It is NBA Draft Day and where Collin Sexton will land is a mystery

Alabama basketball fans will watch closely Thursday night to see what team selects Collin Sexton. The former one-and-done Tide player will go in the first round but where is a mystery.

Just hours away from the NBA Draft, there is no consensus about which team will select Collin Sexton. The former Alabama basketball, one-and-done player, is a first-round lock but no team has stepped up and said Collin is a priority for them.

There are few knowns in the 2018 NBA Draft. Most assured is that the first two picks will be DeAndre Ayton to Phoenix and Marvin Bagley to Sacramento. Draft day trades may have teams now holding the third through tenth picks moving both up and down.

Players expected to go early

The players it appears will be drafted before Collin Sexton are: Jaren Jackson Jr.; Luka Doncic; Wendall Carter; Mohammed Bamba; Kevin Knox and Miklal Bridges. Michael Porter should be another early pick but persistent rumors of continuing and future back problems have made some teams leery. Increasingly, it looks like more teams value Trae Young as a point guard than Collin.

Scanning various mock drafts, Sexton is most often tied to the Knicks, the Hornets and the Clippers. The Knicks have No. 9 and No. 36 picks. They would like Bagly or Kevin Knox or Trae Young. If they don’t get Young, they may look to package a deal for the No. 36 pick and a current player trade to move into the mid-teens. In that scenario, Sexton might still be available.

The Hornets at No. 11 is an often mocked pick for Collin. Looking at the Hornets’ fan-site, Swarm and Sting it appears the team values former Kentucky player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander more highly than Sexton.

The Clippers have picks No. 12 and No. 13. They need a franchise point guard after losing Chris Paul to the Rockets last season. Collin Sexton appears to be a perfect choice. There is speculation the Clippers will move their No. 13 pick up or down. Either way, Sexton could well be available at No. 12.

Sexton also had pre-Draft workouts with Cleveland and Orlando. There is no current buzz (on Wednesday night) that either team intends to select Sexton.

Pressed for a guess, we say the Clippers

Having run through these team situations and applied some hunches, we don’t have a strong feeling of Collin to any team. The Clippers seems to make the most sense but if it doesn’t happen – Collin may have to wait for Boston or Brooklyn, currently with the No. 27 and No. 29 picks.

Next: Collin Sexton will reset the Tide's future in the NBA Draft

Whether Thursday night is a long wait or a short one, it will be fun for Alabama basketball fans. We have not done this in a while.