NBA Mock Draft 2019: ESPN projection for all 60 picks ~ News RSS Feeds NRF43

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

NBA Mock Draft 2019: ESPN projection for all 60 picks

12:19 PM / by RSS Readers / in Portland Trail Blazers /

We’re almost a full month into the new college season, which has given us a chance to get a better feel for who the top NBA prospects are.

For the Kentucky Wildcats, there’s really no question it’s Keldon Johnson. The freshman wing has clearly been Kentucky’s best pro prospect through the first six games, not to mention being arguably their best overall player.

That’s why Johnson is now a top-10 prospect in the latest NBA Draft mock draft from ESPN. This projection has Johnson going No. 7 overall to the Orlando Magic, where he would team up with former Wildcats guard Isaiah Briscoe.

The only other player in this projection is PJ Washington going No. 20 to the Portland Trail Blazers. Washington has certainly looked improved from his freshman season, enough to think he’ll sneak into the end of Round 1 if he keeps playing like this.

Saying this, I’d be surprised if these were the only two Wildcats to hear their names called in the 2019 draft. EJ Montgomery has shown a lot of potential thus far, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s a late first/early second-round pick next year. I also think Reid Travis could sneak into the end of Round 2.

Still, it’s become clear pretty quickly that guys like Nick Richards, Tyler Herro and Ashton Hagans aren’t remotely close to being as ready for the pros as initially thought coming into this season.

Coming into the season, we thought Kentucky could lose most of its players to the pros in 2019. And while it’s still early, it’s looking like there may not be quite as many defections as anticipated.

Here’s a look at what the top 20 of this projection looks like: