Getty Washington Huskies guard Jaylen Nowell
Washington Huskies guard Jaylen Nowell has paired a strong first collegiate season with a superb finish to 2018-19. In turn, it’s helped lead the Huskies into a second-round matchup against the No. 1 seed UNC Tar Heels in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. As Nowell’s play continues to impress, his 2019 NBA Draft stock continues trending in the right direction. The 6-foot-4 guard has shown the upside and potential to be an NBA player, and he’ll be a name to watch over the coming months.
Through the first 35 games of the 2018-19 season, Nowell has posted strong averages of 16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Nowell has averaged more points this season while shooting less than he did during 2017-18 and this stems from his improved consistency. On the year, he’s made 50.1 percent of his field goal attempts and 44.7 percent from beyond the arc.
We’re going to take a look at the latest on the Washington guard’s draft projections and updated mock drafts to see where he could land.
Jaylen Nowell NBA Draft Projections & Mock Drafts
In a previous mock from our own Jon Adams, he pegged Nowell as a first-round selection, sending him to the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 29 overall pick. His most recent mock which came out during the NCAA tournament saw Nowell slip outside of the first 30 names called but makes it apparent that he’s a fringe first-rounder.
Another mock which has Nowell coming off the board early in the second round is from NBADraft.net. Their latest mock projects the Huskies guard as the No. 34 pick overall, meaning he’d be the fourth player selected in round two, which has him heading to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Nowell landing with the Sixers could be a good fit, as he could provide scoring off the bench with the second unit. Beyond that, he could potentially take on a bigger role depending on what JJ Redick’s future looks like.
Jaylen Nowell NBA Draft Big Board Outlook
Not everyone is quite as high on Nowell as the two above mock drafts, though. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie updated the site’s big board recently and listed Nowell down at No. 100, making him the last player listed. This leaves him behind Michigan State guard Cassius Winston and Virginia Tech’s Justin Robinson.
Although the general consensus is split on Nowell, his performance in the NCAA tournament and any pre-draft workouts could help his stock quite a bit. It’s also worth noting that he’s only a sophomore, so he could obviously remain in school and look to build his draft value over the next season or two.
If Nowell does head back to Washington, the Huskies will be a dangerous group next season and the talented guard will be a name worth monitoring for the 2020 NBA Draft.
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