The opening week of the March Madness tournament yielded some entertaining games, but in the end, the “chalk” won out, setting the stage for all “Blue Blood” sweet sixteen.
There were a few notable performances – Temetrius “Ja” Morant put on a show, showing why he may be the second player drafted overall in 2019. RJ Barrett put on a nice show against NDSU reminding many why he may be the third overall player selected in 2019.
There were also some notables showing from some of the next tiers of prospects.
Matisse Thybulle (Washington), Tacko Fall (UCF), Admiral Schofield (Tennessee), Jarrett Culver (Texas Tech), Brandon Clarke (Gonzaga) and Mfiondu Kabengele (FSU) all had nice “take notice” weekends.
The tournament rarely makes or breaks a player’s draft stock, but what it can do is get you noticed in a way that could spark more curiosity, especially showing big on the big stage against other top tier athletes.
There is a wrinkle in this year’s draft that’s worth noting as we get into this week’s Mock Draft which is the consolidation of picks.
19 of the 60 2019 draft selections will be controlled by five teams. Said differently, 31 percent of the draft will be controlled by five teams, if all the picks stay where they are today.
Atlanta has five picks (two firsts, three seconds), Philadelphia has five picks (one first, and four seconds). Sacramento has three picks, all second rounders. Boston has three picks (two firsts and a second). Charlotte has three picks (one first and two seconds).
With so many picks consolidated into five teams, two things seem likely – a lot of trade activity during the draft, and the potential for a lot of draft and stash prospecting, especially in the second round.
Here is this week’s 60-pick Mock Draft:
Here are the first-round picks that are owed and how those picks landed where they are.
The Atlanta Hawks are to receive the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first-round pick as a result of the Kyle Korver trade in 2017, which is top-10 protected. But based on the standings, it will not be conveyed.
The Atlanta Hawks are to receive the Dallas Mavericks first-round pick as a result of the Luka Dončić – Trae Young swap on draft night in 2018. The pick is top-five protected and, based on the standings, would convey.
The Boston Celtics are to receive the Memphis Grizzlies first-round pick as a result of the three-team Jeff Green trade in 2015; the pick is top-eight protected and, based on the current standings, would not convey.
The Boston Celtics are to receive the more favorable of either the Sacramento Kings or Philadelphia 76ers first-round picks as part of the Markelle Fultz pre-draft trade in 2017. Based on the current standings, the Kings pick is the more favorable and would convey to Boston.
The Boston Celtics are to receive the LA Clippers first-round pick as a result of the Deyonta Davis draft day trade with Memphis in 2016. The Grizzlies got the pick in their Jeff Green/Lance Stephenson deal at the deadline in 2016. The pick is lottery protected and, based on the current standings, would convey.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are to receive the Houston Rockets first-round pick as a result of the three-team deadline deal that sent out Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss.
The Brooklyn Nets are to receive the Denver Nuggets first-round pick as a result of the Kenneth Faried – Darrell Arthur trade in July 2018. The pick is top-12 protected and, based on the current standings, would convey.
The San Antonio Spurs are to receive the Toronto Raptors first-round pick as a result of the Kawhi Leonard – DeMar DeRozan trade in July 2018. The pick is top-20 protected and, based on the current standings, would convey.
The Phoenix Suns are to receive the Milwaukee Bucks first-round pick as a result of the Eric Bledsoe trade in 2017. The pick has top 3 and 17-30 protections, designed to yield a lottery-level pick to Phoenix. Based on the current standings this pick would not convey. If the debt is not settled this year, the pick in 2020 would be top-7 protected.
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