The 2019 NBA draft happened last March. Everyone knew the main event of the draft --#1 overall pick Duke standout Zion Williamson -- but did every other team draft their needs to help them make a playoff run? Or did the teams with a top pick make a mistake on draft night? With the pre-season coming to an end and the regular season 3 days away from tipoff, we see what mistakes teams made and who they should have taken over their original pick.
1. Original Pick: Zion Williamson - New Orleans Pelicans
Who the Pelicans should have picked: Zion Williamson
The Pelicans knew what they were in for when told they had the #1 overall pick in the draft. It was obvious that Zion was the missing piece they needed after sending Anthony Davis to the Lakers for Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. All of the hype that Zion brought to the city of New Orleans, Zion lived up to. Through 4 of the Pelicans pre-season games, Williamson shot 73.7% from the field, averaging 23.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG and 2.5 APG. The 73.7% shot by Williamson is the most ever by a rookie through pre-season. He is currently 4th on the all time list, sitting behind Steph Curry (73.9% 2015-16 and 77.6% 2018-19) and Anthony Morrow (74.3% 2009-10). The impact that Zion makes this season will help determine if the Pelicans make the playoffs or not. With the injury to Zion's right knee, the city of New Orleans will have to wait to watch their raw talent break out.
2. Original Pick: Ja Morant - Memphis Grizzlies
Who the Grizzlies should have picked: RJ Barrett
Ja Morant and Murray State were the hype of March Madness. Everyone knew Zion was going #1, but no had a clue of who was going to end up with the Grizzlies at the #2 pick. Morant averaged 24.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 10.0 APG in college, and seemed like the guy to get. The Grizzlies felt that he was going to be the right fit, but Duke standout RJ Barrett was definitely making the Grizzlies question their decision on draft night.
In 38 games, Barrett produced even with Zion's injury, averaging 22.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG and 4.3 APG. Through this pre-season, Barrett has proven why he should of been the #2 pick. Through 3 games, Barrett has averaged 14.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 3.6 APG. While Barrett has been dominating for New York, Morant has not lived up to the hype that he showed from his Murray State days. Through 3 games, Morant has averaged 9.7 PPG, 2.4 RPG and 7.5 APG. Morant still needs some development, but will start for Memphis as they traded away All- Star point guard Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz. Barrett, on the other hand, will definitely start, as he has honed his game and is shooting 41% from three. He will have to develop his game more as well, but the Knicks got a great young point guard to fit into their young lineup overall.
3. Original Pick: RJ Barrett - New York Knicks
Who the Knicks should have drafted: Coby White
Now if the last 2 picks actually happened, then Barrett would be off the board. Now as said above the Knicks got a steal drafting Barrett at #3, but if he's gone already, who is the next best point guard to get to help fit their style of play? Yes, of course, everyone is thinking Ja Morant should go here, but like previously said, Morant has not lived up to expectations.
The perfect fit for the Knicks is the guy who dropped down lower than expected. Projected a top 5 pick and falling to the Bulls at #7, Coby White is the right guy for New York in this situation. Coming out of North Carolina, White averaged 16.1 PPG and 4.1 APG. As a freshman, White played well overall and was projected a top 5 pick right before March Madness ended. Now playing for the Bulls, White has not disappointed. Coming off the bench, through 5 preseason games, White has averaged 19.3 PPG, sitting second behind Zion (23.3 PPG). While being an overall scorer coming off the bench, White has also manage to average 4.2 APG and 1.9 RPG. Throughout the season, depending on Kris Dunn's knee injury that came half way through last year, White will see himself as an effective 6th or 7th man, but could find himself in the lineup if Dunn does miss time.
4. Original Pick: De'Andre Hunter - Los Angeles Lakers -- traded to Atlanta Hawks
Who the Lakers should have drafted: Tyler Herro
In college, he was looked around because of the fact that Kentucky had such a young squad. Tyler Herro helped lead the Wildcats with help from teammate PJ Washington. For Kentucky, Herro was averaging 14.0 PPG and tallying 5.5 RPG as well. Between Herro and Washington, who averaged 10.8 PPG, Kentucky would find themselves as the #2 seed and would eventually fall to the #3 seed Auburn. Herro was projected to be a lower pick then #13 to Miami, but through 4 preseason games, Herro has every team before the Heat regretting not taking him. Herro is 7th on the scoring list for rookies this preseason, averaging 14.3 PPG and 4.0 RPG. With the Lakers taking Guard DeAndre Hunter for the Hawks, they found themselves with the weaker overall player through this preseason.
With Hunter only averaging 10.8 PPG through 5 games, he has not made a big enough impact as Herro has for Miami. With Atlanta needing to draft a 3 point shooter, not drafting Herro could hurt them as Herro has been stroking from deep, shooting 52% from behind the arc. With Miami coming off a 39-43 record and ending as the #10 seed, Herro will find his way in this young Miami lineup and should make an immediate impact with the way he is scoring in the preseason. He will also draw one of the better defenders from opponents, making Jimmy Butler one of the better scorers this season. For Hunter, he will start on a very young Atlanta Hawks lineup joining rising star point guard Trae Young.
5. Original Pick: Darius Garland
Who the Cavaliers should have picked: Carsen Edwards
Now Reading the names, you're probably thinking how a guy that got picked in the 2nd round at #33 has made it all the way up to the #5 overall pick of the draft. Well, you would be surprised. The Boston Celtics can thank general manager Danny Ainge for the "steal" of the draft. Edwards has been tearing up the preseason and has been pleasing Boston fans since summer league games began. In college, Edwards tore it up on the offensive side of the game for Purdue. He averaged 24.3 PPG, 4.2 APG and 4.2 RPG. These were solid numbers for a player who played in 36 games. For the original #5 pick, Darius Garland is a good player, but nothing like Edwards. Now Garland was scoring great through his first 5 games, but his season ended early after sustaining a torn meniscus to his left knee. Through 4 preseason games, Garland has not produced like a #5 pick should right out of the draft. He averaged 9.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG and 2.7 APG.
These numbers are what you should see from a 2nd rounder. For Edwards, he is making every general manager pay for skipping over him and treating him like a 2nd round pick. Edwards is ranked 3rd in scoring for rookies this preseason behind White (19.3 PPG) and Williamson (23.3 PPG). Through 4 preseason games, Edwards is averaging 15.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 1.7 APG. With being the scoring threat he is, Edwards has been stroking from behind the arc, shooting 45.2% on 10-19 shooting. As of right now, Garland will be starting for Cleveland, joining rising star Collin Sexton to help create their future backourt. For Edwards, he will be coming off the bench as the Celtics 6th or 7th man and could potentially find himself in the starting lineup if Marcus Smart or Jaylen Brown do not play up to their potential.
6. Original Pick: Jarrett Culver - Phoenix Suns -- traded to Minnesota Timberwolves
Who the Timberwolves should have picked: Rui Hachimura
The Suns and Timberwolves both have very young rosters with raw talent, including all- stars and future stars Karl Anthony- Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Devin Booker and 2nd year former #1 overall pick Deandre Ayton. Now Minnesota and Phoenix both have elite big men, but having more than one is not an awful idea. Taking Jarrett Culver for Minnesota makes everyone wonder will he be eventually starting over 2nd year guard Josh Okogie or for former all-star Jeff Teague. Culver -- through the preseason -- did score more than Hachimura, but Hachimura dominated every other category by far. Through 5 games, Culver averaged 12.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 2.0 APG.
These are okay number from a rookie guard, but being brought in to shoot from behind the arc for Minnesota, Culver only shot 28% from the three through these 5 games. With shooting like this, Culver will find himself as 7th or 8th man, depending on if Napier fills in for Teague or if Culver finds himself in that position. If Napier does fill in for Teague, Culver will be playing the other guard and filling in for Okogie. Now for Hachimura, he dominated his 4 preseason starts. With John Wall out for the year, this Wizards lineup will be relying on all-star guard Bradley Beal to score when need to, but for Hachimura, he will be starting at center as Washington took him as their future big man they want to build around. Through his 4 preseason games, Hachimura averaged 10.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG and 2.2 BPG. Assists will come throughout for Rui, but his defensive play will play a huge role for Washington this season. Hachimura should be 2nd in points per game behind Beal and should dominate opponents in the paint.
7. Original Pick: Coby White - Chicago Bulls
Who the Bulls should have picked: Jaxson Hayes or Jarrett Culver
The Bulls snagged White with the 7th overall pick of the draft, but if White was taken already I believe that guard Jarrett Culver or big man Jaxson Hayes both would have been good fits for the Bulls. Chicago does have 2 scoring threat guards between Lauri Markkanen and Zach Lavine, so adding White just makes them have more depth through their backcourt. Big man-wise, the Bulls are doing just fine with forward Lauri Markkanen and 2nd year center Wendell Carter, but adding Hayes would of made a huge difference under the paint as Hayes is a scoring threat when he does have the ball in his hands, but he is also dominating rebounds and blocks through this preseason. New Orleans is taking a big hit losing both of their top draft picks from injuries between Zion and Hayes. Before Hayes got hurt, through 2 games, he was averaging 8.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG and 2.3 BPG. These are great numbers being produced from the #8 overall pick and the Pelicans future front court looks very pleasing between Hayes and Zion.
Now for Culver, I do think he is a great player, but like I said before, Culver is not playing up to the potential Minnesota wants him to be at. With the Bulls having Dunn and Lavine starting, Culver would have fit in great with Chicago. Averaging 12.4 PPG, Culver finds his way to the rim through major contact. He can shoot from behind the arc some, but not like what Minnesota was hoping for when making the pick. Yes, you're probably thinking reading this that I bashed Culver as the #6 pick and why he should not have been, but in this scenario for Chicago, Culver would have made a great backup for Dunn. As for Hayes, with the injury to his hamstring, he will not be starting right away like New Orleans wanted. Working his way back into the rotation, veteran center Derrick Favors will be filling in along with former Duke standout Jahlil Okafor.
8. Original Pick: Jaxson Hayes - Atlanta Hawks -- traded to New Orleans Pelicans
Who the Hawks should have picked: Ja Morant
The hype of Ja Morant was real when March Madness was in full swing. Morant's game turned up when Murray State turned up as well, behind Morant's triple- double ( 17 points, 16 assists, 11 rebounds ). NBA scouts watching Morant's performance were sold that he was a top 3 pick and could potentially be a #1 pick if the Pelicans decided to pass up on Zion. Now, the Hawks did trade this pick to the Pelicans, so if Morant was drafted here then he would have joined 3rd-year guard Lonzo Ball and veteran guard Jrue Holiday to complete a nasty backcourt for the future determining when Holiday would get done. Morant should definitely be a team's starting point guard, as his passing game is very elite now and has been since his Murray State days, but his scoring does need some tweaks as through 4 preseason games he's only averaging 9.7 points per game.
If the Atlanta Hawks would have kept this pick and ended up with Morant, he also would of completed a filthy future backcourt between himself and 2nd-year guard Trae Young. The only problem with having 2 guards -- both at 6'2" -- is that the guard playing the 2 is defending a guard that is 6'5"-6'6", which is not good defensively. The best duo backcourt to compare to now as it can work is the Golden State Warriors. After the Warriors sent a protected 1st round pick for Russell, the Warriors are now looking at a backcourt with 2 point guards who are both 6'4". The Grizzlies did draft their point guard for the future taking Morant at #2 overall after trading former all-star Mike Conley to the Jazz as mentioned above. Through this preseason though, Morant looks like a top 10 pick for sure, but not #2 overall with the way he is currently playing.
9. Original Pick: Rui Hachimura - Washington Wizards
Who the Wizards should have picked: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Washington finally got a top 10 pick --the first since taking Otto Porter Jr with the 3rd pick in 2013. Washington did not mess up their pick, taking Hachimura as the big man of the "future." Now taking Rui was a solid pick and he should have gone earlier, but knowing John Wall could not potentially return this year, they should have snagged a guard when they had the chance. The perfect fit for Washington is definitely Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Through 5 preseason games, Alexander- Walker averaged 15.7 PPG, 5.8 APG and 1.5 SPG. Walker would have filled in perfectly for Wall, as Wall is expected to miss the entire 2019-20 season with last season's previous injury to his achilles. With Walker falling to #17 to the New Orleans Pelicans, it's Ball and Holiday who get to boost up their already loaded defensive backcourt. Between Ball, Holiday and Walker, the three defensive point guards average 4.5 steals per game. This could potentially be one of the best backcourt trios this season. Besides the steals per game with this backcourt, you also have to remember Zion, Hayes and Favors all average 1.8 blocks per game, making them potentially a lockdown lineup. With Wall out for the season, the Wizards will struggle until Isiah Thomas becomes fully active and can fill in for Wall's absence.
10. Original Pick: Cam Reddish - Atlanta Hawks
Who the Hawks should have picked: Matisse Thybulle
The Atlanta Hawks sure do love their 3 point shooters. From Mookie Blaylock (1050) to Kyle Korver (818) to trading in the draft for Trae Young, and now drafting Duke knock-down shooter Cam Reddish, you could say the Hawks like to live an die by the three ball. With taking Reddish at #10, though, the Hawks lost out on one of the best defenders in Matisse Thybulle. Last season for Washington, Thybulle averaged 4.5 steals and 2.9 blocks per game. With these lockdown defensive stats, this earned Thybulle 2018-19 the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. Headed into the draft, Thybulle was definitely ranked the #1 defensive player in the draft besides Zion. By drafting Reddish, who is 6'8", they definitely are not lacking size, as defensively Atlanta will be okay with Young at the top guarding the point and Collins and Len roaming the paint.
The only scare is the other two guards on the wings between Huerter and Hunter. Reddish will be coming off the bench after averaging 6.5 PPG through 4 games. While Reddish did not shoot well, 28% from behind the arc, this makes Reddish lacking on both sides of the ball. While Thybulle averaged 8.6 PPG and 3.8 RPG, only 2 more points then Reddish, it was his defensive abilities that kept him on the court and will get him a ton of minutes as the 76ers 6th or 7th man. Thybulle, in 5 games totaled, 13 steals -- averaging 2.6 per game -- and 9 blocks -- averaging 1.7 per game. While Reddish finds himself struggling early for Atlanta, he will be Atlanta's 7th or 8th man, depending on how rookie Deandre Hunter is playing or if they want to go with the bigger body of Jabari Parker for size. For Thybulle, he will probably be the first or 2nd man off the bench, but could find himself playing with the starters in crunch depending on who has the better matchup between Richardson and Thybulle.