NBA Draft 2019: 5 most overrated prospects

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Rui Hachimura #21 and Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrate after a play against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second half of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at Honda Center on March 30, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

4 of 6

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 11: Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland (10) brings the ball up the court during a college basketball game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the USC Trojans on November 11, 2018, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

3. Darius Garland, Guard, Vanderbilt

Darius Garland was a highly-sought after recruit who was the biggest commitment for Bryce Drew since he took over the program at Vanderbilt. After watching John Calipari and Kentucky dominate the other SEC schools on the recruiting trail, it could be argued that Garland looked like the best freshman in the conference and he was a Commodore. Garland was the lone freshman to make the SEC preseason All-Conference team.

A Tennessee native, staying home and playing at Vanderbilt gave Garland’s path a storybook feel. But, this would be no fairytale. Garland would only play five games as a Commodore before injuring his knee in a late November game against Kent State. He was diagnosed with a meniscus injury and by January he has announced that he would be leaving the school to focus on rehabilitation and getting ready for the 2019 NBA Draft.

From what we’ve seen of Garland dating back to high school, AAU, and Team USA games, he has a style of play that aligns perfectly with what some of the top point guards in the league today. Garland can get into the paint off the dribble and is a threat from beyond the arc — with his range stretching pretty far out. At 6-foot-4 he’s not going to be a turnstile defensively, but he doesn’t have great strength to cover multiple positions at this time.

Garland was on the back-burner for most of the college season after playing so little, but during the pre-draft process, he has managed to see his stock rise to the point that he’s considered a lock for a top-five pick on Thursday. It wouldn’t be the first time a player went that high despite playing so few games; Kyrie Irving went first overall after playing nine total games at Duke. Garland hasn’t worked out for many teams in the lead up to the draft and some think that he has received a promise from a team (the Los Angeles Lakers before the Anthony Davis trade were one of the teams connected to Garland, who is repped by Rich Paul and Klutch Sports). The son of a former NBA player, Winston Garland, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Garland adjusted quickly to this new stage and had a great NBA career, but for him to be so highly regarded after just five games is a bit of a head-scratcher.

Home/NBA