NBA Draft 2019: Player comparisons for all projected first round picks

6. Darius Garland, G, Vanderbilt (6-3, 6-5, 175lbs) 

Player Comparison: Jeff Teague wired to score, Nick Van Exel

Quick, shifty, and rail-thin, spark-plug scoring guard Darius Garland could learn a lot from Jeff Teague and Nick Van Exel, a pair of equally small guards (both standing shorter than 6-3 and weighing in at less than 180 pounds) who relied on their quickness and crafty ball handling to manufacture offense for themselves and others. Teague’s mentioning here is more so a testament to how similar his frame is to Garland’s than it is a testament to their play styles, as Garland is core-first with fault point guard skills, while Teague is a pass-friendly guard who prefers to defer to his teammates.

Garland looks to be more of a dynamic scorer off the dribble, hence the throwback reference to Van Exel, who routinely got buckets as a thin 6-1 scoring guard in the NBA. Garland’s defense and passing have to improve in order to make his scoring valuable at his size, which is a concern in itself, but landing in the right situation on draft night could go a long way for his future in the NBA.

5. De’Andre Hunter, F, Virginia (6-8, 7-2, 220lbs)

Player Comparison: Hawks-era DeMarre Carroll (6-8, 6-10, 207lbs)

Virginia’s defensive stalwart and complementary offensive piece, De’Andre Hunter, offers a team-friendly game (spot-up shooting, cutting, on-ball defense) and physical profile (switchable, size/length to play both the ‘3’ and ‘4’) similar to that of DeMarre Carroll, who shined brightly as an impact player for the contending Atlanta Hawks only a few years ago, boasting a comparable skill set and role that Hunter will likely fall into at the next level. This isn’t a flashy projection, but it’s one that offers true value to playoff teams and a winning brand of basketball. Hunter is also further along in his development than where Carroll was out of college, which suggests that he’ll be able to contribute far sooner.

4. Cameron Reddish, F/G, Duke (6-8, 7-1, 208lbs) 

Player Comparison: late-career Rudy Gay, Otto Porter Jr., big Ben McLemore, NOT Paul George

Don’t compare Reddish to Paul George. Please, just stop it. They’re both tall and slender, but George entered the NBA as one of the better athletes in the league and was productive at Fresno State, while Reddish is a subpar athlete with little burst/explosion and is coming off of a historically poor shooting season at Duke. Comparing him to the likes of Otto Porter Jr. and Spurs-era Rudy Gay is more realistic, as both players are tall wings with tertiary creation equity and strong traits as team defenders. Neither player is a dynamic athlete, and neither is Reddish. If he commits to playing in a similar fashion, then it’s possible that he can have a long, successful career. But, if things go wrong … then being a bigger version of Ben McLemore isn’t out of the picture, either.