NBA Mock Draft 2019: Virginia’s De’Andre Hunter Is Player to Watch

Heading into the Sweet 16, seven of the top ten players in our latest NBA mock draft are still playing in the NCAA tournament. Duke escaping Columbia with a win over UCF helped preserve three of these seven prospects.

Having been at McDonald’s All American practices this week in Atlanta, the sense is the 2020 class has less talent than the upcoming draft. The 2019 NBA draft is not perceived to be particularly strong, but it will be interesting to see if teams value these picks more with next year’s class looking weaker.

One player to continue watching during March Madness is Virginia’s De’Andre Hunter. The wing does not have an opportunity to put up massive stats on a Cavaliers team not known for its fast pace. With Virginia once again on the ropes against a No. 16 seed, it was Hunter who helped them surge past Gardner-Webb in the second half.

Hunter finished with 23 points and six rebounds in the first round matchup. Hunter’s shot looks great in person, and he shot 44.6 percent from the three-point line this season. Hunter’s size and length gives him position versatility on both offense and defense.

One player that the NCAA tournament has not done any favors is Duke point guard Tre Jones. UCF’s defensive attack showed just how much of a liability Jones can be on offense if his jumper does not improve. For Jones, his poor shooting has as much to do with confidence as it does form.

UCF spent much of the second half matching Jones up with big man Tacko Fall who dared the Duke guard to shoot with so much space. It will be worth watching how Jones responds during the rest of March Madness.

The following draft order is based on the NBA lottery standings as of Thursday, March 28, per Tankathon. Here is a look at my latest NBA mock draft.

---

NBA Mock Draft 2019: 1st Round Picks

TEAM	PLAYER
No. 1 Knicks	PF Zion Williamson, Duke
No. 2 Suns	PG Ja Morant, Murray State
No. 3 Cavaliers	SG RJ Barrett, Duke
No. 4 Bulls	SG Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech
No. 5 Hawks	SG Cam Reddish, Duke
No. 6 Hawks (via Mavericks)	SF De’Andre Hunter, Virginia
No. 7 Grizzlies	PF Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga
No. 8 Pelicans	PG Darius Garland, Vanderbilt
No. 9 Wizards	SF Romeo Langford, Indiana
No. 10 Lakers	SG Keldon Johnson, Kentucky
No. 11 Timberwolves	PG Coby White, UNC
No. 12 Hornets	SF Nassir Little, UNC
No. 13 Heat	C Jaxson Hayes, Texas
No. 14 Celtics (via Kings)	PF PJ Washington, Kentucky
No. 15 Magic	SG Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Virginia Tech
No. 16 Pistons	PF Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga
No. 17 Nets	SF KZ Okpala, Stanford
No. 18 Spurs	PF Sekou Doumbouya, Guinea
No. 19 Thunder	C Bol Bol, Oregon
No. 20 Celtics	G Tyler Herro, Kentucky
No. 21 Pacers	SF Talen Horton-Tucker, Iowa State
No. 22 Jazz	C Goga Bitadze, Buducnost
No. 23 Celtics	PF Cameron Johnson, UNC
No. 24 Cavs (via Rockets)	C Bruno Fernando, Maryland
No. 25 Sixers	PF Grant Williams, Tennessee
No. 26 Blazers	F Jalen McDaniels, SDSU
No. 27 Nets (via Nuggets)	SF Admiral Schofield, Tennessee
No. 28 Warriors	SF Matisse Thybulle, Washington
No. 29 Spurs (via Raptors)	PG Tre Jones, Duke
No. 30 Bucks	F Chuma Okeke, Arizona

 

0 Comments