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Ridiculous Upside’s 2019 NBA Draft Big Board 3.0: Porter Jr’s Rise

An updated look at the prospects looking to make a splash in the 2019 NBA Draft.

By Steve Dewald
NCAA Basketball: Hall of Fame Classic-Southern California at Texas Tech Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The prospects that will populate the 2019 NBA Draft are primed to take the stage as the college season rapidly approaches. Before the schedule gets underway, we provide an updated look at our prospect rankings.

This list is based off overall value, and isn’t to be interpreted as a mock draft. This list will fluctuate throughout the season. Players will rise and fall based on their performances across all competitions leading into next year’s draft. For the first time this season, our board will expand to 50 prospects.

With all that in mind, let’s get to the rankings.

2019 NBA Draft Big Board 3.0

Rank Name Position Current Team (Nationality)
Rank Name Position Current Team (Nationality)
No. 1 Zion WIlliamson PF Duke
No. 2 R.J. Barrett SF Duke
No. 3 Cam Reddish SG Duke
No. 4 Nassir Little SF North Carolina
No. 5 Kevin Porter Jr. G/F USC
No. 6 Keldon Johnson SF Kentucky
No. 7 Bol Bol C Oregon
No. 8 Ja Morant PG Murray State
No. 9 Romeo Langford SG Indiana
No. 10 De’Andre Hunter F Virginia
No. 11 Sekou Doumbouya F France
No. 12 Jaylen Hoard F Wake Forest
No. 13 Daniel Gafford C Arkansas
No. 14 Rui Hachimura F Gonzaga
No. 15 Darius Garland PG Vanderbilt
No. 16 Luguentz Dort SG Arizona State
No. 17 Quentin Grimes SG Kansas
No. 18 Charles Bassey PF/C Western Kentucky
No. 19 P.J. Washington PF/C Kentucky
No. 20 Jarrett Culver SG Texas Tech
No. 21 Nickeil Alexander-Walker SG Virginia Tech
No. 22 Bruno Fernando C Maryland
No. 23 Louis King F Oregon
No. 24 Luka Samanic PF Croatia
No. 25 Darius Bazley F N/A
No. 26 Jalen McDaniels F/C San Diego State
No. 27 Nazreon Reid C LSU
No. 28 Brandon Clarke F/C Gonzaga
No. 29 Eric Paschall PF Villanova
No. 30 Simisola Shittu PF Vanderbilt
No. 31 Shamorie Ponds PG St. John's
No. 32 Jalen Smith PF Maryland
No. 33 Kris Wilkes SF UCLA
No. 34 Ty Jerome SG Virginia
No. 35 Aric Holman PF Mississippi State
No. 36 Tyus Battle SG Syracuse
No. 37 Talen Horton-Tucker SG Iowa State
No. 38 Oshae Brissett PF Syracuse
No. 39 Killian Tillie PF Gonzaga
No. 40 Matisse Thybulle G/F Washington
No. 41 Carsen Edwards PG Purdue
No. 42 Admiral Schofield G/F Tennessee
No. 43 Kerwin Roach II G Texas
No. 44 Lindell Wigginton PG Iowa State
No. 45 Jaxson Hayes F/C Texas
No. 46 Isaiah Roby F Nebraska
No. 47 Ky Bowman G Boston College
No. 48 Dedric Lawson PF Kansas
No. 49 Charles Matthews SG Michigan
No. 50 D'Marcus Simonds PG Georgia State

Tough Judgements

Nassir Little’s fit with North Carolina has produced some less-than-ideal results to start the season. Little is a sure-fire lottery pick, but he is firmly behind Duke’s trio of talented freshmen. Until his role within Roy Williams’ system expands, evaluators will have to prepare to do their homework once the season concludes.

Along with Little, Darius Bazely and Louis King have been tough to judge due to a lack of activity. King has returned to action for the Ducks, which will hopefully improve his profile moving forward.

The Rapid Climb of Kevin Porter Jr.

Porter’s rocket-propelled climb to the top of the charts is being fueled by his impressive performances to start the year. The talented freshman has been sidelined for the majority of December, but he left plenty of positive film behind from November.

As a person who witnessed Porter’s impressive play behind the scenes at the Nike Hoop Summit, I firmly believe in his NBA potential.

Herb Jones’ Plummet

Alabama forward Herbert Jones represents the other side of the discussion. Jones’ offensive game needed polishing coming into his second year, but he has been non-existent in the box scores for the majority of the season. He has all the physical tools to be a serviceable NBA player, so hopefully the second half of the year will yield better results for the Crimson Tide wing.