Where Will The Hokies End Up In The NBA Draft

Nickeil Alexander-Walker

As we reported earlier, Alexander-Walker, from all indications, will be off the board first—the first Hokie drafted in the first round since Dell Curry was drafted 15th overall in the 1986 draft. Most of the prognosticators project him coming off the board somewhere in the teens. Alexander-Walker averaged 16.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 4 APG last year as a sophomore, and finished as a Third Team All-ACC pick. Also, Hokiesports has been covering the last few days of NAW’s draft process excellently, both on their site and on Twitter. Check it out if you haven’t gotten the chance yet.

Update: Alexander-Walker was picked by the New Orleans Pelicans with the 17th pick in the draft

Justin Robinson

Robinson, the four year starter at point for the Hokies, had a prolific collegiate career in Blacksburg, leaving as the all-time leader in assists, and save for an injury that derailed the second half of his senior season, would’ve had the opportunity to earn many more plaudits. As it is, he is being talked about as a 2nd Round Draft choice, after just missing the cut for the NBA Combine, despite the merits of his collegiate career, in which he averaged 11.1 PPG, 4.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1 SPG while shooting a .45/.39/.77 line from the field, and dominating the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. Robinson has been taking a lot of visits with NBA franchises, and per the best source to go to for all things Tech basketball on Twitter, David Cunningham, here’s the complete list:

Philadelphia 76ers

Chicago Bulls

Boston Celtics (2x)

Atlanta Hawks

Miami Heat

Los Angeles Lakers

Orlando Magic

Indiana Pacers

Detroit Pistons (2x)

San Antonio Spurs

Phoenix Suns

Minnesota Timberwolves

Golden State Warriors

Washington Wizards

Though he may have had the best collegiate career of the three, he won’t be the first Hokie drafted, though as the Pacers’ website astutely suggests, there are a lot of good points for why Robinson shouldn’t be looked over in favor of his former teammate and backcourt mate Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Ahmed Hill

Hill stands the slimmest chances of being drafted of the three, he still has a realistic shot of being taken. Hill also had a good showing at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, and was a four year starter for Virginia Tech, he was always seen as more of an ancillary player rather than a true star. His four year (Technically five, as he had to sit out a year due to injury) averages were 11 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.2 APG with a shooting line of .45/.39/.74. Hill had to step up in the scoring column after fellow senior Justin Robinson went down, and enjoyed his most prolific season from that standpoint in 2018-19, averaging 13.1 PPG, and vaulting himself inside of the top-20 all-time in scoring in program history (#18). The reasons for optimisms for Hill are as follows: 1. When he gets hot, he can shoot it as well as any other player in the country, 2. He’s maybe the most athletic player in transition the Hokies have had since Deron Washington, and 3. Once again, per David Cunningham, who has tracked these visits like a hawk, Hill has been on many NBA visits:

Philadelphia 76ers

Cleveland Cavaliers

Los Angeles Clippers

Atlanta Hawks

Charlotte Hornets

Utah Jazz

New York Knicks

Los Angeles Lakers

Orlando Magic

Brooklyn Nets

Detroit Pistons

Minnesota Timberwolves

Golden State Warriors

Whether or not the three Hokies in serious contention will be drafted this season is up for debate, but it will be settled by the end of the night. Pay attention to @gobblercountry and myself, @lunchpailD, on Twitter for updates, as well as here at Gobbler Country.