Tony Parker never did have the best timing.

Another day, another tier. This is Tier 3 of my 2019 NBA Draft Big Board (check out Tier 4 here), which I’ve labeled “high probability rotation players, possible starters, tail star outcomes.” Tier 3 is the strong point of the 2019 Draft. It’s perhaps a little weak at the top, but the talent is flat throughout with players I’d feel comfortable taking in the mid-teens from other draft classes. As within any tier, I see the rankings as fluid—I could see an argument for the following 12 players being ranked in any order, but this is the one I’ve settled on. Before reading, be sure to check out Tier 4 and the philosophies underlying these rankings.

The NBA Draft is a little over two weeks away, and according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Oklahoma City Thunder are active in talks regarding the 21st overall pick:

LeBron James and Anthony Davis are really going to play on the same team in the 2019-20 season. It’s really happening. After five months of nonstop negotiating and drama through the media, the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to trade Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and a bevy of picks for Davis, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Next up in the group of potential draft candidates for the Thunder is Keldon Johnson. Johnson projects as another possible 3-and-D candidate. At 6’6” with a wingspan just over 6’9”, he’s shown some ability to shoot and is a high energy player who has rebounded pretty well for his position. Some of his draft comparisons from around the web include Otto Porter, Corey Magette, Garrett Temple (the younger version), and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

We’ve got another older college player off the board, this time it’s a junior in Carsen Edwards who took his role as lead scoring guard with Purdue to the umpteenth degree.

The 2018-19 season ended in disappointment for the Boston Celtics. After much ballyhoo and hype to start the year, Boston floundered and got bounced in five games by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. But basketball never stops. Moments after tears fall at the end of one season, you dry your eyes and look forward to the next one.

The Milwaukee Bucks had a shot, a real shot, at making the NBA Finals. They were the best team in the NBA all season long, and rolled through the first and second round of the playoffs to make their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2001. And once there, they took the first two games against the Toronto Raptors and were in prime position to keep the run going.