We’re closing in on four hours until the first pick is announced in the 2018 NBA Draft in Brooklyn, N.Y., live on ESPN.
While it’s not yet a certainty that the Phoenix Suns will make Arizona big man DeAndre Ayton this year’s No. 1 overall pick, it is guaranteed that the four Jayhawks eligible for selection in this year’s draft will not have to start sweating until much later in the evening.
Still, if my five consecutive years of covering the draft earlier this decade taught me anything, it’s that draft day is a wild time and butterflies — born from both nerves and excitement — are pretty much present with all of these players and their families throughout the day.
For former Jayhawks Devonte’ Graham, Svi Mykhailiuk, Malik Newman and Billy Preston tonight’s experience will be different for each.
Graham and his family and close friends are back in his hometown of Raleigh, N.C., where they will have a watch party tonight and celebrate the experience, both leading up to the moment Graham gets drafted and after he hears his name called.
Graham’s best buddy, Svi Mykhailiuk, is actually in Brooklyn with his agent, parents, head coach from Ukraine and former KU volleyball player/girlfriend Ainise Havili. That group will be in attendance at the draft and has been in New York City the past couple of days taking it all in.
Last I heard, Newman, like Graham, will be celebrating his big moment in his hometown of Jackson, Miss., with his family, close friends and, of course, some Little Debbie snacks. I’m still trying to confirm that that’s where he’ll be.
And although I was not able to pin down where Preston will watch it or what he’ll be doing during the draft, the former five-star prospect who never played an official game for Kansas but still is regarded as a Jayhawk by his former teammates, coaches and many fans, recently Tweeted that he had landed in New York so there’s a good chance he’ll be at the draft, or at least nearby, as well.
As you’ve surely seen, both here and on your own throughout the past several weeks, most mock drafts have these guys all going at some point during tonight’s draft. Where and when is anybody’s guess, but since we’re all taking a stab at it, I’ll give you mine.
I mentioned the other day that, if it were me picking, I’d take Svi first out of all four of these guys. But the rest of the predictors do not believe that will be the case so I have to at least take that into account.
With that said, here’s my best guess on where each Jayhawk will go during tonight’s NBA Draft. And, yes, I do think they all will get drafted.
**• Devonte’ Graham -** No. 38 to the Philadelphia 76ers
**• Svi Mykhailiuk -** No 47 to the Los Angeles Lakers
**• Malik Newman -** No. 53 to the Oklahoma City Thunder
**• Billy Preston -** No. 58 to the Denver Nuggets
The picture below might be an appropriate response to those guesses. But, who knows? What say you, Jayhawk fans?
