2019 NBA Draft Five Players To Watch
Well, draft day is here and in 24 hours we will know who has theoretically improved (either by great drafting or by shrewd trading) and who needs divine intervention to become contenders in 2020. The Pelicans and Hawks pretty much control the top 10 and although it will be one of the biggest surprises in years if Zion Williamson doesn’t go first to New Orleans, at least one of these two will probably pull off a trade or two. It is not viewed as a particularly deep draft this year meaning teams draft boards will vary quite a bit, however, the following Five shouldn’t make it out of the top ten and are our top five.
Number one Zion Williams – Duke Position: PF/C
We don’t think there has been this much hype about a player since Lebron James entered the draft in 2003. No matter how hard we try we can’t find a scenario which sees him not go top 5 and the chances of him not going No 1 are slim to none. He could be a first-year All-Star and has the potential to be one of the future greats. Just have a look at some of these dunks!
Number Two Ja Morant – Murray St. Position: PG
The Memphis Grizzlies hold the second pick and they can’t move past Morant who not only led the team in all categories (points Rebounds and Assists) but averaged 10 assists a game which is incredible given his scoring prowess. He pretty much single-handedly got Murray state to the 2nd round of the NCAA championships and could be the player that the Grizzlies look to rebuild around. He deserved his own highlight reel in NCAA tournament play.
Number Three: R.J. Barrett – Duke Position: G/F
Barrett spent most of 2019 in Zion Williamson’s shadow (well he is the same height but 83lbs lighter), however, he averaged the same number of points, had nearly as many rebounds and averaged twice as many assists. He was a big part of Duke’s success in 2019 and he showed up pretty well in their narrow loss in the regional finals (Elite Eights) to Michigan State. The is clearly the third best (at worst) of this year’s crop and will be a big part of the New York Knicks rebuild- unless someone makes them an offer they can’t refuse. Check out some of his moves below.
Number Four: Jarrett Culver – Texas Tech Position: SG
We watched a few Red Raiders games last year and Culver reminded us of a young Dwayne Wade in them. The averaged 18.5 points a game in 2019 which was impressive for a wingman and a lot of teams probably have hi high on their board. The big question mark is where will he be playing in 2019-20 as the Pelicans at number four may decide to trade the pick. Some nice highlights below.
Number Five: De’Andre Hunter – Virginia Position: SF/PF
Probably the best defensive player in the draft, and a key part of the Cavaliers NCAA title in 2019. Many will have him higher than this but we are not sure if his all-around game is as good as the other four at this stage. However, he is a safe pick and whichever teams drafts him will be much better defensively.
