The NBA Draft has come and gone. The hype of the draft class made it an interesting spectacle to watch as we finally saw Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and RJ Barrett find official homes for at least the next few years.
It’s the opening act for the free agency, but it was still a huge night. With that, let’s get into my five takeaways from the 2019 NBA Draft.
1. It was a big night for the Pelicans.
The Pelicans continued to make the most out of the Anthony Davis trade on draft night. They traded the No. 4 overall pick that they received from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Atlanta Hawks for picks No. 8, 17, and 35.
In addition to drafting Zion Williamson, the Pelicans used those draft picks to get athletic center Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Marcos Louzada Silva.
Keep in mind that they got Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and Lonzo Ball in the Davis trade, in addition to future draft picks. The Pelicans are in the best possible situation to have a bright future despite trading away the biggest superstar they have ever had.
2. The Atlanta Hawks also had a huge night.
Coming into this year’s draft, the Hawks had three first-round picks. They had the No. 8, 10, and 17 overall picks. They traded the No. 8, 17, and 35 picks for the No. 4 overall pick.
They used the No. 4 pick to draft forward De’Andre Hunter, and then drafted forward Cam Reddish with the No. 10 pick. Hunter is a 3-and-D type wing and Reddish is a boom-or-bust prospect, but has drawn comparisons to Paul George.
Atlanta is clearly attempting to surround Trae Young with more young talent to complement him. Obviously, we don’t know for sure how things will work out, but the future looks promising in Atlanta.
3. No one knows what the Phoenix Suns are doing. No one.
The Suns traded T.J. Warren and the No. 32 overall pick just for some cash. It was thought that this was purely a move to gain cap space and be able to make some moves in free agency.
But then Phoenix traded with the Boston Celtics for Aron Baynes and the rights to Ty Jerome—the No. 24 overall pick from Boston. That basically erased the cap space that they had earned from the Warren trade.
They also traded from the No. 6 overall pick back to the No. 11 pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Dario Saric was also part of the trade with the Timberwolves. The Suns used the No. 11 pick to draft Cameron Johnson. Many thought Johnson was a second-round draft pick or a late first-rounder—not a late lottery pick.
To sum it all up: It was a draft night that didn’t make a lot of sense in Phoenix.
4. The Memphis Grizzlies should be fun to watch.
Memphis jump-started the post-Mike Conley and Marc Gasol rebuilding process when they traded Conley for another first-round draft pick, Jae Crowder, and Kyle Korver. They used the pick in another trade that ended up giving them the No. 21 overall pick. That pick was with the No. 2 overall pick they already had.
They used the second pick in the draft to pick Murray State guard Ja Morant, and then drafted Brandon Clarke from Gonzaga. The Grizzlies already have Jaren Jackson Jr. from last year’s draft class, and it’s expected that this trio should fit together nicely.
Jackson is a big who can play on the perimeter on both offense and defense—something that the new trend in today’s NBA requires—and he will be just 20 years old in September. He also projects as a rim protector since he averaged 1.9 blocks per 36 minutes.
Clarke was one of the better shot blockers in NCAA last year, so he should also provide nice defense alongside Jackson. Clarke has the leaping ability and athleticism to excel on offense and defense.
Morant is another athletic player. The guard from Murray State showed excellent passing ability that looks like he will be able to replace Conley. It’s fun to imagine him in pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop situations with Jackson or Clarke.
It’s a young trio that should be a nice core for the Grizzlies for years to come. And it has the potential to build into something great.
5. Miami Heat found a potential sleeper pick in Tyler Herro.
The Heat drafted Herro from Kentucky with the No. 13 overall pick. The shooting guard is a good ball handler and can see the court well. He also showed the ability to pass, and could be a secondary ball handler on offense. But Herro was more known for his ability as a shooter. He shot over 35% from three and over 90% from the free-throw line.
Herro is also skilled at off-ball movement. The Heat will hope for him to help keep the defenders from crashing on Hassan Whiteside and Bam Adebayo in the paint. It would also ideally give room for other guys on offense to attack the paint. They will also hope that his 3-point shooting carries over to the NBA. Obviously he’s not as regarded as the top three picks in this year’s draft class, but he could become a solid player for the Heat.
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