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NBA Draft 2019: Final predictions and analysis for all 60 selections

By Tristan Freeman

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts against the Michigan State Spartans during the first half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts against the Michigan State Spartans during the first half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 22: Ty Jerome #11 of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts after a play in the second half against the Gardner Webb Runnin Bulldogs during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 22: Ty Jerome #11 of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts after a play in the second half against the Gardner Webb Runnin Bulldogs during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

40. Sacramento – Jontay Porter (Harkins)

This was a “best player available” selection. Even though he missed his entire sophomore season, Jontay Porter has an incredible ceiling and could be a major “boom” pick. As long as he stays healthy and continues his development as a stretch big, Porter will be a starting-caliber center in the NBA. This might not be an incredible fit on paper but it is hard to pass up a potential first-round pick all the way down at No. 40. During his freshman campaign with Missouri, Porter shot 36.4% from three and averaged 1.7 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game.

39. New Orleans Pelicans – Ty Jerome (Jarrett)

With Anthony Davis as good as gone, the Pelicans are now tasked with building around Zion Williamson and Jrue Holiday. The best way to go about this would be by surrounding them with shooters, and not only is Ty Jerome terrific value at pick 39, he’s one of the best shooters in this class. Jerome is coming off of a championship season with Virginia that saw him shoot 39.9% on 5.4 three-point attempts per game, a significant number of which came from NBA range (according to The Stepien’s shot chart, Jerome was 56-for-138 on NBA-range threes this season, good for 40.6%).

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Like Jrue Holiday, his 6’5 frame permits him to play either guard spot, as he’s a high IQ passer who rarely records turnovers and can also play off-ball. While Jerome’s negative wingspan and athletic limitations may lead one to believe that he’ll suffer on the defensive end of things, he’s coming from one of the best defensive programs in college basketball and held his own at the college level. He doesn’t have star upside, but he’s a guy that I would bet on providing a lot of value as a backup for a long time in the NBA.

38. Chicago Bulls – Darius Bazley (Corn)

Picking this late the Bulls should go all in on the upside of the former 5 star recruit here. Why is the 5-star recruit still available at 38? Bazley decided not to attend Syracuse to go to the G-League, to then not go to the G-league and go get a million dollar deal with New Balance to be a intern with the brand, have his own endorsement deal, and hone his craft on his own. He offers a good amount of upside, (which I’m noticing is a trend with the rest of my picks) and the Bulls should take the shot on him in the 2nd round to try to develop him since they’re not in a win now situation anyways.

37. Dallas Mavericks – KZ Okpala (Stevens)

Okpala is a very interesting prospect that most scouts do not know where to put him on a court. He is 6’9” but has a wingspan on 7’2”, only 215lbs, and played on a team where they did not win very much this season. Okpala did average 16.8 points this season and shot fairly well from the field, but was that due to him being the only real option. He should be one of the better lane cloggers in the NBA with his long wingspan. But the rest is relatively unknown.

His potential is something that people should not doubt. You do not find someone with the measurables of Okpala every day on the block. It will take some time for him to get used to the NBA, but the Mavericks right now are not in a position to compete for anything but a playoff spot at best. They have the ability to take their time on a prospect like Okpala and have him develop for a year or two before much is really asked of him. He would slide into the power forward position for the Mavericks and along side of Dwight Powell ( also from Stanford) add more athleticism to their roster.

36. Charlotte Hornets – Moses Brown (Anderson)

Moses Brown fits a big need for the Charlotte Hornets in the frontcourt. He produced 9.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game as a freshman this past year with the UCLA Bruins. He’s a raw talent with solid rim protection and rebounding skills. In his best game of the year, he racked up 23 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks against St Francis (PA). He recorded a block in all but three of his 32 appearances for the Bruins this past season. At worst, he’ll provide energy for them on the defensive end while doing a good job to stay out of foul trouble.

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