It has been said that the NBA off-season is even more exciting that the NBA playoffs. While we are all itching to know where Kawhi and Durant are headed, we’ll have to first take a pit stop into the draft, where the next Charles Barkley and Russell Westbrook may be. Outside of Zion and Ja, there isn’t as much talent near the top of the lottery as usual, but the top 26 players on my big board are all well worth mid-first round picks or better so in all, the class is a 6 or 7 out of 10.
If you haven’t been paying much attention, today’s article will serve as a viewer’s guide so you know more about the players your team picks and what may happen through trades and even in next year’s draft. Keep an eye out, as I’ll be posting my final mock on Twitter tomorrow @bobbyfantasypro.
The Big Board
*ECR takes from 15 big boards across the industry to form an expert consensus ranking.
| Rank | ECR | Player | Pos | Team |
| 1 | 1 | Zion Williamson | PF | Duke |
| 2 | 2 | Ja Morant | PG | Murray St. |
| 3 | 3 | RJ Barrett | SF | Duke |
| 4 | 9 | Sekou Doumbouya | PF | France |
| 5 | 7 | Coby White | PG | UNC |
| 6 | 13 | Goga Bitadze | C | Rep. of Georgia |
| 7 | 8 | Cam Reddish | SF | Duke |
| 8 | 5 | De’Andre Hunter | SF | Virginia |
| 9 | 12 | Nassir Little | SF | UNC |
| 10 | 4 | Jarrett Culver | SG | Texas Tech |
| 11 | 6 | Darius Garland | PG | Vanderbilt |
| 12 | 16 | Bol Bol | C | Oregon |
| 13 | 17 | PJ Washington | PF | Kentucky |
| 14 | 10 | Jaxson Hayes | C | Texas |
| 15 | 21 | Grant Williams | PF | Tennessee |
| 16 | 15 | Romeo Langford | SF | Indiana |
| 17 | 18 | Kevin Porter Jr. | SG | USC |
| 18 | 24 | Mfiondu Kabengele | C | Florida St. |
| 19 | 27 | Nic Claxton | PF | Georgia |
| 20 | 29 | Matisse Thybulle | SF | Washington |
| 21 | 14 | Brandon Clarke | PF | Gonzaga |
| 22 | 23 | Keldon Johnson | SF | Kentucky |
| 23 | 36 | Darius Bazley | SF | USA |
| 24 | 11 | Rui Hachimura | PF | Gonzaga |
| 25 | 20 | Nickeil Alexander-Walker | SG | Virginia Tech |
| 26 | 26 | Bruno Fernando | C | Maryland |
| 27 | 25 | Chuma Okeke | PF | Auburn |
| 28 | 56 | John Konchar | SG | Purdue Ft. Wayne |
| 29 | 19 | Tyler Herro | SG | Kentucky |
| 30 | 32 | Talen Horton-Tucker | SF | Iowa St. |
| 31 | 22 | Cameron Johnson | SF | UNC |
| 32 | 41 | Naz Reid | PF | LSU |
| 33 | 44 | Jalen Lecque | PG | USA |
| 34 | 34 | Luka Samanic | PF | Croatia |
| 35 | 31 | Carsen Edwards | PG | Purdue |
| 36 | 28 | Dylan Windler | SF | Belmont |
| 37 | 33 | Ty Jerome | PG | Virginia |
| 38 | 30 | KZ Okpala | SF | Stanford |
| 39 | 37 | Daniel Gafford | C | Arkansas |
| 40 | 50 | Daquan Jeffries | SG | Tulsa |
| 41 | 46 | Admiral Schofield | SF | Tennessee |
| 42 | 40 | Luguentz Dort | SG | Arizona St. |
| 43 | 35 | Eric Paschall | PF | Villanova |
| 44 | 48 | Jontay Porter | C | Missouri |
| 45 | 47 | Cody Martin | SF | Nevada |
| 46 | 38 | Louis King | SF | Oregon |
| 47 | >60 | Tyler Cook | PF | Iowa |
| 48 | 39 | Shamorie Ponds | PG | St. John’s |
| 49 | 43 | Terence Davis | SG | Ole Miss |
| 50 | 42 | Isaiah Roby | PF | Nebraska |
| 51 | >60 | Quinndary Weatherspoon | SG | Mississippi St. |
| 52 | 45 | Terance Mann | SG | Florida St. |
| 53 | 60 | Jalen McDaniels | PF | San Diego St. |
| 54 | 55 | Dedric Lawson | PF | Kansas |
| 55 | 51 | Deividas Sirvydis | SF | Lithuania |
| 56 | >60 | Charles Matthews | PF | Michigan |
| 57 | 59 | Tacko Fall | C | UCF |
| 58 | >60 | Sagaba Konate | C | West Virginia |
| 59 | >60 | Yovel Zoosman | SF | Israel |
| 60 | >60 | Tremont Waters | PG | LSU |
Which teams could swing a deal?
- Pelicans move back from #4 for multiple 1sts
- Pelicans move Jrue Holiday or Lonzo Ball for lottery pick
- Cavs trade down from #5
- Suns move back from #6
- Bulls jump up from #7 to grab Coby White or out for veteran PG
- Cavs trade Kevin Love to move into the lottery
- Wizards trade Bradley Beal for picks/players
- Grizzlies use Mike Conley to get into the lottery
- Hawks go up from #8, #10, #17 for #3 or #4 overall
- Celtics move up from #14, #20 and #22
Which non-lottery players have the most upside?
- Bol Bol (C – Oregon)
- Jalen Lecque (PG – USA)
- Kevin Porter Jr. (SG – USC)
- Darius Bazley (SF – USA)
- Nic Claxton (PF – Georgia)
- Jontay Porter (C – Missouri)
Are there any second round players that could make an immediate impact?
- Carsen Edwards (PG – Purdue)
- John Konchar (SG – Purdue Fort Wayne)
- Cody Martin (SF – Nevada)
- Admiral Schofield (SF – Tennessee)
- Shamorie Ponds (PG – St. John’s)
- Daniel Gafford (C – Arkansas)
How is the 2020 draft class shaping up?
Unlike this class, there is no all-generation talent like Zion. In fact, there is plenty of dispute about who the top player on the board is with a handful of names all being mentioned as in the running. What is certain, however, is that the lottery will be full of upside, making for a much deeper class than what we are getting in 2019.
- James Wiseman (C – Memphis)
- Anthony Edwards (SG – Georgia)
- Ayo Dosunmu (PG – Illinois)
- Jaden McDaniels (PF – Washington)
- Theo Maledon (PG – France)
- Scottie Lewis (SG – Florida)
- LaMelo Ball (PG – Australia via USA)
- R.J. Hampton (PG – New Zealand via USA)
- Cole Anthony (PG – UNC)
- Deni Avdija (SF – Israel)
- Isaiah Stewart (C – Washington)
- Jalen Smith (PF – Maryland)
- Ochai Agbaji (SG – Kansas)
- Vernon Carey Jr. (C – Duke)
- Nico Mannion (PG – Arizona)
(Honorable Mention: Samuell Williamson, Kahlil Whitney, Killian Hayes, Precious Achiuwa, Charles Bassey)
Non-Draft Bonus: Where will the big free agents sign?
#1 Kawhi Leonard – #1 Clippers, #2 Raptors, #3 Lakers
#2 Kevin Durant – #1 Nets, #2 Knicks, #3 Warriors
#3 Jimmy Butler – #1 Sixers, #2 Lakers, #3 Knicks
#4 Kyrie Irving – #1 Nets, #2 Lakers, #3 Knicks
#5 Kemba Walker – #1 Hornets, #2 Lakers, #3 Pacers
#6 (Klay is a lock to sign with the Warriors)
#7 DeMarcus Cousins – #1 Lakers, #2 Warriors, #3 Bulls
#8 D’Angelo Russell – #1 Pacers, #2 Nets, #3 Suns
#9 Nikola Vucevic – #1 Magic, #2 Mavs, #3 Kings
#10 Khris Middleton – #1 Bucks, #2 Lakers, #3 Mavs