2019 DBR Mock Draft - It's a Wrap!

[JasonEvans]

It is time!! The Mock Draft is getting started. (Final draft results added below.)

When it is your turn, post your pick in this thread. Ideally, you will also post the rationale behind the pick (both in terms of the player you select and how he fits the needs of your team). Don't be a homer ("I take Marques Bolden with the 5th pick in the draft") or a hater ("I would not draft Coby White in the 2nd round!"), try to be honest in your assessment of these players and how they fit in the NBA.

Here is our draft order as determined in the sign up thread:

Round 1

1. New Orleans Pelicans - Reddevil -----> Zion Williamson, Duke
2. Memphis Grizzlies - Dukehk -----> RJ Barrett, Duke
3. New York Knicks - Troublemaker -----> Ja Morant, Murray St.
4. Los Angeles Lakers - roywhite -----> Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech
5. Cleveland Cavaliers - jacone21 -----> De'Andre Hunter, Virginia
6. Phoenix Suns - brevity -----> Darius Garland, Vanderbilt Hospital
7. Chicago Bulls - CDu -----> Cameron Reddish, Duke
8. Atlanta Hawks - Jason Evans -----> Sekou Doumbouya, France
9. Washington Wizards - Truth & Justise -----> Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga
10. Atlanta Hawks - Jason Evans -----> Coby White, UNCheat
11. Minnesota Timberwolves - Edouble -----> Nassir Little, UNCheat
12. Charlotte Hornets - JNort -----> Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga
13. Miami Heat - subzero02 -----> Bol Bol, Oregon
14. Boston Celtics - FlyingDutchDevil -----> Jaxton Hayes, Texas
15. Detroit Pistons - FerryFor50 -----> PJ Washington, Texas
16. Orlando Magic -coldriver10 -----> Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Va Tech
17. Brooklyn Nets - NSDukeFan -----> Mfiondu Kabengele, Florida St.
18. Indiana Pacers - CoBlueDevils -----> Grant Williams, Tennessee
19. San Antonio Spurs - Billy Dat -----> Tyler Herro, Kentucky
20. Boston Celtics - FlyingDutchDevil -----> Ty Jerome, Virginia
21. Oklahoma City Thunder - accfanfrom1970 -----> Cam Johnson, UNCheat
22. Boston Celtics - FlyingDutchDevil -----> Kevin Porter, USC
23. Utah Jazz - furniture -----> Carsen Edwards, Purdue
24. Philadelphia 76ers - BobGreen -----> Dylan Windler, Blemont
25. Portland Trail Blazers - Gooch -----> Keldon Johnson, Kentucky
26. Cleveland Cavaliers - jacone21 -----> Bruno Fernando, Maryland
27. Brooklyn Nets - NSDukeFan -----> Goga Bitadze, Georgia (the country, not the state/university)
28. Golden State Warriors - awhom111 -----> Luka Samanic, Croatia
29. San Antonio Spurs - Billy Dat -----> Romeo Langford, Indiana
30. Milwaukee Bucks - Turk -----> Nick Claxton, Georgia (the university, not the country)
    
    Round 2
31. Brooklyn Nets - NSDukeFan -----> KZ Okpala, Stanford
32. Phoenix Suns - brevity -----> Matisse Thybulle, Washington
33. Philadelphia 76ers - BobGreen -----> Terrance Mann, Florida St
34. Philadelphia 76ers - BobGreen -----> Tacko Fall, Central Florida
35. Atlanta Hawks - Jason Evans -----> Naz Reid, LSU
36. Charlotte Hornets - JNort -----> Talen Horton-Tucker, Iowa St
37. Dallas Mavericks - kAzE -----> Chuma Okeke, Auburn
38. Chicago Bulls - CDu -----> Daniel Gafford, Arkansas
39. New Orleans Pelicans - Reddevil -----> Admiral Schofeild, Tennessee
40. Sacramento Kings - tfk53 -----> Isaiah Roby, Nebraska
41. Atlanta Hawks - Jason Evans -----> Kyle Guy, Virginia
42. Philadelphia 76ers - BobGreen -----> Louis King, Oregon
43. Minnesota Timberwolves - Edouble -----> Moses Brown, UCLA
44. Atlanta Hawks - Jason Evans -----> Luguentz Dort, Fighting Hurleys
45. Detroit Pistons - FerryFor50 -----> Jalen Leque, almost made it to NC State
46. Orlando Magic -coldriver10 -----> Shamorie Ponds, St Johns
47. Sacramento Kings - tfk53 -----> Jaylen Hands, UCLA
48. Los Angeles Clippers - Jeff Evans (via JasonEvans) -----> Eric Paschall, Villanova
49. San Antonio Spurs - Billy Dat -----> Deividas Sirvydas, somewhere in Europe
50. Indiana Pacers - CoBlueDevils -----> Justin Robinson, Va Tech
51. Boston Celtics - FlyingDutchDevil -----> Jontay Porter, Missouri
52. Charlotte Hornets - JNort ----> Darius Bazley, TrainingByMyself University
53. Utah Jazz - furniture -----> Marques Bolden, Duke
54. Philadelphia 76ers - BobGreen -----> Brian Bowen, Louisville/Adidas/South Carolina/Sydney Kings
55. New York Knicks - Troublemaker -----> Justin Wright-Foreman, Hofstra
56. Los Angeles Clippers - Jeff Evans (via JasonEvans) -----> Terrence Davis, Ole Miss
57. New Orleans Pelicans - Reddevil -----> Aubrey Dawkins, UCF
58. Golden State Warriors - awhom111 -----> Jordan Bone, Tenn
59. Toronto Raptors - Mattman91 -----> Vanja Marinkovic, Serbia
60. Sacramento Kings - tfk53 -----> Jessie Govan, Georgetown

Reminder... From Mon-Fri between 8am and 8pm ET, the clock is 4 hours. Make a pick in 4 hours or forfeit your pick to me (or some other designated picker).
Sat and Sun, the clock is 6 hours between 8am and 8pm ET (to allow for people who have activities away from the computer on weekends).
Please note -- you are allowed (and encouraged) to make picks before your time is up and you are allowed to make picks late at night even though the clock is suspended. Also, if you are worried you will not be available and can see your pick is coming up, PM some possible picks to me and I can post it for you.

Good luck everyone!!

-Jason "Reddevil, the great mystery of who you will pick begins now!!" Evans

[Reddevil]

On behalf of Owner Gayle Benson, President of Basketball Operations David Griffin, Head Coach Alvin Gentry, and the legendary Trajan Langdon who has recently joined us as General Manager, the Pelicans would like to welcome the Duke Basketball Report community to the NBA (mock) draft 2019.

As our team is in a state of flux and many negotiations are well underway, we will not discuss roster ramifications at this juncture. Instead, we will devote this opportunity to welcome our newest addition.

This young man possesses an extremely rare combination of emotional intelligence, basketball IQ, athleticism, and explosiveness. While we recognize he may well be a generational talent, in the short term he has already influenced our season ticket sales dramatically. His infectious smile and personality make him the ideal face of the franchise. While most recognize him as a basketball phenom, his natural generosity towards his teammates will serve him well as he grows into a leader.

Rarely does a basketball player at any level possess the ability to catch and finish or pass in one motion. While known for an astonishing array of dunks, his defensive prowess including steals and blocks may be what really sets him apart. At a generous 6’7” and around 280 lbs, what he lacks in height, he more than makes up for with at least a 45” vertical, and his mesmerizing suddenness.
We are of course referring to Bol Bol . No, actually none other than ZION WILLIAMSON – the first pick of the 2019 NBA draft!

[roywhite]

paging Dukehk; coming up on a time violation

[-jk]

A new GM, and I've messaged. Let's give a little slack.

Then Jason can draft, when he thinks enough slack has been given...

-jk

[JNort]

I know everyone mocks Morant to the Grizz but I honestly think a better for them would be RJ.

[NSDukeFan]

I know everyone mocks Morant to the Grizz but I honestly think a better for them would be RJ.

I almost chose to be the Grizzlies GM purely so that I could take R.J..

[brevity]

I know everyone mocks Morant to the Grizz but I honestly think a better for them would be RJ.

I almost chose to be the Grizzlies GM purely so that I could take R.J..

When Dukehk took the job, I sent a spork advising him/her to do just that. No idea if it had any effect. What time is it in Hong Kong?

Meanwhile, I think Zion in New Orleans, as inevitable as it may seem, bears some discussion. I want to believe that the Pelicans will substantively change as a franchise with different key personnel in management, coaching, and training. But NOLA can be a deeply traditional environment (for better or worse) that resists and even suffocates progress. And Zion just being here with his positivity and efficiency will mask a lot of problems elsewhere with the team.

[Bob Green]

What time is it in Hong Kong?

It is 8:37 am Thursday in Hong Kong.

[JNort]

I almost chose to be the Grizzlies GM purely so that I could take R.J..

It makes sense to me, I wanted to do the same. Heck pgs are so easy to find nowadays, the league is saturated with them. Give me the wings!

[Dukehk]

With the second pick in the NBA Draft the Memphis Grizzlies select...RJ BARRETT!!!

With Mike Conley at the point, we don't see the need to take someone like Ja Morant who is coming off knee surgery. We also think he might need some time to catch-up physically to the NBA game, where he will be facing guys much bigger and stronger. Its not going to be as easy for him to get into the lane and dunk on people when you have elite athletes guarding you every night. Mike is tied down to us for at least another 2 years and is nowhere near past his prime. We're also not going to get much back trying to trade him and we have way too many other holes to fill. Mike provides us with veteran leadership that our young players will need.

We think RJ Barrett is a brilliant young prospect with scoring ability that hasn't been seen for quite some time. We're talking about an 18 year old who has broken all types of scoring records in the stacked ACC and has the kind of game that gets him to the free throw line very often. Its safe to say that he will come into the league and could easily average anywhere between 15-20 ppg if we give him the touches. We feel that RJ also has the potential to be an excellent 3 point shooter with more practice and development, which he will get now that basketball is his full time job. He comes with an NBA body and ready to play from day 1.

He slots in perfectly for us at the 2 or 3, where we clearly have a lack of scoring talent in the current roster. Avery Bradley and Kyle Anderson don't provide enough scoring punch as starters, but would be great in 6th man role or more defensive roles.

The one thing that sets RJ apart from everyone else in this draft (except maybe Zion) is his killer mentality and win at all costs mindset. The kid is a winner and will never settle for anything less. We need to start winning again and RJ Barrett is the type of player to take us back into the playoffs. Its a safe bet that he will be the consummate professional and cornerstone of our franchise for years to come.

We are super excited to see how he will develop and form a devastating one-two punch with Jaren Jackson!

[Troublemaker]

With the 3rd pick in the NBA draft, the New York Knicks select...

Ja Morant.

We're not really happy with the quality of this draft and tried to trade down. Begrudgingly, we took what we believe is best player available in Morant. (Dennis Smith Jr hasn't been good enough so far in his career to really make us think about positions and fit here). Everyone knows about Morant's athleticism but it's really his great passing that stands out to us; he can make all the passes required in the modern NBA with both hands and seems to have good feel and timing for them. We're also encouraged that he showed good improvement in his shooting stats between freshman and sophomore years.

We would've picked...

- Garland or White if they could pass better.

- Hunter if we were more confident he could be a creator instead of purely 3-and-D. His steal rate is also low.

- Culver if we were confident about his shot and he were more explosive

- Reddish if he didn't have such an inconsistent release and low 3-pt percentage.


Some surprising names we considered at #3 because of our lack of confidence in the other top prospects: Brandon Clarke, Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander Walker.

But ultimately, Morant.

Yuck, this draft.

[JasonEvans]

A new GM, and I've messaged. Let's give a little slack.

Then Jason can draft, when he thinks enough slack has been given...

Obviously, I gave a lot of slack because it was the very start of the draft and the start happened at an unpredictable time. Other GMs be warned... I shall not be so lenient going forward. As always, if your pick is coming up and you think you will be away for a while, PM me with some options for your pick and I will make it for you and you can explain your rationale at a later time.

Thanks to all.

[JasonEvans]

With the 3rd pick in the NBA draft, the New York Knicks select...

Ja Morant.

We're not really happy with the quality of this draft and tried to trade down. Begrudgingly, we took what we believe is best player available in Morant.

In real life, I am hoping the Knicks make that deal with the Hawks, though if Ja is the kid available at #3 the Hawks would probably think twice about the trade as they are already set at PG.

But, in terms of our mock draft world. this is a great pick for the Knicks. It increasingly looks like Kyrie will not be their PG answer and I suspect Durant and some other players may be enticed about playing with a dynamic creator/passer like Morant. Perhaps getting a PG in Morant allows the Knicks to sign Durant and Tobias Harris (who grew up on Long Island) rather than going after Kemba or Kyrie?

-Jason "please please let the Knicks trade with the Hawks so I can have RJ in my hometown..." Evans

[Furniture]

Duke 1&2. Fantastic!!

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Duke 1&2. Fantastic!!

Hey, it's a Duke board. Don't be surprised if Bolden goes third.

[roywhite]

The Lakers are up and what can you say about their current state? Front office people coming and going, family squabbles, disappointing performances the past season, constant speculation by the national media about LeBron and the team, trade rumors galore. Fittingly, they are a Hollywood team with all the drama.

The Lakers go with Jarrett Culver, 6'6" SG from Texas Tech

Strong points; versatile (could play the 2 or 3 position), an excellent defender, high character, well coached by Chris Beard, all-around offensive game as he scores, distributes, and rebounds well; shot mechanics look good. If LA is active in the trade/free agent market, they can still count on this guy as a very good team player who fits in well.

Areas for improvement -- his % from 3-points was less than 31%, he's not a dazzling player, very good but not elite athlete. Based on his background, coaching, and trajectory over the past two years, Culver will do the work to improve.

[Troublemaker]

In real life, I am hoping the Knicks make that deal with the Hawks, though if Ja is the kid available at #3 the Hawks would probably think twice about the trade as they are already set at PG.

But, in terms of our mock draft world. this is a great pick for the Knicks. It increasingly looks like Kyrie will not be their PG answer and I suspect Durant and some other players may be enticed about playing with a dynamic creator/passer like Morant. Perhaps getting a PG in Morant allows the Knicks to sign Durant and Tobias Harris (who grew up on Long Island) rather than going after Kemba or Kyrie?

-Jason "please please let the Knicks trade with the Hawks so I can have RJ in my hometown..." Evans

I would love if RJ went to the Hawks. Good organization, known for player development, and the spacing that fellow building blocks Young and Huerter would provide would help him. It'd be a good place for RJ to grow.

One clarification from my short writeup above: Hunter can create his own shot, at least in college. I didn't mean to make it sound like he had no creation skills. But, at least for the #3 pick, I do want someone who has the ceiling to be the primary creator on the team. Morant does have the upside to be the engine of an offense with his handle, explosion, and passing. Hopefully his shooting is there.

[NSDukeFan]

With the 3rd pick in the NBA draft, the New York Knicks select...

Ja Morant.

We're not really happy with the quality of this draft and tried to trade down. Begrudgingly, we took what we believe is best player available in Morant. (Dennis Smith Jr hasn't been good enough so far in his career to really make us think about positions and fit here). Everyone knows about Morant's athleticism but it's really his great passing that stands out to us; he can make all the passes required in the modern NBA with both hands and seems to have good feel and timing for them. We're also encouraged that he showed good improvement in his shooting stats between freshman and sophomore years.

We would've picked...

- Garland or White if they could pass better.

- Hunter if we were more confident he could be a creator instead of purely 3-and-D. His steal rate is also low.

- Culver if we were confident about his shot and he were more explosive

- Reddish if he didn't have such an inconsistent release and low 3-pt percentage.


Some surprising names we considered at #3 because of our lack of confidence in the other top prospects: Brandon Clarke, Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander Walker.

But ultimately, Morant.

Yuck, this draft.

I understand you feeling this draft is weak, but isn’t there a pretty clear separation after the first three picks that would make it better to get one of them instead of trading down?

[jacone21]

With the 5th pick in the 2019 DBR Mock Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select DeAndre Hunter. I was going to take Culver if he was available, but Roy and the Lakers got him. Since the Cavs are in total rebuild mode, I went with the best available player at this time. Hunter is a mature, versatile player, and he seems like can't-miss prospect who should have a really nice NBA career. We shall see.

[Troublemaker]

I understand you feeling this draft is weak, but isn’t there a pretty clear separation after the first three picks that would make it better to get one of them instead of trading down?

I don't think there's a clear separation. I'll take the field over Morant and RJ being the second and third-best players. And so, imo, at pick #3, it makes sense to pay a smaller salary and pick up more assets by trading down. As always, I could be wrong.