NBA Mock Draft 2018: New ESPN projection has 4 Kentucky Wildcats

ESPN just dropped their latest mock draft for the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft, and four out of the five Kentucky Wildcats that kept their name in are on it.

Here’s where each stand:

• 9. Kevin Knox - New York Knicks
• 11. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - Charlotte Hornets
• 36. Hamidou Diallo - New York Knicks
• 46. Jarred Vanderbilt - Houston Rockets

Based on these numbers, each Cat has made some tremendous strides in gaining credibility with NBA Scouts. This is the highest I’ve seen both Kevin and Shai in a long time - both going in the lottery.

We also see the potential reunion of Kevin Knox and Hamidou Diallo in New York. Every Cat fan would love to see these two pair up, and it would be really special to see Hami end up in his hometown, not to mention they would get to team up with Enes Kanter.

Another big takeaway is seeing Jarred Vanderbilt pick up some major ground in these projections. As of two months ago, he was not on any draft boards. Now, ESPN has him going as high as 46th, which is astounding considering how little we saw of him this year. Clearly, he’s been working extremely hard to prove to scouts that he’s worth the risk.

Congratulations to all of these guys on putting in some major work. Each of them have improved their stock with the NBA draft just only a week away.

Good luck to each of them as they hit the home stretch!

Here’s a look at what the top 10 of this new mock draft looks like:

1. Phoenix Suns - Deandre Ayton

2. Sacramento Kings - Marvin Bagley III

3. Atlanta Hawks s - Jaren Jackson Jr.

4. Memphis Grizzlies - Luka Doncic

5. Dallas Maverick - Mohamed Bamba

6. Orlando Magic - Wendell Carter Jr.

7. Chicago Bulls - Michael Porter Jr.

8. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Nets) - Trae Young

9. New York Knicks - Kevin Knox

10. Philadelphia 76ers (via Lakers) - Mikal Bridges