Five SEC players projected in first round in ESPN’s newest 2019 NBA mock draft

Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire)

The 2019 NBA Draft takes place on Thursday night in Brooklyn, and the SEC has plenty of players that expect to be drafted.

There were several top contributors that chose to enter the professional ranks early, and it made sense considering that the conference should once again have a solid group selected in either the first or second round.

ESPN has released its newest mock draft ahead of the excitement at Barclays Center this week, with five SEC players currently projected as first round picks.

Of course, there are several others that are likely to be picked in the second round, and 14 players are in the mix in this particular mock.

Here’s where players are slotted in this projection:

First Round

  • No. 5 – Darius Garland, Vanderbilt (Cavs)
  • No. 13 – PJ Washington, Kentucky (Heat)
  • No. 14 – Tyler Herro, Kentucky (Celtics)
  • No. 18 – Keldon Johnson, Kentucky (Pacers)
  • No. 30 – Grant Williams, Tennessee (Bucks)

Second Round

  • No. 31 – Nic Claxton, Georgia (Nets)
  • No. 33 – Chuma Okeke, Auburn (Sixers)
  • No. 38 – Admiral Schofield, Tennessee (Bulls)
  • No. 40 – Terence Davis, Ole Miss (Kings)
  • No. 41 – Daniel Gafford, Arkansas (Hawks)
  • No. 42 – Naz Reid, LSU (Sixers)
  • No. 46 – Tremont Waters, LSU (Magic)
  • No. 48 – Jontay Porter, Missouri (Clippers)
  • No. 57 – Jordan Bone, Tennessee (Pelicans)

The draft gets started on Thursday at 7 p.m. EST on ESPN.

For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.