14 SEC players on Sports Illustrated’s list of top-60 2019 NBA Draft prospects
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Last year, the SEC was much more than just Kentucky, a pleasant change from years past, when the league was just a one- or two-team race, depending on how good Florida was that year.
Indeed, 2017-18 was an exciting season for SEC men’s basketball, and it ended with five players being selected in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft.
Now, as we prepare for the 2018-19 season, Sports Illustrated released a list of the top-60 2019 NBA Draft prospects. As you can see below, an impressive 14 SEC players (from nine different schools) made the cut:
- No. 8 — Daniel Gafford, F/C, Arkansas
- No. 13 — Darius Garland, G, Vanderbilt
- No. 15 — Jontay Porter, F/C, Mizzou
- No. 16 — Keldon Johnson, G/F, Kentucky
- No. 19 — P.J. Washington, F/C, Kentucky
- No. 24 — Simi Shittu, F, Vanderbilt
- No. 29 — Herbert Jones, F, Alabama
- No. 30 — Naz Reid, C, LSU
- No. 36 — E.J. Montgomery, F/C, Kentucky
- No. 47 — Aric Holman, F/C, Mississippi State
- No. 49 — Admiral Schofield, F, Tennessee
- No. 51 — John Petty, G, Alabama
- No. 55 — Reid Travis, F/C, Kentucky
- No. 60 — Jalen Hudson, G, Florida
Kentucky, unsurprisingly, still had the most players on the list, placing four guys in the top 60. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt and Alabama each had two players named.
The SEC is full of talented athletes, and no matter what happens this season, it should be a lot of fun to watch.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
