The 2019 NBA Draft has come and gone but the question remains: which teams put themselves a step closer to the promised land with their draft decisions?
New Orleans Pelicans
First Round: No. 1 Zion Williamson (Duke), No. 8 Jaxson Hayes (Texas), No. 17 Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Virginia Tech)
Second Round: No. 35 Marcos Louzada Silva (Brazil)
The New Orleans Pelicans had a fantastic draft, which is extremely hard to mess up when you have the first pick and Zion Williamson is on the board. But this is something different. In the past, the Pelicans had traded away the majority of their first-round picks, hoping to build a contender around Anthony Davis.
This year, though, they stockpiled their assets and selected three players in the first round that can contribute immediately. Selecting Zion with the first pick in the draft gives the Pelicans a generational talent and their franchise cornerstone to build around. His physicality and strength are unmatched. He will need to refine his shooting ability and ballhandling, but he has all the talent in the world to become a superstar. If he can make the impact many are expecting, watch out for the Pelicans in the 2019-2020 season.
Jaxson Hayes was selected at the eighth spot in the draft. Hayes gives the Pelicans a rim-runner who will fit in great in Alvin Gentry’s offensive gameplan. He will need time to refine a few aspects of his game, mostly his shooting touch, but he can develop into a force to be reckoned with in the near future. Most likely starting on the bench behind Jahlil Okafor, he can tune up his offensive game and bring some energy off the bench immediately.
Although Okafor has primarily been a bust after being selected third overall in the 2015 draft, he has been good offensively. Hayes can definitely do himself some good in learning a thing or two about the offensive game from Okafor, until his time inevitably comes to take over the lead role.
With their final first-round selection, the Pelicans selected shooting guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Alexander-Walker thrives when he is the secondary or tertiary ball handler. He will get the opportunity to be in this position in New Orleans, with Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball serving as the primary point guards.
He gives the Pelicans a much-needed shooter to play alongside Zion, Holiday, and Ball in order to space out the court and keep the defense honest. He won’t be pushed into a starting role from the start, which gives him time to develop a few areas of his game.
If he plays anywhere near the level that his cousin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, played in his rookie season, the Pelicans got an absolute steal at number 17.
In the second round, the Pelicans traded up to select Brazilian wing, Marcos Louzada Silva. The Pelicans did not pick a popular name here, but they acquired a potential 3-and-D rotation player with this pick.
Coming off the bench, he can show off his solid perimeter stroke, defense, and productivity that he showcased with the Brazilian National Team and at the Nike Hoop Summit. Although he may not accumulate much playing time, he can bring energy off the bench while giving the starters a breather at multiple positions.
Atlanta Hawks
First Round: No. 4 DeAndre Hunter (Virginia), No. 10 Cam Reddish (Duke)
Second Round: No. 34 Bruno Fernando (Maryland)
The Atlanta Hawks were rumored to be all-in on DeAndre Hunter, they just had to find a way to move up to a position where they could take him. Although it cost them a first rounder and Solomon Hill’s contract, they did just that and got their guy. With Hunter’s experience, he can step into a high leverage role and help this young Hawks’ squad immediately.
Regarded by many as the top defender in college basketball, Hunter can guard multiple positions and is a very good off-ball defender as well. In addition to being a great defender, he was also a prolific and efficient scorer and extremely versatile throughout his time at Virginia. He will be a huge part of the Hawks’ gameplan this season, giving Lloyd Pierce another young option on this exciting roster.
At 6-foot-8 and 208 lbs, Cam Reddish has the looks of your prototypical NBA All-Star wing, but he did not show this in his stint with Duke. This may be because he was forced to share the ball with two other elite prospects, Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett.
As with Hunter, Reddish can play multiple perimeter positions and can score at an elite clip, if given the opportunity. With Trae Young and Kevin Huerter also on the court, there should be plenty of open looks for Reddish to prove that he is the impactful scorer he was expected to be at Duke. He will most likely be making his impact off the bench in the beginning, but if he proves himself as a legitimate threat, he can be much more than just an average role player.
The Hawks selected Maryland big man, Bruno Fernando, in the second round. Fernando was regarded as one of the best center prospects out of college but fell in the draft due to the diminishing value of “traditional” centers in the league. His size, motor, and athleticism make him an intriguing bench piece for the Hawks, as they continue to build solid depth around their tantalizing core.
Boston Celtics
First Round: No. 14 Romeo Langford (Indiana), No. 22 Grant Williams (Tennessee)
Second Round: No. 33 Carsen Edwards (Purdue), No. 51 Tremont Waters (LSU)
The Boston Celtics did not have an exciting draft, but it looks to be filled with productive players at the college level.
Romeo Langford had a disappointing campaign at Indiana considering the amount of hype he received coming out of high school, primarily due to a nagging wrist injury, but the talent and physical tools are there. At 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, Langford has the prototypical size and tools to be a successful wing player in the NBA.
With the talent around him in Boston, he can take his time to develop his perimeter shooting (27 percent at Indiana) and defensive intensity. There are many question marks surrounding Langford, but Brad Stevens can mold him into a solid producer to add to a talented young core in Boston.
Grant Williams was one of the more productive players in college basketball last season, and he will fill big backcourt need for the Celtics due to Al Horford’s probable departure. Williams’s strength is in his inside game, but he showed some outside ability at Tennessee. His size is not ideal, but his motor and ability to get to the free throw line, along with improved outside shooting, will help him become a good option off the bench.
Carsen Edwards is a very intriguing prospect. He made a name for himself in the NCAA Tournament showcasing his Steph Curry-like range and shot-making ability. The Celtics should not expect tournament-like performances on a nightly basis. Edwards does not possess the typical vision you would expect from a point guard, but he can be a huge spark off the bench if he maintains his shooting stroke, Lou Williams style.
Tremont Waters is an undersized point guard, but he has one of the best skill sets out of any prospect in the draft. His playmaking ability, ballhandling skills, shooting touch, and shiftiness he showed off at LSU are top-tier among draft prospects. If he is able to grab a roster spot, he can bring some of these playmaking skills and spark to the second unit and can be a real game-changer.
Cleveland Cavaliers
First Round: No. 5 Darius Garland (Vanderbilt), No. 26 Dylan Windler (Belmont), No. 30 Kevin Porter Jr. (USC)
Second Round: None
In this early stage of a rebuilding process, it is better to go after talent over need. The Cavaliers did just this and are turning into an exciting team to keep tabs on.
Darius Garland is one of the most exciting prospects to be drafted, but there are certainly some question marks. Obviously, injury concerns are an issue. A meniscus injury allowed him to play only five games in his lone season at Vanderbilt, but he shot at an elite clip in those five games.
His field goal percentage and three-point percentage were both very impressive, 53.7 and 47.8 respectively. Another question mark is his ability to play alongside Collin Sexton. It may take some time for these two ballhandlers to mesh, but this could end up being similar to the Trail Blazers’ backcourt style of play given Garland’s shooting touch.
Despite these question marks, Garland should turn into a solid to all-star level guard at the NBA level given his scoring and playmaking ability.
Dylan Windler is the exact opposite of Darius Garland, as he does not need to handle the ball to be successful. Windler is seen as one of the best perimeter shooters in the draft, giving the Cavs a nice floor-spacing piece to go with their playmaking backcourt. Given his good size and shooting ability, he can turn into a solid 3-and-D role player for the Cavs.
When scouts compare someone to the likes of James Harden, you know you have a special talent on your hands. This is how Kevin Porter Jr. was seen in the eyes of some scouts. With his size, scoring instincts, and playmaking ability, the Cavs acquired great value at the end of the first round. But the question marks remain.
During the pre-draft process, many scouts were concerned with his intangibles, on and off-court decisions, and energy. He is wildly inconsistent on the defensive side of the ball and can disappear if the ball is not in his hands. If he can learn to play alongside other talented guards and play off the ball, the Cavs might have one of the biggest steals in the draft.
