NBA Draft 2019: Top prospects to know, what time event begins, order
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The NBA Draft on Thursday night features some of the most highly touted prospects in years.
The New Orleans Pelicans have the No. 1 pick and reportedly acquired the No. 4 pick, too, in a blockbuster deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Pelicans are expected to take Zion Williamson with the top selection. After that? It's anybody's guess.
Williamson, far and away, leads the talented draft class, which also features his Duke Blue Devils teammates R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish. All three players helped Duke get to the Elite Eight of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
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There are plenty of other draft prospects to be on the lookout for when the draft begins. But when does the draft begin? Who are the other prospects that are in the draft? What is the draft order?
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When Does The Draft Begin?
The NBA Draft takes place Thursday, June 20 at 7 p.m. It will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., the home of the Brooklyn Nets, and will be aired on ESPN.
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The NBA Draft features two rounds. There will be 60 total selections.
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Who Are Some Of The Top Prospects?
The 2019 NBA Draft is littered with talented players ready to take the league by storm. Here's a brief rundown of some of this year's top picks.
ZION WILLIAMSON
Duke's Zion Williamson is the consensus No. 1 pick. It is very likely he's going to be headed to play for the New Orleans Pelicans. Williamson delighted fans during his time with the Blue Devils with sensational dunks and clutch performances during the NCAA Tournament. There's no doubt the Pelicans are getting a generational talent with the top pick.
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JA MORANT
Murray State's Ja Morant was relatively unknown until he made his presence known during the NCAA Tournament. He shot up many draft boards in the process and many experts believe he could land with the Memphis Grizzlies with the second pick of the draft. In two seasons with the Racers, Morant averaged 18.7 points per game was the 2018-19 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year.
R.J. BARRETT
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It's unclear where Duke's other talented prospect, R.J. Barrett, could land. The New York Knicks could possibly draft him with the No. 3 pick, but he could also fall to the No. 4 pick with the Pelicans. Barrett was the top Duke prospect coming into the 2018-19 season but his play was overshadowed by the high-flying Williamson. He averaged 22.6 points during his lone season with the Blue Devils.
JARRETT CULVER
Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver played two seasons with the Red Raiders and decided to declare for the NBA Draft after helping the team make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Culver could be a top 5 pick in the draft come Thursday. He averaged 18.5 points in his sophomore year and was the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year.
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DARIUS GARLAND
Darius Garland wasn't a household name in college basketball until the NBA Draft started to inch closer. Garland is expected to be a lottery pick. The Vanderbilt product played one season with the Commodores and averaged 16.2 points.
COBY WHITE
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North Carolina's Coby White shined as a point guard for the Tar Heels during his lone season there. White could end up being the franchise point guard some teams are looking for. He was named to the All-ACC team after posting 16.2 points and 4.1 assists per game.
DE'ANDRE HUNTER
Virginia's De'Andre Hunter was among the top players for the NCAA Championship-winning Cavaliers during the 2018-19 season. Hunter is projected to be a top 10 pick during the draft. He was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and averaged 15.2 points to go along with 5.1 rebounds.
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CAM REDDISH
The other, other top Duke prospect Cam Reddish. He's projected to go a few picks after Williamson and Barrett get drafted and it appears unlikely he could end up on the same team as either of them. Reddish averaged 13.5 points in his lone season with the Blue Devils.
RUI HACHIMURA
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Gonzaga's Rui Hachimura is likely to make history once Adam Silver calls his name in Brooklyn, as Hachimura will be the first Japanese-born player to be selected in the NBA Draft. He's coming off a season in which he helped the Bulldogs to a 33-4 record and was named an All-American. He averaged 19.7 points in his junior season.
NASSIR LITTLE
Nassir Little is expected to be a lottery pick. He didn't start a single game for the North Carolina Tar Heels, however, he averaged 9.8 points coming off the bench and shot 47.8 percent from the field.
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NBA Draft Order
There will be 60 selections in the 2019 NBA Draft. Here is the draft order for the first and second rounds.
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FIRST ROUND
1). PELICANS
2). GRIZZLIES
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3). KNICKS
4). LAKERS (pick reportedly traded to HAWKS via PELICANS)
5). CAVALIERS
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6). SUNS (pick reportedly traded to TIMBERWOLVES)
7). BULLS
8). HAWKS (reportedly traded to PELICANS)
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9). WIZARDS
10). HAWKS (from MAVERICKS)
11). TIMBERWOLVES (pick reportedly traded to SUNS)
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12). HORNETS
13). HEAT
14). CELTICS (from KINGS via 76ERS)
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15). PISTONS
16). MAGIC
17). NETS
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18). PACERS (reportedly traded to PELICANS via HAWKS)
19). SPURS
20). CELTICS (from CLIPPERS via GRIZZLIES)
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21). THUNDER
22). CELTICS
23). JAZZ (pick reportedly traded to GRIZZLIES)
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24). 76ERS
25). TRAIL BLAZERS
26). CAVALIERS (from ROCKETS)
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27). NETS (from NUGGETS)
28). WARRIORS
29). SPURS (from RAPTORS)
30). BUCKS (pick reportedly traded to PISTONS)
SECOND ROUND
31). NETS (from KNICKS via 76ERS)
32). SUNS (pick reportedly traded to PACERS)
33). 76ERS (from CAVALIERS via MAGIC and KNICKS)
34). 76ERS (from BULLS via LAKERS)
35). HAWKS (pick reportedly traded to PELICANS)
36). HORNETS (from WIZARDS via MAGIC, NUGGETS, & HAWKS)
37). MAVERICKS
38). BULLS (via GRIZZLIES)
39). HORNETS
40). KINGS (from TIMBERWOLVES via TRAIL BLAZERS and CAVALIERS)
41). HAWKS (pick reportedly traded to WARRIORS via HAWKS, LAKERS, CAVALIERS and PACERS)
42). 76ERS (from KINGS via NETS and BUCKS)
43). TIMBERWOLVES (from HEAT via HORNETS)
44). HAWKS (reportedly traded to HEAT via HORNETS)
45), PISTONS
46). MAGIC (from NETS via GRIZZLIES and HORNETS)
47). KINGS (from MAGIC via KNICKS)
48). CLIPPERS
49). SPURS
50). PACERS
51). CELTICS
52). HORNETS (from THUNDER)
53). JAZZ
54). 76ERS
55). KNICKS (from ROCKETS)
56). CLIPPERS (from TRAIL BLAZERS via PISTONS and MAGIC)
57). PELICANS (picks reportedly traded to HAWKS via NUGGETS via BUCKS)
58). WARRIORS
59). RAPTORS
60). KINGS (from BUCKS)
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