2019 NBA Mock Draft: March Madness is NBA Draft crazy season

In this week’s 2019 NBA Mock Draft, we break down what we saw during the first round of the NCAA Tournament and how it will affect the draft.

As always, projected standings are based upon FiveThirtyEight’s CARM-Elo rankings. This version of the mock uses projections as of March 25, with a Suns’ losing streak plugging them back into the No. 2 spot.

Zion Williamson vs. Tacko Fall got the most attention, but several Power 5 prospects saw their stock rise this weekend and the back of the first round is going to be determined largely by what happens during March Madness.

Once more unto the breach:

Was last year a blip on the radar or is Villanova finally becoming a modern NBA role player factory?

Windler is the type of smart player who can shoot and move off the ball who will slide perfectly into Golden State’s system right away. He was incredible in Belmont’s first-round loss, scoring 35 points to go with 11 rebounds.

This pick comes via the Raptors and gives the Spurs an eventual Patty Mills replacement as well as some balance alongside their more athletic backcourt starters.

Okeke has played more aggressively during the tourney than he did during Auburn’s up-and-down season. He’s an advanced stats darling, supercharged by a 5.6 percent block rate, 3.6 percent steal rate and 59.0 true shooting percentage. Philadelphia could plug him in as an inexpensive combo forward off the bench.

This pick comes via the Nets, giving Brooklyn another two-way prospect on the wing to develop as a playmaker and shooter.

Check out our full scouting report on Luguentz Dort.

This is just a fit we love, rewarding Cleveland for rebuilding the smart way with the opportunity to cash in developing Bol.

Check out our full scouting report on Bol Bol.

Portland is always a draft wild card, taking a tweener big man in Caleb Swanigan in 2017 then a raw young guard in Anfernee Simons last summer. Thybulle would help them, but it’s hard to read the Trail Blazers’ tea leaves.

Johnson is unlikely to fall this far, but he’s been unimpressive all year and is probably the fourth-most important player for Kentucky at this point.

Check out our full scouting report on Keldon Johnson.

Attitude questions have plagued Porter throughout his freshman season in Los Angeles, but Indiana’s culture and Nate McMillan’s even keel would be a nice support system for him.

Check out our full scouting report on Kevin Porter Jr.

Bitadze is going to be an interesting inflection point for the 2019 Draft. Could some team scout him heavily the next three months and pull the trigger early, or will Bitadze fall like Dzanan Musa last year?

Check out our full scouting report on Goga Bitadze.

Okpala is a perfect fit for Oklahoma City. He’s older and could play defense in the NBA right away — imagine what a Russell Westbrook-Paul George-Okpala-Jerami Grant-Steven Adams lineup could do defensively.

Searching for a long-term answer at forward alongside Derrick White and Dejounte Murray, the Spurs find Williams here. The post playmaker would be a hand-in-glove fit.

This pick comes via the Jeff Green trade years ago, giving Boston a replacement for Terry Rozier or another trade chip in Anthony Davis negotiations.

Check out our full scouting report on Tre Jones.

The perfect fit alongside Blake Griffin (and Reggie Jackson as long as he’s around), Alexander-Walker has a huge test against Duke and R.J. Barrett on Friday.

Horton-Tucker may go back to school, but if not, the Nets’ infrastructure will bring the best out of him in terms of shooting, defensive versatility and basketball IQ.

Little played extremely well in the first two rounds of the tournament, but much of it came in space, leveraging his athleticism to take advantage of lesser talent. He’s not a lottery pick until further notice.

Check out our full scouting report on Nassir Little.