NBA Draft 2019 Big Board: Early prospect rankings lack true star potential

Chris Stone

NBA Draft 2019 Big Board: Early prospect rankings lack true star potential image

The NBA's 2018-19 regular season tipped off on Tuesday night with just about a handful of franchises holding championship aspirations. Those teams range from favored contenders like the Warriors, Rockets and Celtics to rosters arguably just a step away, including the Jazz, Thunder, Raptors and 76ers.

A number of other organizations will be content with a run to the playoffs. In some cases, that’s the end goal of a successful season. In a few, it will also serve as a sign of continued growth or potential future promise.

But as always, much of the league will lag behind. They’ll be forced to set their sights on the 2019 NBA Draft as a beacon of hope for the future.

It's never too early to start thinking about the draft.

NBA DRAFT 2019: Duke's trio, key returns and pick swaps

Several prospects at the top of the 2019 class are well-known to the general public. North Carolina's Nassir Little put on a show during the high school all-star circuit, while Duke's trio of R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cameron Reddish have been in the spotlight for years. Barrett has already established himself as a legitimate No. 1 pick, Williamson's combination of youth and elite athleticism is enticing and Reddish possesses the skill to be the best player of the bunch if he wants to be.

The problem for lottery teams is that the rest of the incoming class is lacking when it comes to real star potential. Combine that with a weak returning crop of college players — De'Andre Hunter, Daniel Gafford, Jontay Porter and Rui Hachimura headline the group — and a largely uninspiring international contingent, and we've got what could be one of the worst drafts in the last five years.

In prior years, the top-heavy 2019 class would be a prime candidate for league-wide tanking. It’s fitting then that this will be the year the league institutes lottery reform. Gone are the days when the NBA’s worst team would hold a 25.0 percent chance of landing the draft’s top pick and a guaranteed top three selection.

Instead, the 2019 odds will be flattened out with the three worst teams holding a 14.0 percent chance each of ending up at No. 1. In theory, reform should reduce the number of teams striving to be bad. In practice, maybe not. Either way, all that’s important now is that’s the way the ping pong balls will fall in May.

With those two overarching themes in mind, it’s time to reveal our first Big Board for the 2019 NBA Draft. What follows is a ranking of the top prospects in the class, not a prediction of the order they will actually be selected come next June. It’s likely some of these prospects won’t even declare in the spring.

Nonetheless, this preliminary top 60 can function as a sort of watch list for NBA fans to start the season.

NOTE: About positional designations… In keeping up with modern lineup versatility, we’ve eschewed historically accurate PG, SG, SF, PF and C descriptors. Instead, we’re using broader terms like combo (PG/SG), wing (SG/SF), forward (SF/PF) and big (PF/C) to reflect the ability of a player to move up and down a lineup.

Rank Player Team Pos. Height Weight Age
1. R.J. Barrett Duke Wing 6-7 208 18.3
2. Zion Williamson Duke Forward 6-7 250 18.3
3. Nassir Little North Carolina Wing 6-7 215 18.7
4. Cameron Reddish Duke Wing 6-9 205 19.1
5. Sekou Doumbouya Limoges Forward 6-8 230 17.8
6. Quentin Grimes Kansas Combo 6-6 207 18.4
7. Romeo Langford Indiana Wing 6-7 202 19.0
8. Jontay Porter Missouri Big 6-11 236 18.9
9. Keldon Johnson Kentucky Wing 6-7 210 19.1
10. De'Andre Hunter Virginia Forward 6-7 222 20.9
11. Darius Garland Vanderbilt Point 6-3 173 18.7
12. Daniel Gafford Arkansas Big 6-11 217 20.0
13. Bol Bol Oregon Big 7-2 222 18.9
14. Rui Hachimura Gonzaga Forward 6-8 225 20.7
15. Louis King Oregon Wing 6-7 188 19.5
16. Luka Samanic Petrol Olimpija Forward 6-10 210 18.8
17. Kevin Porter USC Wing 6-6 218 18.4
18. Jarrett Culver Texas Tech Wing 6-5 190 19.7
19. Nazreon Reid LSU Big 6-10 240 19.1
20. Herb Jones Alabama Wing 6-7 200 20.0
21. Simisola Shittu Vanderbilt Forward 6-10 220 18.9
22. Shamorie Ponds St. John's Point 6-1 175 20.3
23. Ja Morant Murray State Point 6-3 170 19.2
24. Lindell Wigginton Iowa State Combo 6-2 188 20.6
25. Zach Norvell Gonzaga Wing 6-5 205 20.9
26. Killian Tillie Gonzaga Big 6-10 215 20.6
27. Coby White North Carolina Point 6-5 185 18.7
28. Kris Wilkes UCLA Wing 6-8 195 20.1
29. Jalen McDaniels San Diego State Big 6-10 195 20.7
30. Ashton Hagans Kentucky Point 6-3 180 19.3
31. Jaylen Hoard Wake Forest Wing 6-8 215 19.5
32. Charles Bassey Western Kentucky Big 6-11 234 18.0
33. Jalen Smith Maryland Big 6-10 195 18.6
34. PJ Washington Kentucky Big 6-7 236 20.1
35. Dedric Lawson Kansas Big 6-9 235 21.0
36. Nickeil Alexander-Walker Virginia Tech Wing 6-5 210 20.1
37. Jarron Cumberland Cincinnati Wing 6-5 205 21.1
38. Admiral Schofield Tennessee Wing 6-4 238 21.5
39. Darius Bazley N/A Big 6-9 200 18.3
40. Matisse Thybulle Washington Wing 6-5 200 21.6
41. Isaiah Roby Nebraska Wing 6-8 230 21.5
42. Tyus Battle Syracuse Wing 6-6 205 21.1
43. Eric Paschall Villanova Big 6-8 255 21.9
44. Charles Matthews Michigan Wing 6-6 200 21.9
45. Jarrey Foster SMU Wing 6-6 220 21.9
46. Marko Simonovic Petrol Olimpija Big 6-11 210 19.0
47. Carsen Edwards Purdue Point 6-1 200 21.7
48. Aric Holman Mississippi State Big 6-10 225 21.3
49. Cameron Johnson North Carolina Forward 6-8 210 22.6
50. Jordan Poole Michigan Wing 6-5 195 19.3
51. Kerwin Roach Texas Wing 6-4 180 22.0
52. Josh Reaves Penn State Wing 6-5 214 21.4
53. Ky Bowman Boston College Point 6-1 188 20.3
54. Jalen Hudson Florida Wing 6-6 192 22.4
55. Ty Jerome Virginia Combo 6-5 195 21.3
56. Terence Davis Mississippi Wing 6-4 201 21.4
57. Sagaba Konate West Virginia Big 6-8 260 21.6
58. Udoka Azubuike Kansas Big 7-0 280 19.1
59. Markis McDuffie Wichita State Wing 6-8 203 21.1
60. Bruno Fernando Maryland Big 6-10 245 20.2

Chris Stone