ACC Basketball is one of the deepest leagues in the NCAA, and this year is no different. Who are the top 10 NBA Draft prospects from the conference of champions?
On June 22, 2017, in a bustling Barclays arena, ACC Basketball set the record for most ACC players drafted in the NBA Draft first round with 10 players — Jayson Tatum (Duke), Jonathan Isaac (FSU), Dennis Smith Jr. (NC State), Luke Kennard (Duke), Donovan Mitchell (Louisville), Justin Jackson (UNC), John Collins (Wake Forest), Harry Giles (Duke), Tyler Lydon (Syracuse), and Tony Bradley (UNC) — which broke the previous record of eight players set by the ACC in 1995 and tied by the SEC in 2012.
This Thursday at the 2019 NBA Draft, the so-called “Conference of Champions” is looking to do it again, with a cast of suitable draft prospects all battling for first-round consideration, with several young players working out with teams firmly in the first round and teams on the bubble.
The ACC is used to boasting top-tier talent in its many programs — the likes of Duke and UNC routinely compete for top recruits that later become NBA-caliber players, with the former becoming the NCAA’s foremost one-and-done factory (yes, beating out Kentucky, although it seems as if Memphis is joining the fun now), with high school recruits jumping to the team in Durham with their eyes set on one day hearing their name called by Adam Silver or Mark Tatum.
The 2018-19 men’s college basketball season saw several teams put forth legitimate NBA-caliber prospects, with this year’s ACC class being one of the deeper ones in recent history. The likes of Duke, UNC, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Florida State all have multiple players in contention for a draft selection on Thursday night, with some programs perhaps getting as many as two or three players called in the first round alone.
So, who are the top 10 2019 NBA Draft prospects from the ACC?