Rod Beard's 2019 NBA mock draft 2.0

1. New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson, F, Duke. No changes here, as the Pelicans are solidly locked in to making Williamson the top pick. There’s no discussion of trading the pick and no talk of taking anyone else, though they are seeking a bounty for Anthony Davis in trade requests.

2. Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant, G, Murray State. As solid as Williamson is as the No. 1 pick, Morant also is cemented as the second selection. The Grizzlies are focusing on Morant to take the reins from Mike Conley, who still could be dealt to add pieces ahead of the season to help build on their solid nucleus.

3. New York Knicks: RJ Barrett, wing, Duke. Another iteration of the draft produces the same result for the Knicks, who still could consider trading down, but they may have to take Barrett, just for the playmaking ability, which they’ve lacked. It’s not a bad consolation prize.

4. Los Angeles Lakers: Darius Garland, PG, Vanderbilt. Here’s where things could get interesting. The Lakers have some options and although they could look at De’Andre Hunter, the momentum is shifting to them taking a guard to pair with Lonzo Ball, which leads to Garland, a gifted ball-handler and playmaker.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers: De'Andre Hunter, wing, Virginia. The Cavs ended up in a bad spot in the lottery, not getting one of the top players but they still get a chance to fill a need with a good wing in Hunter. They’ll likely field trade offers for this pick — and they’d be right to listen.

6. Phoenix Suns: Coby White, PG, North Carolina. The Suns had their hearts set on Garland falling to them, but they’ll have a good fallback option in White, who was one of the most electric point guards in college last season. They’re missing a good point guard and if both Garland and White are gone, they’ll have to rethink the pick.

7. Chicago Bulls: Jarrett Culver, SG, Texas Tech. The Bulls won’t expect Culver to be available this far down in the lottery, but they’ll take the best available talent instead of reaching for a point guard, which is their biggest position of need. They can use a two-way wing to add to their roster.

8. Atlanta Hawks: Cam Reddish, F, Duke. The Hawks may have three first-round picks at their disposal and they’ll take a calculated risk on Reddish, who didn’t get a chance to show his full potential in his only year at Duke. There are plenty of question marks about what kind of NBA player he’ll be, but it’s good value with the eighth pick.

9. Washington Wizards: Sekou Doumbouya, wing, France (international). They could take a look at Hayes as an athletic combo big, but they’ll take a chance on Doumbouya, who came into his own in the highest pro league in France. They’d love for one of the top point guards to fall to them, but they’ll go with a wing instead.

10. Atlanta Hawks: Jaxson Hayes, C, Texas. The Hawks’ second pick in the first round nets them a high-flying and athletic big man in Hayes, who averaged 10 points and 5 rebounds with Texas. He’s the top center on the board and fits well with Cam Reddish in the Hawks’ rebuilding plans.

11. Minnesota Timberwolves: Brandon Clarke, F, Gonzaga. The Timberwolves won’t find a suitable option with the crop of point guards, but they can use a big forward such as Clarke, PJ Washington or Rui Hachimura at this spot. Give the nod to Clarke, who brings some needed defensive presence.

12. Charlotte Hornets: Rui Hachimura, PF, Gonzaga. There are a few options for the Hornets, including Brandon Clarke, Hachimura and PJ Washington, but they can get the benefit of Hachimura’s outside shooting (42 percent last season) and his physical build. If they’re looking at versatile forwards, he’s the pick.

13. Miami Heat: Nassir Little, wing, North Carolina. Little isn’t a prolific scorer and at 6-6, he isn’t imposing, but he brings some acumen on the defensive end, aided by a 7-foot-1 wingspan. The Heat will look at other wings in this range, but Little could be most balanced and skilled on both ends.

14. Boston Celtics: PJ Washington, PF, Kentucky. The Celtics have three picks in the first round and will do well to get a player of Washington’s talent with their initial selection, because he could be gone by the time their pick comes. He’s a good scorer and rebounder and shot 42 percent from beyond the arc last season.

15. Detroit Pistons: Kevin Porter Jr., guard, Southern California. The Pistons will have a quandary because Porter is regarded as talented — shooting 41 percent from 3 — but the question marks about his work ethic and attitude could have them looking to trade down. Cam Johnson or KZ Okpala fit the bill but they’ll look at smaller wings as well.

16. Orlando Magic: Romeo Langford, wing, Indiana. One of the good wings in the draft likely will fall to the Magic, who are remaking their roster. Langford’s length and 6-11 wingspan make him a good gamble, but the Magic can have their choice of wings if they’re not satisfied about his shooting or questions about his motivation.

17. Brooklyn Nets: Keldon Johnson, wing, Kentucky. According to reports, the Nets are trading this pick to the Hawks in a deal to involving Taurean Prince and Allen Crabbe. If that’s the case, it would be a good draft haul for the Hawks, who get a nice two-way, versatile piece for their wing corps.

18. Indiana Pacers: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, guard, Virginia Tech. After an injury-riddled season, the Pacers need to get some depth in their backcourt and Alexander-Walker is a good addition. He has good size for a shooting guard and he’ll help almost immediately along with Victor Oladipo.

19. San Antonio Spurs: Talen Horton-Tucker, guard, Iowa State. He didn’t have eye-popping numbers at Iowa State in his freshman year but he could be another piece to the Bulls’ talent collection. He shot just 31 percent on 3-pointers last season, but with more playing time, he could develop nicely.

20. Boston Celtics: Bol Bol, center, Oregon. Bol has the talent to go in the top 10, but with so many teams looking for forwards, he could fall some. With three picks, the Celtics can take a gamble on him, though he just had a small sample size of games at Oregon. If things pan out, they will have hit another lottery jackpot.

21. Oklahoma City Thunder: Cameron Johnson, wing, North Carolina. After another disappointing playoff loss, the Thunder will need to add some pieces but with little cap space, it’ll be tricky. Johnson could be one of the best shooters in the draft and with his good size at 6-9, he could be picked much higher.

22. Boston Celtics: Tyler Herro, guard, Kentucky. Some mock drafts have Herro going as high as the lottery and others have him falling to the 20s. The Celtics could take their chances with their three draft picks, if he’s still around at this point. He’s a good shooter and with his potential, he could pay off.

23. Utah Jazz: Darius Bazley, forward, Princeton High School (Sharonville, Ohio): After sitting out a year to become eligible for this year’s draft, Bazley has plenty of question marks, but a high upside that many teams higher in the first round could consider using a pick to test. He has good size and is a decent shooter, which has him vaulting up draft boards.

24. Philadelphia 76ers: Luguentz Dort, guard, Arizona State. The Sixers still have some decisions to make about their roster construction in taking another shot at a longer run in the playoffs. They can just stockpile talent and Dort is a good two-way player who could help them immediately.

25. Portland Trail Blazers: KZ Okpala, wing, Stanford. The Blazers have been looking for an imposing wing to help their lineup and after a good playoff run, they can see where some of the weak spots are. Wing could be one and Okpala could be a steal for them this late in the first round. He still has some developing to do, but they won’t need to rely on him much immediately.

26. Cleveland Cavaliers: Goga Bitadze, center, Serbian league. The Cavs are just looking to add talent, given that they’re not expected to be a contender anytime soon. Bitadze is a talented big man who could get some early playing time and look to make an impact. He could go much earlier but is a good value pick here.

27. Brooklyn Nets: Mfiondu Kabengele, F, Florida State. The Nets could use a couple of pieces in the draft — unless they hit the jackpot in free agency — and could have a vastly different roster by the time July roles around. Until then, they’ll just try to accumulate talent in the draft and figure the rest out later.

28. Golden State Warriors: Bruno Fernando, C, Maryland. Depth at the center position is their biggest need and because they won’t be able to invest much salary in it, they’ll try to improve through the draft. Fernando is a talented big man who can rebound well. His defense and footwork could improve but he could help the Warriors.

29. San Antonio Spurs: Matisse Thybulle, guard, Washington. The Spurs traditionally have been good talent developers and Thybulle could become a good two-way player with some time. With a focus on defense, he’ll find a way to get playing time with coach Gregg Popovich.