Where NBA mock drafts have Kentucky, Louisville and Indiana players
NBA mock draft season is upon us, and this year sets up to be a particularly eventful — and unpredictable — stretch for pro prospects with ties to colleges in Kentuckiana.
From Kentucky to Indiana to Louisville to Western Kentucky and Murray State, each of these programs has at least one underclassman projected by someone to be going in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft.
We've examined 13 of the latest NBA mock drafts (from the following sources: CBS Sports (which has two), SI.com, Bleacher Report, NBADraft.net, NBC Sports, Sporting News, Heavy.com, DraftSite.com, NBADraftRoom.com, Free Agent Forecast, Drafttek.com and ESPN's best available list of prospects) to determine highs, lows and averages of where players are being projected, many of whom still have a decision to make about whether to stay in the draft or not.
Beyond the widespread belief that Murray State's Ja Morant (who will surely not be back at school) is going second behind Duke's Zion Williamson, however, there are differing opinions. All of the projections have Indiana freshman and former New Albany High School star Romeo Langford as a first-round pick as well as Kentucky's Keldon Johnson and Tyler Herro. Nearly all of them have Kentucky's PJ Washington in the first round, too.
You may like:Romeo Langford's Indiana career wasn't what most thought it would be
The range varies wildly on Western Kentucky's Charles Bassey, who played his final year of high school for Aspire Academy in Louisville, and some have Louisville's Jordan Nwora on the fringe to the first round.
Take a look below at how each prospect was rated by the 13 sources.
Ja Morant, guard, Murray State (Sophomore)
High: No. 2 pick
Low: 3
Average: 2.2
Romeo Langford, guard, Indiana (Freshman)
High: 6
Low: 23
Average: 13.1
Keldon Johnson, guard, Kentucky (Freshman)
High: 7
Low: 23
Average: 15.2
PJ Washington, forward, Kentucky (Sophomore)
High: 11
Low: 35 (Second Round)
Average: 20
More:How PJ Washington earned a place in Kentucky basketball history
Tyler Herro, guard, Kentucky (Freshman)
High: 14
Low: 26
Average: 20.4
Read this:The day John Calipari visited Tyler Herro instead of Zion Williamson
Charles Bassey, center, Western Kentucky (Freshman)
High: 9
Low: Second Round at best
Average: Seven of the 13 mock drafts had Bassey listed (some were two rounds), and four of those seven had him in the first round. Of those seven, his average spot came to 31.6, which would be early in the second round.
More:Should Western Kentucky’s Charles Bassey stay in school or go to the NBA?
Jordan Nwora, forward, Louisville (Sophomore)
High: 27
Low: Undrafted
Average: Four of the 13 mock drafts had Nwora listed in the first two rounds, and two had him among the final selections of the first round. ESPN's best available list has Nwora ranked at No. 78.
Read this:What would it mean for Louisville if Jordan Nwora stays in the NBA Draft?
Others
Kentucky freshman guard Ashton Hagans was as high as No. 40 in one two-round mock draft, and ESPN has him at No. 61 in its best available list.
Louisville junior center Steven Enoch was listed at No. 56 in one two-round mock draft.
And ex-Louisville player Brian Bowen popped up in the second round of a couple of mock drafts. ESPN has Bowen No. 56 on its best available list.
Not mentioned at all: Kentucky's Reid Travis.
Gentry Estes: 502-582-4205; gestes@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @Gentry_Estes. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/gentrye.