Darius Garland Heavily Favored to Be Selected 4th Overall at 2019 NBA Draft
- The New Orleans Pelicans own the 4th overall pick after their blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Lakers
- Vanderbilt Guard Darius Garland is currently the favorite to be picked in that draft slot
- Garland was injured in the fifth game of the season but has still impressed scouts with his speed and scoring ability
After trading Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers, the New Orleans Pelicans hold the fourth pick in tonight’s NBA draft. All signs point to them keeping the pick and selecting Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland.
Who Will Be Picked 4th Overall in the 2019 NBA Draft?
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Darius Garland | -175 |
| De’Andre Hunter | +250 |
| Jarrett Culver | +250 |
| RJ Barrett | +650 |
| Coby White | +1600 |
| Field | +3300 |
*Odds taken 06/20/19
It’ll cost you with the price currently sitting at -175, but in a draft that could feature fireworks this bet is about as close to a sure thing as you can find.
.@VandyMBB's Darius Garland is confident going into the #NBADraft ? pic.twitter.com/3iAs35POb1
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) June 20, 2019
Garland and Williamson Would Be Great Draft Haul
The Pelicans will select Zion Williamson first overall and will be looking to add another top prospect three picks later. Garland would provide a long term second scoring option that could help New Orleans transition into contenders. Garland has a small sample size after suffering a season ending injury in Vanderbilt’s fifth game of the season, but his numbers and promise were both eye-popping before the knee injury.
Who’s the better prospect, Darius Garland or Coby White?
Full vid: https://t.co/h9EApT21ql pic.twitter.com/NX0FpXmIfO
— #RingerNBA (@ringernba) June 20, 2019
Eliminating the fifth game where he was injured just minutes in, Garland averaged 19.8 points per game with 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Despite having Jrue Holliday and Lonzo Ball on the roster, the Pelicans can’t afford to leave a talent like Garland on the board. They should be in “best player available” mode, and Garland certainly checks that box.
Could Barrett Fall to No. 4?
Garland worked out for the Knicks yesterday and in the event they take him third overall, it would leave Williamson’s Duke teammate, RJ Barrett, to be taken with the fourth pick. This tweet makes me thing the Garland workout was more due diligence than anything else.
UNC guard Coby White — perhaps the fastest rising prospect on the board — had a private workout with the Knicks at team's facility today, league sources tell ESPN. Knicks have been locked on RJ Barrett at No. 3, but summoned White after Darius Garland's workout yesterday.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 20, 2019
The fact the Knicks moved on to other workouts shows they are just gathering valuable intel. You never know when a player may come available on the trade market or even farther down the road in free agency. Information is never a bad thing to have, and it seems that’s all the Knicks are accumulating at this point. Barrett seems like the overwhelmingly choice at number three, leaving the Pelicans to choose between Garland and other, bigger question marks one pick later.
For my money, the correct pick is to pay the price and take Garland going off the board at number four.
Pick: Darius Garland (-175)
Ryan has been working at TSN for over eleven years, and is now a lead writer and content producer at That's Hockey. Over the years, he's launched and hosted TSN's first NCAAF podcast, The College Football Show, and been featured on the likes of TSN 1050, Sportscentre, and That's Hockey 2Nite.
