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The NBA draft is a test of judgement and ability to identify skillsets for all the teams in the league. There’s no way of knowing for sure whether a college basketball player will become an NBA superstar someday.
Even after the draft has concluded, one has no way of knowing for sure simply based on the ranking of the draft. Anthony Bennett is a fine example of that. Donovan Mitchell and Kyle Kuzma are the most recent examples from last season. However, it is easier it identifies a group of players that are likely to be lottery picks in the upcoming draft.
Even though the 2018 Draft just took place 3 months ago and the NBA regular season has yet to begin, there is already plenty of buzz among sports analysts and writers alike about the players that are potentially going to be lottery picks at next year’s draft in June 2019.
With the college basketball season set to begin in November, let’s take an early look at 5 prospects that could become household names by the time the 2019 NBA draft arrives:
#5 Sekou Doumbouya
Height: 6’9, Weight: 230 Lbs, Position: Forward, Team: Poitiers - France
Sekou Doumbouya is a highly rated prospect plying his trade for Poitiers in France’s LNP Pro B Division. The Guinea-born Frenchman is one of the youngest players in the draft and only turns 18 in December, but has already shown glimpses of excellence on both the attacking and defensive ends of the floor.
A wing of his size and height usually has an advantage and Doumbouya compliments that with his ability to drive to the basket powerfully. He has shown a knack of making shots from the mid-range and from 3 but he does need to be more consistent and that applies to his defence as well. Sekou has been used to the spotlight since the age of 16 when he led France to the U-18 European Championship along with Frank Ntilikina and will be unfazed by the attention that comes with declaring for the NBA draft.
At such a young age he has plenty of time to improve and we’ll have to wait and see if Sekou Doumbouya can go as high as #2 in next year’s draft , as has been predicted by some scouts.
#4 Nassir Little
Height: 6’6, Weight: 220 Lbs, Position: Small Forward, Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
Nassir Little attracted a lot of attention when he was named MVP of the McDonald’s All American Game game this year. He is 220 pound Small Forward with a lot of ability on both sides of the ball and excels in transition especially. Little has a well developed all round game and a natural jumper making him a constant threat offensively and giving him the ability to spread out the floor more effectively. As a wing , he is one of the best perimeter defenders in the draft class. His plus 8 wingspan means that he is likely to become a very valuable rebounder once he enters the NBA. There is little doubt among scouts that Little is one of the best players in his class , and most are eager to see how much more he adds to his game in UNC colours this college season.
#3 Cameron Reddish
Height: 6’7 Position: Shooting Guard Weight: 195 Lbs Team: Duke Blue Devils
Cam Reddish may not be the best of the 3 five star recruits at Duke, but he is certainly the best scorer of the 3. His athleticism and height are advantages for a player of his position, and he often finds himself him scoring against smaller defenders.
He has a bunch of creative ways of finishing at the rim, and his shot only seems to be getting better. He is a stark contrast of his teammate RJ Barrett when it comes to his personality, and is often a calm and collected individual that will likely get the job done.
Reddish has shown that he learns very quickly and his potential to become a future franchise player will definitely be a factor in how high up the board he goes in next year’s draft.
#2 Zion Williamson
Height: 6’7, Position: Power Forward, Weight: 250 Lbs, Team: Duke Blue Devils
Zion Williamson was perhaps the most talked about high school basketball player since LeBron James. This is largely because a player of Zion’s gifts is not found often. He is an abnormal mix of size and athleticism and most scouts are in awe of how a man of Zion’s size managed to break Duke’s vertical leap record during the team’s combine testing session.
He has the technical skills to go along with his physical talents as well and is very intelligent at using his size to dominate in the paint. He needs to improve his shooting but there are signs that he is getting better based on evidence from Duke’s pre-season tour in Canada.
Zion has the potential to become an elite NBA rebounder and many expect him to become a double-double machine in the NBA someday. How he manages the hype surrounding him is something that remains to be seen, but expect to be hearing Zion Williamson’s name more than once in the coming months leading up to the draft.
#1 RJ Barrett
Height: 6’7, Position: Shooting Guard, Weight: 210 Lbs, Team: Duke Blue Devils
RJ Barrett is an 18-year-old left-handed Canadian basketball player that is part of a star-studded trio playing for the Duke Blue Devils this season alongside fellow lottery prospects Zion Williamson and Cameron Reddish.
Barrett is an explosive wing player that uses his physicality and athleticism on both sides of the floor. His strengths lie in his ability to finish at the rim and get to the basket off the dribble, but much has been said about his potential as a playmaker as well.
While he’s more than capable of shooting from 3, there are some question marks about Barrett’s jumper, especially from the mid-range. His shot selection is at times questionable and it will be interesting to see how that progresses through the college season.
His personality has been discussed a lot as well, and he’s reportedly known to be an extremely fiery individual that displays several leadership qualities at an extremely young age drawing comparisons with Jimmy Butler. Most way too early mock drafts currently have RJ going #1 next year, and that is largely because of his potential to become an NBA Superstar someday. Either way, expect RJ Barrett to be among the top 5 picks next year.
Guess the Lakers players!
