NCAA boosts NBA 1st-round projections
The NCAA Tournament is over, and it’s decision time for some of the top college basketball players in the country.
The early-entry deadline for the NBA draft is April 21, and while a handful of potential lottery picks (such as Ja Morant and RJ Barrett) have already made their intentions known, many players are still weighing their options.
With the regular season ending Wednesday and the playoffs tipping off Saturday, we look ahead and predict the order in which players will be selected in June. (Note: Team needs and draft order were not taken into account.)
1. Zion Williamson, Duke, freshman, forward, 6-7, 285
2. Ja Morant, Murray State, sophomore, guard, 6-3, 175
3. RJ Barrett, Duke, freshman, forward, 6-7, 202
4. De’Andre Hunter, Virginia, sophomore, forward, 6-7, 225
5. Cam Reddish, Duke, freshman, forward, 6-8, 218
6. Darius Garland, Vanderbilt, freshman, guard, 6-2, 175
7. Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech, sophomore, guard, 6-6, 195
8. Jaxson Hayes, Texas, freshman, center, 6-11, 220
9. Coby White, North Carolina, freshman, guard, 6-5, 185
10. Romeo Langford, Indiana, freshman, guard, 6-6, 215
11. Kevin Porter Jr., Southern California, freshman, guard, 6-6, 218
12. Sekou Doumbouya, Guinea, forward, 6-9, 210
13. Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga, junior, forward, 6-8, 230
14. PJ Washington, Kentucky, sophomore, forward, 6-8, 228
15. Keldon Johnson, Kentucky, freshman, guard, 6-6, 211
16. Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga, junior, forward, 6-8, 215
17. Nassir Little, North Carolina, freshman, forward, 6-6, 220
18. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Virginia Tech, sophomore, guard, 6-5, 205
19. Tyler Herro, Kentucky, freshman, guard, 6-5, 195
20. Bol Bol, Oregon, freshman, center, 7-2, 235
21. Jontay Porter, Missouri, sophomore, forward, 6-11, 240
22. KZ Okpala, Stanford, sophomore, forward, 6-9, 215
23. Goga Bitadze, Georgia (country), center, 6-11, 250
24. Cam Johnson, North Carolina, graduate student, forward, 6-9, 210
25. Bruno Fernando, Maryland, sophomore, center, 6-10, 240
26. Talen Horton-Tucker, Iowa State, freshman, guard, 6-4, 233
27. Grant Williams, Tennessee, junior, forward, 6-7, 236
28. Matisse Thybulle, Washington, senior, guard, 6-5, 200
29. Luguentz Dort, Arizona State, freshman, guard, 6-4, 215
30. Ty Jerome, Virginia, junior, guard, 6-5, 195