The final numbers are in. Eighty-seven underclassmen declared for the NBA Draft. That doesn’t include international players and guys that ran out of eligibility. Only 60 are getting drafted. As far as we know, the NBA isn’t likely to expand the draft to three rounds, so it won’t be happening this year. In most years, we’d be criticizing over 40 guys for declaring and some we are, but with the evolution of the G-League, players have something in mind.
Let’s get to looking at the latest NBA Draft Big Board. Nothing but injuries should impact these rankings.
1. Zion Williamson, PF, Duke 6’7, 285
Isn’t it crazy that Zion was actually the fourth-ranked recruit and is only 6-foot-7?
2. Ja Morant, PG, Murray State 6’3, 175
His production damn near doubled in every stat from freshman to sophomore year.
3. R.J. Barrett, G/F Duke 6’7, 200
The #1 recruit last year is as tall as Zion Williamson and made over 70 3-pointers.
4. Cam Reddish, G/F, Duke 6’8, 205
The #2 recruit is taller than both of his Duke teammates and made more 3-pointers.
5. Coby White, PG, UNC 6’3, 191
As a UNC fan, I wanted him to come back and follow in the line of Kendall Marshall, Marcus Paige and Joel Berry.
6. Jarrett Culver, SG, Texas Tech 6’5, 194
When Texas Tech lost four starters from one of its best teams of all-time, Culver stepped up to make this the best Red Raider team of all-time.
7. Darius Garland, PG, Vanderbilt 6’3, 170
I’ve never heard of the guy. You’ve never heard of the guy. But he’s a promising point guard in a thin point guard draft.
8. De’Andre Hunter, F, Virginia 6’7, 225
We’re still trying to figure out his role in the NBA, but top-10 teams are promising him a pick.
9. Nassir Little, F, UNC 6’6, 220
Little went from a top 3 pick to barely lottery and now he’s going to go in the top 10.
10. Jaxson Hayes, PF, Texas 6’10, 218
Nobody quite knows how, when or why Hayes is a top-10 pick, but he did block 71 shots.
11. Brandon Clarke, PF, Gonzaga 6’8, 215
He was the best player for Gonzaga this past year, and it wasn’t even close.
12. P.J. Washington, PF, Kentucky 6’6, 230
The former top-15 recruit was a force in the Kentucky frontcourt this past season.
13. Rui Hachimura, PF, Gonzaga 6’8, 230
I really don’t know how Gonzaga didn’t win it all.
14. Kevin Porter, PG, USC 6’5, 220
Porter was a top-30 recruit on a not-so-good team, and the point guard position is thin.
15. Keldon Johnson, G, Kentucky 6’6, 211
Johnson got lost in the mix of a lot of talent, but he still won SEC Freshman of the Year.
16. Sekou Doumbouya, F, Limoges 6’9, 203
He should be the first international guy off the board.
17. Bruno Fernando, PF, Maryland 6’10, 240
Bruno Fernando is a terrific name, and he’ll be a great power forward in the NBA.
18. Romeo Langford, SG, Indiana 6’6, 215
I’m not quite sure what Romeo will provide in the NBA, but he’s a great athlete who knows how to score.
19. Goga Bitadze, C, Georgia (Europe) 6’11, 250
Bitadze is an international center who already has a good frame.
20. Luka Samanic, PF, Croatia 6’10, 210
The only international player to attend the combine and boy, did he do himself a service.
21. Bol Bol, C, Oregon 7’2, 222
Bol’s size is terrific, but he did not impress much other than that at the combine.
22. Cameron Johnson, G, UNC 6’9, 210
If he wasn’t old, he would be a lottery pick.
23. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG, Virginia Tech 6’5, 210
Any team in the late first round that wants a solid true shooting guard, here’s your guy.
24. Tyler Herro, SG, Kentucky 6’5, 195
Herro didn’t shoot the ball particularly well at the combine, but we all know he can shoot.
25. Mfiondu Kabengele, PF, Florida State 6’9, 240
He’s big and could play center in the NBA.
26. Nic Claxton, C, Georgia 6’11, 200
I’ve been hearing a lot of different reports about Claxton, but he’ll be a steal in the late second round.
27. Matisse Thybulle, SF, Washington 6’5, 205
Thybulle wasn’t invited to the combine, but he’s one of the best defenders we’ve seen in recent history.
28. Talen Horton-Tucker, G/F, Iowa State 6’2 232
Horton-Tucker is 6-foot-2 but could honestly play forward in the NBA.
29. Eric Paschall, PF, Villanova 6’8, 255
If Paschall were younger, he’d be a a sure-fire lottery pick power forward.
30. Carsen Edwards, G, Purdue 6’1, 200
He’s a great shooter and hopefully teams aren’t afraid of his height.
31. Dylan Windler, SG, Belmont 6’8, 200
Windler’s size is great for a guy who made 100 3-pointers this past season.
32. Joshua Obiesie, G, Germany 6’6, 193
Some more international talent that everyone overseas is raving about.
33. Admiral Schofield, SG, Tennessee 6’6, 241
The Admiral has nowhere to go and he finally shot the ball well.
34. Daniel Gafford, C, Arkansas 6’11, 233
Gafford is going to make a great role-player center someday.
35. Ty Jerome, SG, Virginia 6’5, 195
Jerome can shoot the ball really well and turned into a great passer in his junior year.
36. Deividas Sirvydis, SF, Rytas 6’8, 198
Another solid international guy that scouts are heating up about.
37. Luguentz Dort, G, Arizona State 6’4, 215
Dort may not look like it on paper, but he’s going to be a great rebounding guard.
38. KZ Okpala, SF, Stanford 6’9, 210
Okpala was one of the last players to decide whether he’s staying or going.
39. Jalen McDaniels, F, San Diego State 6’10, 195
McDaniels went from 6.5 shot attempts to 13.4 and his field goal percentage went down.
40. Isaiah Roby, PF, Nebraska 6’8, 230
As long as Roby plays the 3/4 instead of the 4/5 like he did at Nebraska, he’ll be fine.
41. Louis King, SF, Oregon 6’9, 205
King was a top-20 recruit and made almost 60 3-pointers.
42. Grant Williams, F, Tennessee 6’7, 241
The two-time SEC Player of the Year plummeted down my big board because it’s going to be hard to find a position for him.
43. Chuma Okeke, PF, Auburn 6’8, 230
If Okeke is willing to put in the rehab work in, he’ll be fine in the NBA.
44. Jontay Porter, PF, Missouri 6’11, 236
Porter is a big guy who can shoot, was going to go in the first round last season, returned and got majorly hurt.
45. Ignas Brazdeikis, F, Michigan 6’7, 215
Iggy has a ton of potential to do a little bit of everything, but he showed some inconsistency at Michigan as well.
46. Zach Norvell, SG, Gonzaga 6’5, 205
Norvell hit 174 3-pointers in two seasons for Gonzaga.
47. Charles Matthews, SG, Michigan 6’6, 205
Matthews is a terrific athlete, but finding a specific role in the NBA may be hard to find.
48. Tremont Waters, PG, LSU 5’11, 175
Waters is small but was a great point guard at LSU. That’s ideal in a point guard-thin draft.
49. Jordan Bone, PG, Tennessee 6’3, 180
Bone impressed at the combine and that’s probably because of the previous statement I just made.
50. Quinn Weatherspoon, G, Mississippi State 6’4, 205
Weatherspoon was comfortable during the combine and impressed some scouts for a mid-to-late second round pick.
51. Tacko Fall, C, UCF 7’6, 295
We all knew he was going to impress with his height at the combine, but Fall actually may have a future in the NBA.
52. Jalen Lecque, SG, Brewster 6’4, 190
There’s word out there that a team is going to take a flyer on him in the second round.
53. Shamorie Ponds, PG, St. John’s 6’1, 180
There’s a strong possibility that Ponds doesn’t get drafted, but if someone wants a point guard in the second round, here’s your guy.
54. Darius Bazley, F, Princeton HS 6’9, 195
Not much to report on a guy who didn’t go to school, but he’ll be considered late in the second round.
55. Brian Bowen, SF, Australia 6’8, 202
The guy who messed up Louisville could get drafted or just passed up on.
56. Ky Bowman, PG, Boston College 6’1, 188
The undersized guard from Boston College shot the ball well at the combine, which he did for three years with the Eagles.
57. Kyle Guy, G, Virginia 6’2, 175
Virginia isn’t known for being very efficient on offense, but Guy did make over 100 3-pointers this past season.
58. Cody Martin, PG, Nevada 6’6, 205
If a team wants to take a risk on an older, serviceable point guard with good size, Cody Martin is your man.
59. Terance Mann, G, Florida State 6’6, 215
Mann spent 10 years at Florida State and did just enough at the combine to possibly get drafted.
60. Terrance Davis, SG, Ole Miss 6’4, 208
The other Terrance, spelled differently, also did just enough to make scouts want to take a shot on him.
61. Dedric Lawson, PF, Kansas 6’8, 224
Lawson never finished a season without less than 200 total rebounds, but it was his three-point shooting at the combine that had scouts intrigued.
62. Naz Reid, PF, LSU 6’10, 250
Reid had the most body fat out of any player at the combine.
63. Yovel Zoosman, SF, Maccabi Tel Aviv 6’7, 200
Zoosman was showing up on big boards since March, and he’s worth a shot if someone wants an international flyer.
64. Tadas Sedekerskis, SF, Nevezis 6’7, 212
Same thing goes for Sedekerskis.
65. CJ Massinburg, SG, Buffalo 6’3, 194
Massingburg was a lights out shooter for Buffalo and might be worth as a year or two project.
66. Kerwin Roach, SG, Texas 6’4, 170
The former top-50 recruit is worth a shot at the end of the second or a G-League investment.
67. Miye Oni, SG, Yale 6’6, 210
It was kind of dumb not to return to school to help the Ivy become a two-bid league.
68. Max Strus, Wing, DePaul 6’6, 215
Strus made almost 200 3-pointers in two seasons for DePaul.
69. Jordan Poole, SG, Michigan 6’5, 195
Poole could be a good shooter, but he didn’t look comfortable at the combine.
70. DaQuan Jeffries, SG, Tulsa 6’5, 230
Jeffries appeared out of no where after looking like a nice athlete for his size at the combine.
71. Moses Brown, C, UCLA 7’1, 245
Brown has terrific size, but didn’t seem engaged.
72. Jared Harper, PG, Auburn 5’11, 175
Thanks to a 40-game season, Harper dished over 200 assists and made almost 100 3-pointers, but he’s a bit undersized.
73. Tyus Battle, PG, Syracuse 6’6, 205
Battle didn’t get a combine invite, but I think he’s sold on joining a G-League team somewhere.
74. Jaylen Hoard, PF, Wake Forest 6’8, 215
This top-20 recruit was a rebounding machine for Wake Forest, but couldn’t find much success with the Demon Deacons.
75. Kris Wilkes, SG, UCLA 6’8, 215
Just one of the many talented players that Steve Alford had and couldn’t win with.
76. Jaylen Nowell, SG, Washington 6’4, 200
Nowell never really broke out at Washington like everyone thought.
77. Simi Shittu, PF, Vanderbilt 6’10, 240
Shittu was top-10 recruit, got lost at Vanderbilt, but still managed to score almost 11 points and seven boards per game.
78. Jaylen Hands, PG, UCLA 6’3, 180
UCLA has a thing for producing good point guards and Hands has a shot at doing just that.
79. Ethan Happ, PF, Wisconsin 6’10, 235
If this were 15-20 years ago, Happ would be a lottery pick.
80. Nick Ward, PF, Michigan State 6’9, 245
Ward has potential to be a great true power forward, but he is now injury prone.
81. Zylan Cheatham, PF, Arizona State 6’8, 220
Cheatham transferred from San Diego State and proceeded to averaged a double-double for the Sun Devils.
82. Jordan Caroline, PF, Nevada 6’7, 230
Caroline dominated the boards in college, but he’s a bit undersized to play power forward in the NBA.
83. Lagerald Vick, SG, Kansas 6’5, 190
Just one of the many that Kansas lost last season that hurt them.
84. Vic Law, SF, Northwestern 6’7, 200
Law could be a guy who eventually becomes an undrafted small forward role player.
85. Chris Clemons, PG, Campbell 5’9, 180
Clemons never made less than 90 3-pointers in all four seasons.
86. Lindell Wigginton, PG, Iowa State 6’2, 190
Wigginton was a top-35 recruit in 2017, but all of his numbers decreased from freshman to sophomore year.
87. Oshae Brissett, SF, Syracuse 6’8, 205
Syracuse really had no chance of returning Battle or Brissett, but luckily for them they have G-League guys interested.
88. Tyler Cook, PF, Iowa 6’8, 245
This makes no sense. As a Big Ten guy, I don’t want him leaving.
89. Dewan Hernandez, C, Miami 6’10, 235
He’s a big body, a space holder and has a chance at playing in the G-League.
90. Marques Bolden, C, Duke 6’11, 250
Bolden was a top-10 recruit in 2016, but just never fit the Coach K system.
91. V.J. King, SF, Louisville 6’7, 215
King was a top-25 recruit in 2016 but just seemed to get lost in the Chris Mack system.
92. Aubrey Dawkins, SG, UCF 6’6, 205
UCF was already losing a ton and Dawkins was the final pin that blew any chances for the Knights.
93. Sagaba Konate, C, West Virginia 6’8, 250
Konate is a very inconsistent, but great shot-blocker.
94. Amir Coffey, SG, Minnesota 6’8, 210
One more year in college would’ve done him good, but he has potential with the size and ability to play guard.
95. Kenny Wooten, PF, Oregon 6’9, 235
Just getting Wooten to return would’ve put Oregon as a lock in the Tournament.
96. Lamar Peters, PG, Mississippi State 6’0, 185
His number improved throughout three seasons, but going back to Mississippi State would have helped him and the Bulldogs.
97. Brandon Randolph, SG, Arizona 6’6, 175
This one puzzled me because Randolph wasn’t expected to go out and his ranking shows.
98. Sacha Killeya-Jones, PF, NC State 6’11, 220
Killeya-Jones really messed up NC State’s plans.
99. Charlie Brown, SF, St. Joe’s 6’7, 197
Really cool name.
100. Martin Krampelj, PF, Creighton 6’9, 235
Last one and this messed up Creighton’s plans of being a top-16 team.
Photo courtesy of IUHoosiers.com
Austin has found a love for blogging and will rant about anything. He may not always be right about college football, but he’s a great follow on twitter @watlher924 during hoops season.