The 2018 NBA draft saw seven SEC players selected, with four of those going off the board in the first 14 picks.
It was just the third time in history that the SEC racked up four lottery picks, and the fourth time in the past five years that the league had five players selected in the first round.
In looking ahead to the 2019 edition of the draft, it appears as though the SEC’s impressive run could get even better.
8. Collin Sexton
9. Kevin Knox
11. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
14. Michael Porter Jr.
27. Robert WilliamsThird time in last four years that the @SEC has had at least five first round NBA Draft picks
— Craig Pinkerton (@SEC_Craig) June 22, 2018
According to a very early projection from NBADraft.net, the conference could potentially boast seven players in the first round heading into the 2019 draft.
The early mock has 11 players taken from the SEC, which would further prove the league’s continued rise up the college basketball ladder.
Here’s where SEC players are currently slated in the updated mock, and it’s worth remember that these are projections based more on potential player rankings rather than on the specific draft order for NBA teams:
No. 5 – Naz Reid (LSU)
No. 9 – Daniel Gafford (Arkansas)
No. 15 – Jontay Porter (Missouri)
No. 17 – Simi Shittu (Vanderbilt)
No. 20 – Austin Wiley (Auburn)
No. 23 – Darius Garland (Vanderbilt)
No. 29 – Keldon Johnson (Kentucky)
No. 31 – Nick Weatherspoon (Mississippi State)
No. 34 – Lamar Peters (Mississippi State)
No. 38 – PJ Washington (Kentucky)
No. 40 – Aric Holman (Mississippi State)
The 2018-19 season in college basketball gets underway on November 6, as Kentucky will take on Duke in the Champions Classic in Indianapolis.