KJG 2019 NBA Draft roundtable: Top 10 prospects Cavs should target

Eli Mooneyham’s 2019 NBA Draft Top 10

1. R.J. Barrett, F, Duke
There’s a debate between Barrett and fellow Duke star Zion Williamson as to who should go first overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. While the hype for Williamson is through the roof, I’d go with Barrett when it comes to who is the better prospect.

Barrett is the better passer and perimeter defender of the two, and he has a number of ways to score the basketball. He arguably has the highest floor of all prospects and his ceiling is right there with Williamson’s.

2. Ja Morant, G, Murray State

When you think explosive, think Morant. There’s no doubt that Morant, the Murray State phenom, can play. He’s currently averaging 23.3 points and 10.6 assists per game and would be the first college player to finish with that type of stat line in the last twenty years. That’s nothing short of impressive.

Oh yeah, he’ll also get in there and clean up the boards, securing 5.9 rebounds per game. Morant is swiping nearly two steals on average, proving he’s one of the best two-way players in college basketball.

3. Zion Williamson, F, Duke

Williamson is the most must-see prospect when it comes to his highlight-reel finishes at the rim but is he going to improve his mid-range and perimeter shooting? That’s a very real offensive concern to have for the freshman.

Of course, his incredible size and athleticism along with his rim-protecting ways are all reasons to select him with a high draft pick. But one must consider the things he must improve on before buying into the hype. No one wants to have a heavy-footed defender that can’t shoot consistently.

4. Cam Reddish, F, Duke

A pure shooter, Reddish makes too much sense when it comes to who is a safe draft pick. Disregard his shaky start to his Duke career, Reddish has a shooting stroke that is super impressive, to say the least.

Reddish may have chosen the wrong school, to be honest. Duke plays at such a quick pace that it doesn’t allow him to receive many looks on the perimeter. But he makes up for it in other ways, playing sound defense for the most part and helping out on the boards.

5. Rui Hachimura, F, Gonzaga

Hachimura is ridiculously-smooth and confident in every facet of his game. That’s not something you’ll see with every player on this list at this point in time, a big reason why he’s one of the top prospects in the upcoming draft.

There may not be a go-to area of his game that Hachimura is exceedingly better than others at but he’s pretty darn good at most things. The touch he has at the mid-range level is something to behold and he’s pretty good at defending the rim, to name a few of his top qualities.

Being a junior at Gonzaga, he’s seen a few big moments come March and will have another year to show scouts how he performs when the lights are brightest once again.

6. Kevin Porter Jr., G, USC

Porter Jr. might be one of the best prospects to watch go to work on the court. While Cam Reddish may be a better pure shooter, Porter Jr. is the draft’s best pure scorer.

Don’t let the pedestrian-like scoring numbers distract you from the fact Porter Jr. is knocking down fifty-percent of his shots. In college, it isn’t always about how many points you score but rather the efficiency and characteristics of your game. Porter Jr. gives a lot of reasons to get excited when the ball ends up in his hands, from a nice stepback game to a quickness about him that allows him to go coast-to-coast with ease.

The one concern about Porter Jr. is his attitude, which is why he’s currently suspended from the USC basketball team. That’s a red flag in my eyes, a reason why he’s out of my top five for prospects.

7. Bol Bol, C, Oregon

What isn’t there to like about Bol’s game? He’s a 7-foot-2 shot-blocker that also can find twine from the three-point line.

You don’t want to have the Oregon star shooting too often from the perimeter but the fact that he can is a great option to have. Down on the block, he has a nice array of post moves to shake the defender or simply rise up over them to score the ball. And of course, he’s just a problem for opposing players on both ends due to his height.

But Bol suffered a foot injury about three weeks ago that required surgery, which is why he’s ranked seventh among all prospects on my list. It’s concerning to see a big-man already suffer a foot injury at 19 years old, not even stepping foot onto an NBA court yet.

Can he be the same player he was before the injury? Possibly. But why chance it, especially after years of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and dealing with his constant foot injuries.

8. Romeo Langford, G, Indiana

Make no mistake about it, Langford is a guy that won’t be denied when driving to the rim. Averaging just under eighteen points per game, the Indiana Hoosier does most, if not all, of his damage on drives to the paint. He isn’t afraid of contact with his 6-foot-6, 215-pound build, either.

But in an era of the league where scoring from the outside is more important than it has ever been, can Langford fit in? He can’t really proclaim to be even an average perimeter shooter, hitting just 22.7 percent of his shots from behind the arc, per Sports Reference.

Let’s be perfectly clear, you’re taking Langford because of his scoring ability. But is his bucket-getting going to be valued as much at the next level?

9. Jarrett Culver, G, Texas Tech

Staying a second year at Texas Tech seems to have only improved Culver’s game. The sophomore is pure hustle on the floor, which is not something you always see from star players that already lead their team in other categories.

He has a pretty good offensive game that’s becoming versatile. He isn’t shooting the lights out from three-point range but he’s respectable from there. Meanwhile, his attack game is one of the best in college basketball right now.

Culver’s greatest trait is his awareness on the court, both on offense and defense. He appears to be thinking two steps ahead when moving with or without the basketball and it shows when he’s in position for the right play a good deal of the time.

10. Nassir Little, F, North Carolina

Little is a very talented defender, one that can put the clamps on the college game’s best. That’s why teams will most likely want him right now, as that’s an NBA-ready skill he already possesses.

Offensively, he isn’t a scoring machine from the outside and doesn’t have the quickness to get past defenders. However, he makes up for it with his attention-to-detail and physical play. Coming off the bench every game also throws Little into a tough situation, one not many prospects on this list have had to deal with.