The SEC continues to increase its profile on the national stage, and the combination of elite coaches and players has helped the league improve drastically.
Of course, that success leads to NBA teams wanting their opportunity to bring in some of the top players in the conference, and that will once again be the case this year with the 2019 draft.
Plenty of players have declared for the draft, but some certainly have a better opportunity than others of hearing their names called on June 20 in Brooklyn.
The newest draft projection from NBADraft.net has six SEC players in the first round, with several more going in the second round.
Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland, who missed the majority of the season due to a knee injury, is expected to be the first SEC player off the board at No. 8 to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Meanwhile, Kentucky forward Keldon Johnson is at No. 14 to the Boston Celtics, and teammate Tyler Herro is just outside the top 20 at No. 21 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Here’s the full list of players from the conference that are expected to be drafted:
First round
- No. 8 Darius Garland (Vanderbilt)
- No. 14 Keldon Johnson (Kentucky)
- No. 21 Tyler Herro (Kentucky)
- No. 22 Daniel Gafford (Arkansas)
- No. 24 Naz Reid (LSU)
- No. 27 PJ Washington (Kentucky)
Second round
- No. 34 Grant Williams (Tennessee)
- No. 36 Admiral Schofield (Tennessee)
- No. 38 Chuma Okeke (Auburn)
- No. 46 Jontay Porter (Missouri)
Players have until May 29 to withdraw from the NBA draft process and still be able to return to school.
New NCAA rules allow players to retain their college eligibility even if they sign with an agent during the process.
For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.