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Castaneda's NBA Mock Draft 2.0
Date: June 17, 2019By: Ronny Castaneda
With a historically captivating Finals to end the NBA season, all fans will have to look forward to now is the 2019 draft. The free agency class has included some names that teams have been waiting for, and some players who never expected to be on the market.
Names of future stars have been thrown around in the mix as we await the next wave of NBA stars, in one of the most star-studded drafts classes the world has seen in a while. All of these rumors and statements from league offices will definitely shake up this year’s draft.
1.New Orleans Pelicans - Zion Williamson
Among all the controversy, this pick won’t change. Perhaps the most hyped up prospect since LeBron, Williamson has made himself into a household name with his monstrous athleticism and backboard shattering dunks. An athlete who can properly play both sides of the ball is already a force to be reckoned with.
Adding Williamson’s size and IQ just isn’t fair. Anthony Davis’s departure from New Orleans brought in a wave of young core players in Lonzo Ball, Williamson would be the perfect fit to breathe life back into the disgruntled franchise.
2. Memphis Grizzlies – Ja Morant
After a successful breakout season at Murray State, Morant’s highlight filled season caught the eyes of scouts early in the season. The sophomore point guard is easily the best passer in the draft, by consistently dishing out one-handed darts and no-look dimes. Mix that with his freakish hops and athleticism, it is time for the Grizzlies to look for Mike Conley’s predecessor, and there is no better answer than Morant.
3. New York Knicks – RJ Barrett
Although New York fans didn’t receive the coveted number one pick they desperately tanked for, the Knicks can still add a solid piece to their young core in Barrett. If it wasn’t for Williamson, Barret would have stolen the show for Coach K and the Duke Blue Devils.
After breaking the ACC freshman scoring record, Barrett also raised his scoring average from 23.3 to 26.2 following Williamson’s injury. After several workouts with the team and stoic emotions from the potential pick, it looks like the Knickerbockers are going add an optimistic player on the wing who can score at ease. Their potential free-agent signings can also prove to be what will send this team back on track quicker than expected.
4. New Orleans Pelicans – Brandon Clarke
After sending away their franchise cornerstone Davis, the pelicans now received the Lakers’ future, including the ability to quickly add some young talent to piece around superstar talent Williamson. Clarke would make a perfect one-two powerhouse in the paint.
Despite being considered under-sized, Clarke led the NCAA in blocked shots and field goal percentage. If he can transfer that into the league, New Orleans could potentially have their corner stone pieces for one of the best frontcourts in the league to come.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers – Jarrett Culver
The Cavs have taken the post-James era just as well as you thought they would. However, they did find a diamond in the rough with Collin Sexton. Now, they need to add an athletic wing to space out the offense. Culver is an all-around player that can fill that spot.
After leading the Texas Tech Raiders to the Final Four and National Championship, Culver would make an easy fit in Cleveland’s young and athletic core. After rising as the Red Raiders number one option, sharing his talent alongside Sexton would only make it easier for Culver to transfer over into the league.
6. Phoenix Suns – Coby White
The Suns have not been the best in recent drafts. Aside from Devin Booker, we’re still waiting to see how Josh Jackson and DeAndre Ayton will fair out in the league. With Ayton being a key piece in Phoenix’s rebuild and Booker being the prolific scorer that he is, all phoenix needs, and has been searching for, is someone who can get them the ball.
White is a speedy scorer who add as a nice addition to the backcourt. White’s record freshman season at North Carolina saw him break Michael Jordan’s freshman scoring record with 562 points. Adding that with Bookers scoring could make for one of the best up-and-coming guard duos in the league.
7. Chicago Bulls – Darius Garland
The Bulls have everything they are looking for in a young core, except for a consistent point guard. With some injuries and inconsistent play that have riddled their backcourt play, Garland can be the solution to Chicago’s problem. His narrative is like that of All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving.
Despite having an injury which sidelined him for the majority of the season, Garland showed tremendous potential with the ability to score at ease after averaging 16.2 points while shooting 53.7 percent from the field. With those stats coming only off of five games played at Vanderbilt, Garland does bring some doubts to teams, but he can add a quick spark to a team in need of a point guard. Some sources even stated that Lakers once held a workout with Garland before shipping the number four pick to New Orleans.
8. Atlanta Hawks – Bol Bol
A seven-foot, three-point shooting center is the kind of talent to go within the first five picks at least, but an early season-ending foot injury brought down Bol’s draft stock. A foot injury to a lengthy center is enough to scare scouts away, but Bol’s potential can’t go unseen, and with two picks in the top-10, the Hawk are in prime position to build around Trae Young. Especially after dealing away Taurean Prince, the Hawks will be searching for another force down low.
9. Washington Wizards – De’Andre Hunter
The Wizards haven’t been the team were used to seeing. The untimely return of stud point guard John Wall is an uneasy feeling. On the Brightside, Bradley Beal has flourished since Wall’s injury. Bad news with that is that teams are now willing to give up some keys for him.
Hunter can possibly make for a perfect fit to the team. Hunter can serve as a ball stopper with the ability to flow an offense maned by Beal. With only four years between him and Beal, Hunter could make for a nice offensive wing combo. Upperclassmen are usually drafted to make a direct impact on a team and the junior is more than capable of doing so, after coming fresh off a National Championship and a season where he earned All ACC honors and Defensive Player of the Year in the conference.
10. Atlanta Hawks – Cam Reddish
Reddish was a key part in Duke’s success, even if you didn’t hear about him as much, well, take a wild guess. To be fair, he did not live up to what we’d seen from him in high school, but with his shooting ability and quick feet and hands on defense, Reddish should translate well into the league. Imagine the potential line-up of Young, Collins, Huerter and Reddish. Do not be surprised if the Hawks start making noise earlier than expected.
Free agency has already shaken up the off-season with a mixture of rumors and some described “done deals”. Irving has expressed his Interest in playing for the Nets and has gone as far as speaking to another star free agent, Kevin Durant, about joining him.
And with their current injuries, the futures of Klay Thompson and Durant are still uncertain, and despite beating them to bring Toronto their first championship, Kawhi Leonard still hasn’t committed to the Raptors. The likes of D’Angelo Russell, Kemba Walker and Jimmy Butler are still also on the market. With an immense number of teams capable of offering big-money contracts, get ready for what’s to come next season.
Ronny Castaneda can be reached at ronald.castaneda@student.shu.edu.
