New York Knicks: 2019 NBA Mock Draft, Sweet 16 edition
13. player. 38. . SG. Kentucky. Keldon Johnson
Age: 19
Height, Weight: 6-foot-6, 211 pounds
Slash Line: .473/.396/.705
Season Averages: 13.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 1.3 3PM
Kentucky finds a one-and-done talent almost every season under head coach John Calipari, but he wins with all of them. It started with the Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist-led team in 2012 and continued throughout the decade, including other Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four-caliber teams.
The Wildcats are still alive in the Sweet 16, and Keldon Johnson is one of their catalysts towards this. He already owns a 20-point game this tournament — helping his case towards lottery pick status.
Johnson is a solid player. He does not stand out as an elite offensive player, but that could just be part of Calipari’s system, which previous talents in his system have broken out of, with force, in the NBA.
The Orlando Magic have young frontcourt talent in Mohamed Bamba, Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac. Finding others to pair with them, and the recently acquired Markelle Fultz, offers upside for this steadily rising organization. If they re-sign Nikola Vucevic, maybe they slip into the seventh or eighth seed together in 2019-20.
Johnson could land within the top 10 or around the fringe lottery area. Either way, he’s probably out of range for the New York Knicks, wherever they pick near the top.