2019 NBA Mock Draft: Tankers beware
Zach Norvell Jr.. 27. player. 18. . G/F. Gonzaga
Norvell is not really on the radar for the 2019 draft at this point, but he brings a lot of the things teams look for in the modern NBA.
As a freshman, the Chicago native really popped as a shooter, making 80 percent of his free throws, launching over 200 3s and nailing 37 percent of those looks as well. Norvell was mostly used as a spot-up option around Josh Perkins pick-and-rolls, but with the spacing Gonzaga had to work with, Norvell showed off a fun, NBA-ready game.
In addition, he created steals at a solid rate considering he’s only 6-foot-5 and frequently played off the ball on defense. It’s a testament to his athleticism more than anything — Norvell was one of the more bouncy players you could watch in college basketball this past season, and he provided an element to Gonzaga’s offense they missed without Zach Collins. The Bulldogs would be right to run more through Norvell in 2018-19.
As for the Celtics, they finally added a big in the draft after stockpiling wings all these years. But this time next year, Boston will have likely decided between Terry Rozier, Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart, and they may have solidified some of their other young assets in a trade for another superstar.
That means an athletic scorer off the bench might be the right answer for them in the 2019 draft. Then again, it’s almost impossible to gauge their options considering the Celtics could have as many as four first-round picks in 2019.