Duke freshman Zion Williamson, currently taking the college basketball world by storm, has recently shot up a variety of 2019 NBA mock drafts. He's averaging 20.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.3 blocks and 2.0 steals in just 26.1 minutes a game for the Blue Devils.
He is playing with other stars, however, and perhaps his biggest rivals to take the top spot in the 2019 NBA Draft are his own teammates in fellow freshmen R.J. Barrett and Cameron Reddish.
Two mock drafts — ESPN and NBADraft.net — have him in the top overall spot currently, with Barrett right behind.
(Projected draft order is from FiveThirtyEight's rest-of-season projections.)
2019 NBA Mock Drafts
And the betting market agrees with the draft forecasters. One book recently posted odds on the field.
Betting odds: Who Will Be Drafted 1st Overall in the 2019 NBA Draft?
- Zion Williamson: -300
- R.J. Barrett: +125
- Cameron Reddish: +1000
- Nassir Little: +1600
- Keldon Johnson: +2000
- Field: +2000
Williamson is at -300 to go first overall, which is an implied probability of 75.0%. Barrett is the only player with odds better than 10-1, and the field is set at 20-1.
Based on FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Atlanta Hawks currently have the best chance to win the 2019 NBA Draft lottery, followed by the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Boston Celtics are projected to get up to the sixth-highest odds, as they're owed a first-round pick from the Sacramento Kings (protected for the first pick by the Philadelphia 76ers). As of now, it looks like the Celtics will have four first-round picks come June.
