The latest 2018 NBA Mock Draft from DraftExpress.com now has Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo going in the first round and four Duke players being taken overall.
Following Wednesday’s NCAA withdrawal deadline, it is now clear who will be eligible in 2018. That group includes Kentucky’s Diallo, who has yet to play a game for the Wildcats after enrolling in January and figures to draw a ton of NBA interest during the 2017-18 season. He went right up against Wednesday night’s deadline before withdrawing because he could not obtain a first-round guarantee.
The 6-foot-6 Diallo is now projected at No. 18 in 2018, and his Kentucky teammate Nick Richards, the 6-11 big man from The Patrick School (N.J.), is at No. 20. No other Kentucky players are currently projected in 2018.
Duke, meantime, has four projected picks in No. 7 Wendell Carter Jr., No. 11 Trevon Duval, No. 25 Grayson Allen and No. 32 Marques Bolden. Carter Jr. and Duval are both incoming freshmen.
Real Madrid shooting guard Luka Doncic remains the projected No. 1 pick, followed by Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr. and Arizona freshman DeAndre Ayton.
Michigan State rising sophomore Miles Bridges is the highest projected returning college player at No. 5, followed by Texas A&M sophomore Robert Williams at No. 6.
Bridges is one two Michigan State players projected in lottery, along with No. 9 Jaren Jackson.
Williams, meantime, is one of two Texas A&M players, along with No. 42 D.J. Hogg.
Other schools with multiple players in the draft include:
**Alabama: No. 8 Collin Sexton, No. 40 Donta Hall.
**Arizona: No. 3 DeAndre Ayton, No. 34 Allonzo Trier, No. 45 Rawle Alkins.
**Kansas: No. 28 Svi Mykyailiuk, No. 31 Devonte’ Graham.
**Louisville: No. 30 V.J. King, No. 58 Anas Mahmoud.
**Miami: No. 12 Lonnie Walker, No. 15 Bruce Brown.
**Purdue: No. 36 Vince Edwards, No. 48 Isaac Haas.
**Texas: No. 4 Mohamed Bamba, No. 20 Andrew Jones.
**USC: No. 16 Chimezie Metu, No. 19 De’Anthony Melton.
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