NBA Draft 2019: Final predictions and analysis for all 60 selections
55. New York Knicks – Ignas Brazdeikis (Voynow)
The Knicks need everything. With the 55th pick being one of the last in the NBA draft, their better off going with a relatively safe pick. With Brazdeikis, what you see is what you get. He’ll never jump out of the gym, or wow you with his athleticism. However, he does bring a complete game to the table. Add that to his high basketball IQ and offensive versatility, and you have a solid bench player moving forward. Brazdeikis reminds me an awful lot of Dario Saric, except he’s a little smaller.
For him, being a bit smaller may actually be to his benefit. He will most likely play small forward in the NBA, so he will matchup with opponents similar in size. He has a quick first step and passing ability that’s famous of European basketball. He can push the ball in transition off a rebound, as well as spot up from deep. He’s a guy you want on your side. Brazdeikis will help round out the Knicks bench as they look to next season and beyond.
54. Philadelphia 76ers – Eric Paschall (Anderson)
Eric Paschall is another one of those four-year Villanova products that should land well with a promising NBA franchise. In this case, it’s the Philadelphia 76ers, who could use a big of new blood in “The Process” after their 2019 playoff letdown. Paschall can do a little bit of everything on the floor, similar to point-forward Ben Simmons in a way. He’s a much better shooter though, shooting 33.1 percent from 3-point range during his college career. He’s a player that could play a role in the rotation and add depth.
53. Utah Jazz – Dedric Lawson (Corn)
Lawson doesn’t offer the upside that the other players I’ve selected have, but I think at pick 53 the Jazz will get a player who will last in the NBA for a long long time. His Senior year at Kansas he put up numbers of 19.4 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.3 spg & 1.1 bpg on a .393 3-point shooting percentage. Lawson is one of the older players in the draft, and doesn’t offer tons of upside, but what you see is what you get. Which is one of the safest players in the draft in my opinion. The Jazz are getting a 3 & D player with good rebounding ability. Expect him to be in the league 10 years from now.
52. Charlotte Hornets – Tremont Waters (Benjamin)
Future HOF’er Tony Parker just retired and the Hornets are in desperate need of someone who can create some offense for themselves and others. Enter Waters who is very gifted with the ball and lightning quick. Equally dangerous as a passer and scorer, the 5’10 170-pound spark plug is a capable finisher at the rim and has shown the ability to knock down contested perimeter shots. The 2019 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, who led the conference in steals, will get after it on the defensive end as well. Waters averaged 15.3 points, 5.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 2.9 steals while shooting 43.0% from the field, 81.3% from the free throw line and 32.7% from long-distance last year. He scored in double-figures in 26 of his 33 games as a sophomore, topping the 20-point mark eight times which includes pouring in 36 points against Texas A&M on Jan. 30. Waters also produced four double-doubles and doled out double-digit assists on five occasions.
51. Boston Celtics – Daniel Gafford (Freeman)
Whether it’s Al Horford or Aron Baynes, the Celtics rotation of centers have been in the league for a while. Rookie center Robert Williams didn’t impress much as a rookie so look for them to take a flyer on another big. Gafford is the best available, coming off scoring 16.9 ppg and 8.7 rpg at Arkansas. He has his limitations, including not being able to spread the floor and having triple the amount of turnovers to assists this past season. But he’s also an elite post scorer and defender and with any kind of shot should carve out a role in the NBA.