2019 NBA Mock Draft 2.0

Quentin Grimes has not met expectations at Kansas after being considered a lottery pick, but he has the potential to be the perfect guard to play alongside Ben Simmons. Grimes is comfortable being a playmaker or playing off the ball. He was a good three-point shooter in high school (40% at the Adidas Gauntlet) even though that has not translated well at Kansas (32.9%). He is 6’5″ with a 6’7″ wingspan and is still only 18 years old. At pick 25, why not swing for the fences?

The Oklahoma City Thunder do not have any clear needs, so they simply select the best player available here in Ayo Dosunmu. Dosunmu is a very good ball handler and is adept at running an offense. His 37% shooting from three also gives you hope that he could play alongside Dennis Schroder or Russell Westbrook.

Kyrie Irving and Terry Rozier are both set to hit free agency this summer and it is highly unlikely that the Celtics re-sign both players. Tre Jones is a smart point guard, who can distribute the basketball and finish at the rim. However, his 6’2″ height and poor three-point shooting (26.7%) hamper his upside.

I know what you are thinking. Wait, why would we draft another guard? To be fair, Talen Horton-Tucker has spent minutes at small forward, as well, but he will likely spend the majority of his minutes at shooting guard due to his 6’5″ height. However, the Blazers do not have a guard that can defend like Horton-Tucker. Seth Curry, CJ McCollum, and Nik Stauskas are all offensive minded players. Anfernee Simons projects to be one too. With a 7’1″ wingspan, Horton-Tucker projects to be a defensive nightmare for opposing guards. He plays an energetic, physical style of basketball, which would be a welcome addition to Rip City. He is also a great rebounder and passer for a wing, and his offensive game has shown some promising flashes. He scored 23 points yesterday against Ole Miss. At 18 years old, there is still a lot of time for his game to grow, and he could very well become a premier defender in the NBA.

Luguentz Dort is another player that is known for his defense. His athleticism and motor project him to be a good defender and slasher. He needs to improve his decision making and he curiously attempts five three-pointers per game despite only shooting 28% from deep. The Rockets desperately need perimeter defenders after losing Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, so they will roll the dice here on Dort.