We’re only a month into the college basketball season but we’re already starting to get a feel for which players will be picked at the top of the 2019 NBA Draft. Amazingly, sites like NBADraft.net currently have three Duke players going 1-2-3 in their latest mock. As good as the Dukies are, that would be unprecedented and it’s probably unrealistic. Imagine if Duke DOESN’T win the National Title? Do we think after a March Madness flop that teams will think that Coach K’s crew have the best three players in the class? Highly unlikely.
There is also a ton of season left for certain NBA team to go into all-out tank mode. Teams like the Cavs, Bulls, Hawks and Suns seem to already be there.
The Knicks may very well be there too if the team elects to place Kristaps Porzingis in bubble-wrap for the month of March and early April. The guess here is that Porzingis comes back in February, plays a few weeks, and then gets put back on the shelf as New York gears up for their most important off-season in decades.
A little lottery luck – of which the Knicks are due – could go a long way in determining who gets top prize Zion Williamson. You can bet on who will be the first pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by clicking the DraftKings Sportsbook Bet Now button below.
1. Phoenix Suns: Zion Williamson, PF, Duke
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: Naz Reid, C, LSU
3. Atlanta Hawks: RJ Barrett, SG, Duke
4. Chicago Bulls: Cameron Reddish, SF, Duke
5. New York Knicks: Kevin Porter, SG, USC
6. Miami Heat: Nassir Little, SF, North Carolina
7. Brooklyn Nets: Sekou Doumbouya, SF, France
8. Washington Wizards: Rui Hachimura, SF, Gonzaga
9. Houston Rockets: Kris Wilkes, SF, UCLA
10. Utah Jazz: Charles Bassey, C, Western Kentucky
11. San Antonio Spurs: Jalen McDaniels, PF, San Diego State
12. Boston Celtics: Bol Bol, C, Oregon
13. New Orleans Pelicans: Daniel Gafford, PF, Arkansas
14. Minnesota Timberwolves: Moses Brown, C, UCLA
15. Orlando Magic: Bruno Fernando, C, Maryland
16. Atlanta Hawks: Jaylen Hands, PG, UCLA
17. Los Angeles Lakers: KZ Okpala, SG, Stanford
18. Boston Celtics: Lagerald Vick, SG, Kansas
19. Detroit Pistons: Ja Morant, PG, Murray State
20. Indiana Pacers: Markis McDuffie, SF, Wichita State
21. Portland Trail Blazers: Goga Bitadze, C, Republic of Georgia
22. Oklahoma City Thunder: Jaylen Hoard, SF, Wake Forest
23. Philadelphia 76ers: Chuma Okeke, SF, Auburn
24. Brooklyn Nets: Zach Norvell, SG, Gonzaga
25. Golden State Warriors: Romeo Langford, SG, Indiana
26. Boston Celtics: Oshae Brissett, SF, Syracuse
27. Charlotte Hornets: DeAndre Hunter, SF, Virginia
28. Boston Celtics: Lamont West, PF, West Virginia
29. Milwaukee Bucks: Keldon Johnson, SG, Kentucky
30. San Antonio Spurs: Jontay Porter, C, Missouri
