2019 NBA Mock Draft: The lottery order is officially official
F/C. Gonzaga. Brandon Clarke. 13. player. 110.
Listen here right now: Clarke is going in the lottery. He’s also going higher than his more famous counterpart, Rui Hachimura, who quickly became the second-most important player for Gonzaga when the season began. Just as he was the more prominent bellwether for the Bulldogs as a senior, he is the better draft prospect.
This isn’t always true. Last year, we saw Mikal Bridges quickly rise to prominence among NBA team despite Jalen Brunson being the more productive and important guy for Villanova’s 2018 championship squad. Bridges went 10th while Brunson fell to the second round. The difference for Clarke is the reason he was important was how aggressively he made plays that impact winning.
Basically, the only thing Clarke can’t do is shoot. He did just about everything else for Gonzaga this year. Without a traditional center or point guard, Clarke became a key rim protector, pick-and-roll diver and playmaker at 6-foot-8 for the title-hungry Zags.
If that sounds like a winning formula for the NBA, you maybe should grab a keyboard and send in a mock draft to replace me on this side of things because you beat me to the punch. Clarke is a perfect modern NBA big man, even if the shooting remains inconsistent.
How do the Heat factor in? They need more talent in the frontcourt to eventually replace Hassan Whiteside and Kelly Olynyk. While Clarke isn’t a perfect partner for Bam Adebayo, his switchability on defense and the potential for his jumper to develop makes it a fine investment for Miami. Best-case scenario, he reaches his ceiling, which is a whole lot higher than Adebayo’s, and Adebayo becomes a potential trade piece.