The NBA mock draft boards seem like subplots to the season.
Those who look at the projected NBA draft picks every day like they check the stock market must have seen some wild swings over the last month. And it underscores why Carolina has joined the conversation with Duke about the best teams in the country.
The biggest bullet has been Coby White, who early in the season did not appear in most mock drafts, although as a high school prospect he was talked about like a can’t miss pro. In February, White began showing up late in the first round in a sort of tug of war with Duke point guard Tre Jones.
The Blue Devils’ RJ Barrett was the projected overall first pick early in the season, but Zion Williamson began dunking his way to the NBA and replaced Barrett as the No. 1 draftee. Since then, Barrett has held forth in the second spot. Cam Reddish, who was as high as No. 3, has fallen to No. 8 on the NBAdraft.net website. Jumping ahead of Reddish are four players he has already faced on the court, Gonzaga’s Rui Hachimura, Kentucky’s Keldon Johnson, Virginia’s DiAndre Hunter and, yes, Carolina’s White.
Coby was once in the last 10 picks of the first round, jostling for position with Duke’s Jones. But after White’s sensational stretch run, including the scoring outburst that put away the second Duke game, he shot all the way up to No. 5 while Jones is now in the second round at No. 33, an astonishing reversal.
And the Tar Heels now have three predicted first-rounders, the same number as Duke. Nassir Little was as high as No. 7 on some boards and now sits at No. 10 on the NBA site. Cameron Johnson, since making first team All-ACC, has jumped into the first round at No. 24. So the Tar Heels and Blue Devils have six first-round picks in the latest poll, stoking the debate over which team is better.
Does this mean the Blue Bloods will lose a total of six freshmen, and seven starters, to the NBA draft? And Carolina’s Luke Maye isn’t posting on any of the boards, but will certainly get ample free-agent tryouts once this season is over.
Should both teams make deep runs in the NCAA tournament, you can argue that this has been the greatest collection of talent in the rivalry’s nearly 100-year history. Such a mass exodus would also mean both programs will need to reload – in a hurry for 2020.
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