The 2019 NBA Draft went off in Brooklyn last night, and for the most part it was not the most newsworthy affair. The top three picks were all chalk, as expected in what every expert called a “three-player” draft. There was some movement in the top-10, but overall this did not feel like the deepest draft in recent memory.
While some analysts will try and give “draft grades” on the selections of prospects that haven’t played a second of NBA basketball yet, I will instead be giving some of my quick thoughts that popped into my head during the 5.5 hour telecast on Thursday night.
Zion goes number one
The Pelicans predictably went with Duke superstar Zion Williamson with the first overall pick. I have absolutely no problem with people saying that Zion is the most hyped NBA prospect since LeBron James, and in fact I agree with that statement. But my biggest issue now is that, like most other highly-regarded prospects, people are going to try and make snap judgments on Williamson within his first season. I’ve seen his on-court abilities compared to LeBron James and Charles Barkley. I’ve seen people say that if his career follows the path of Blake Griffin, it would be a massive disappointment. None of that is fair to this kid. I just know that someone is going to try and rip him as a bust (or praise him as a savior) within the first month of his career. Let him play and give him time to develop. He’s on an increasingly young team in New Orleans that will take time to mesh and grow as a unit. Please reserve the snap judgments for at least the first few years of his career.
The Knicks had to take RJ Barrett No. 3, but I still don’t love him
Let me get this straight right away. I have absolutely no problem with the Knicks taking RJ Barrett third overall out of Duke. The hope was obviously to land the first pick and get Zion Williamson, but when that didn’t materialize, the right move at three was to take the consensus third-best player in an aforementioned “three-player” draft. But that being said, I’m still not totally sold on RJ Barrett. He said the right things last night and definitely seems like he wants to be a Knick, but I think he’ll have to change his game slightly to succeed in New York. Last year at Duke, he averaged 22 points on 18 shots per game. It felt like he played his best basketball when Zion Williamson was out with an injury, as he rarely deferred to Zion when both were on the court. With the Knicks, he likely won’t be option No. 1 if they have their way in free agency this summer. He’ll need to learn to take those blinders off and be a bit more of a facilitator in New York. I have no doubts about his abilities.
Suns gonna Suns
The Phoenix Suns have no shortage of young talent on their roster currently. Devin Booker is a budding superstar who is locked up for years to come. Deandre Ayton is a former No. 1 overall pick who made the All-Rookie Team in his first season with the team. The talent is certainly there. The front office decisions? Maybe not. Their night began when they decided to trade T.J. Warren, their second-leading scorer last season at 18 points per game, to the Indiana Pacers for cash. I get that they wanted to clear cap space, but that’s really all they could get? For clarity, the Pistons traded the 30th overall pick to the Cavaliers last night for four second-round picks. Phoenix also moved back five spots from No. 6 to No. 11 overall in a trade with the Wolves. No complaints there, but they used that pick on North Carolina’s Cam Johnson, shocking everyone with how early he went off the board. The Suns continue to look like a franchise with no direction.
Shamorie Ponds goes undrafted
***Massive St. John’s Alumni Bias Incoming***
Listen, I didn’t expect my guy Shamorie Ponds to be a lottery pick. I didn’t even expect him to go in the top-40 picks. But just about every mock draft that I saw leading up to 7:30 pm last night had Ponds being drafted somewhere in the 40-50 range. Him going undrafted isn’t the biggest shocker in the world, but it definitely surprised me. I’m admittedly biased, but I think his game definitely translates well to today’s NBA. He’s an exceptional ball-handler, a capable passer, and can force turnovers on the defensive end. His size certainly limits him, but if he can improve defensively and develop a more consistent jump shot, I think he can find his niche as a second or third guy off the bench in the NBA. It’s an uphill climb, but going undrafted last night didn’t really change that. He’s signed with the Rockets on a summer league deal, so we’ll see if that sticks.
Enough with players wearing the wrong hats
This was absolutely my biggest pet peeve from last night, and judging by the reaction on social media, I wasn’t alone. Due to the NBA’s ridiculous rules in which trades involving draft picks cannot be made official to the new league year, multiple lottery picks were announced to the “wrong” teams and had to sit through painfully awkward interviews wearing the “wrong” hats. Four of the first 11 picks had to deal with this, and it was so incredibly dumb. For example, De’Andre Hunter (above) was announced as a Lakers draft pick at fourth overall. The Lakers traded this pick to the Pelicans on Saturday in the Anthony Davis deal, while the Pelicans flipped it to the Hawks hours before the draft. How hard would it have been to just announce before the pick “the Lakers have reportedly traded this pick to the Pelicans, who will reportedly be making this pick for the Hawks.” Then, just don’t give them a hat to wear! If the NBA wants to encourage its teams to wheel and deal on draft night, that’s fine, but change this terrible rule then and stop insulting our intelligence.
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