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NBA Draft: 2019 Mock 2.0: If the Dallas Mavericks land in top 4

By Kohl Rast

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on against the Michigan State Spartans in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on against the Michigan State Spartans in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 11: Darius Garland #10 of the Vanderbilt Commodores inbounds the ball against the USC Trojans during a game at The Galen Center on November 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Cassy Athena/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 11: Darius Garland #10 of the Vanderbilt Commodores inbounds the ball against the USC Trojans during a game at The Galen Center on November 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Cassy Athena/Getty Images) /

Vanderbilt. Darius Garland. . 5. 24. . G

Most people know very little about Darius Garland and that is not too surprising. The 6’2″ point guard for Vanderbilt was not well known this year because he only played in 5 games. This year’s version of Kyrie Irving was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school, but a knee injury early in the year took any chance away of us seeing just how good he can be.

The Bulls would love to get someone who can be a franchise caliber player, and by pick number 5, Garland is probably the best shot remaining for them to do so. Obviously there is a big question mark next to Garland’s name right now, but the fact is that he is widely considered a top 5-7 talent in this draft, just coming with an obvious mystery surrounding him.

Garland’s strengths are that he can handle the ball incredibly well, has great body control and can score in a variety of ways. He is not an elite defender but he is more than serviceable for his size. His speed and intelligence have made him a reliable defender at least while his offensive game speaks for itself.

His size does not really warrant him being an elite defender, which means there are going to be guys in the league that he really struggles to guard. He is also not the most athletic player we have seen, relying more on craftiness to get his shots off than pure athleticism. This does not help him on the defensive end either.

Player Comparison: Eric Bledsoe

A small, tenacious point guard who can get buckets against just about anyone and plays hard defense even though he can’t really match up with everyone he sees in the league. Bledsoe is a good comp for Garland who is hoping to become the kind of rookie that people will want to come see throughout the year.

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