Pac-12 Basketball: Kris Wilkes, Bol Bol top 2019 NBA Draft prospects

Even in a down year, Pac-12 Basketball still has some intriguing prospects for the upcoming NBA Draft if they choose to leave early.

This has been a down year as a whole for Pac-12 Basketball and was looking absolutely horrid before Washington’s revival in conference play. In recent memory, college basketball fans have been able to experience veteran Arizona Wildcat teams, entertaining UCLA teams and the Oregon Ducks legendary run to the Final Four before it’s one point loss to UNC.

Regardless of how bad the conference is this year, there is legit NBA talent and future stars waiting to get their name called. On June 20th, teams will be looking for a franchise player or a steal later in the draft. What Pac-12 players names will you hear being called on that night?

1. Bol Bol C, Oregon – Before Bol’s season-ending foot injury, he was a guaranteed Top-10 pick and a potential Top-5. It is inevitable that his draft stock is going to fall because of an injury like this but it has not hurt him too much. In our most recent Busting Bracket’s Mock Draft, he is still projected to go in the Top-10. There isn’t much to argue here since Bol has been projected as a top pick since he was in high school.

2. KZ Okpala F, Stanford – Okpala was featured on the Julius Erving Award Watch List for the Top Collegiate Small Forwards. The 6’9 Forward has a ridiculous 7’2 wingspan and handles the ball exceptionally for a bigger player. With that build and improvements on his defense, he should be able to guard positions 1-4. This brings huge value to any team because many big men today are exposed in pick and roll situations when needing to cover a guard. Okpala also shoots 40% behind the arc which is an immense improvement from his 22% last year.

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3. Kris Wilkes F, UCLA – Wilkes was a potential first-round pick in last years draft before deciding to return for his sophomore year in hopes of increasing his draft stock. Wilkes is leading the Bruins this year with 17.3 PPG but that can also be attributed to the absence of Aaron Holiday, last year’s primary scorer. The 6’8 forward who plays more like a guard has not done much to increase his stock and may even have decreased it some but will be drafted due to his scoring ability and NBA frame.

4. Luguentz Dort G, Arizona St. – The 6’4 Freshman from Canada burst onto the college basketball scene scoring 28 and 25 points in the Sun Devils first two games. Since then he settled down but is averaging 16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists as ASU’s primary scorer. Dort is a powerful guard that gets to the rim and uses a mixture of strength and a soft touch to finish around the rim. Dort also uses his strength on the defensive end to hound opposing guards. He definitely has the potential to be a late first-rounder but his jumpshot will be what keeps him out of that conversation. Dort is shooting just under 40% from the field, 27% from three and 66% from the free-throw line.

5. Louis King F, Oregon – This was close between Jaylen Hands of UCLA but I believe King is the better NBA Prospect. He is 6’9 and has a fluid three-point shooting stroke along with the ability to score from anywhere on the floor. King is built perfectly to be an NBA wing with a 7’2 wingspan he will use defend the perimeter and bigger forwards.

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With Bol Bol out, King will be Oregon’s primary scorer, so look for him to continue rising throughout the rankings as the season nears an end.

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