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The 2019 NBA draft is one of the most awaited events of the off-season and features some of the best young talent coming in the NBA. The draft will take place on 20th June 2019 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
While there are a bunch of young stars coming into the draft this season, both from the colleges in the USA as well as from teams abroad, we will take a look at the top 3 small forwards that will be drafted in the 2019 NBA draft.
#3 Cam Reddish (Duke):
Cam Reddish is one of the most exciting and electrifying players in the 2019 NBA draft, fitting the modern NBA era standards perfectly. A 3 and D wing, the 20 year old small forward stands at 6 foot 8 inches and has a wingspan of 7 feet. He weighs in at 208 pounds and is one of the best defenders in this year's draft.
Reddish is a great defender and he is projected to be superb 3 point shooter in the NBA. He has a clean shooting mechanism which could translate to the NBA. He is just 20 years old and is one of the younger players in the draft.
He played in a really strong Duke team, featuring the consensus #1 pick Zion Williamson, teammate RJ Barrett and hence Reddish had to play a lot off the ball. He was superb on defense for the Blue Devils, averaging 1.6 steals per game and proved to be just the defensive anchor that Duke needed.
He averaged 13.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists per game as well, but given the high profile teammates he played with, there is more to come from Reddish than we have seen in college with Duke.
A team like Atlanta Hawks at #8 could benefit from drafting Reddish in the first round. He will prove to be the ideal 3 and D wing they have been looking for all this while and will slot in perfectly into a team that looks to shoot a lot of 3s.
#2 DeAndre Hunter (Virginia):
DeAndre Hunter is one of the top 5 prospects of this 2019 NBA draft and has shot up the rankings after some really good performances at the NBA combine. Standing at 6 foot 7 inches, with a wingspan of 7 feet 2 inches and weighs a solid 223 pounds, Hunter is made for the game of modern NBA basketball.
The 21 year old player is somewhat older than most of his peers, but the sophomore from Virginia has been a solid player this season in college. He has averaged 15.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2 assists a game.
While his statistics are not very flashy, Hunter is one of the best defenders coming into the draft, able to defend multiple positions without any problems and is projected to have a reliable 3 point shot too, shooting 44% from the 3 in college.
He is a good player on offense, becoming a solid cutter and relocates well to get open. His shot creation and on ball defense have gotten better too and his size is what makes him a really tough player to get past. A team like Cleveland Cavaliers at #5 or even New Orleans Pelicans at #4 would be ideal fits for a 3 and D player who can play solid defense and has a reliable 3 point shot.
#1 RJ Barrett (Duke):
RJ Barrett is the top small forward to watch out for the 2019 NBA draft, even though he has fallen a few ranks since the start of the college season. The 19 year old from Duke weights in at 202 pounds, is 6 feet 7 inches tall with a 6 foot 10 inch wingspan.
He is a supremely gifted scorer, who has been a winner at every level of basketball and will be itching to get his hands on a trophy in the NBA as soon as he can. He is an impressive athlete and has a strong work ethic. He has improved in each season and hopefully continues to work on his raw skills to become better in the NBA.
He is a really good on the ball player and has a huge arsenal of moves at his disposal to get away from his defender. An excellent rebounder, Barrett's speed and agility makes him a danger for at the rim finishes.
Barrett averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and just under 1 steal during his season with Duke and even though he was poor from the 3, everyone is hoping he can only get better and perform at the highest stage in the NBA. He is widely linked with the New York Knicks at #3 and it would be no surprise if he goes there to develop into a star.
Guess the Lakers players!
