Rissotto explains. "Darius Garland has the exact package of skills you would want in an NBA lead ball-handler. On offense, Garland knows how to read the floor and he can see the play before it happens, hitting teammates with great timing and accuracy as they’re on the move, whether cutting to the basket or running in transition.
The Vanderbilt commit can also create shots for himself thanks to his advanced ball-handling ability. Garland is shifty with the ball in his hands, having an arsenal of moves and a lightning quick change of pace. This allows him to shake his man off and get to the rim or create space on the perimeter to get to his pull-up."
