Atlanta Hawks: Atl All Day Mock Draft 1.0 Post Lottery
The NBA Draft order is set and the Atlanta Hawks posses both the number eight and number 10 picks in the upcoming draft. Here is a look at the possible lottery order, in the first edition of the 2019 Atl All Day Mock Draft.
1. New Orleans Pelicans
Zion Williamson: Forward – Duke
Height: 6’7 Weight:280
Wingspan:7’0 Age:18.8
Unfortunately for Atlanta Hawks fans, Zion Williamson will not be catching lobs from Trae Young. This pick will not be traded and the New Orleans Pelicans will not hesitate to draft Zion Williamson, with the first pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Williamson was the Naismith Award winner and is the most heralded draft pick since LeBron James was drafted in 2003. He will immediately give the Pelicans a strong building block, as the team prepares to trade star center Anthony Davis. Trading AD should give the Pelicans a nice supporting cast, to team with Zion and guard Jrue Holiday. Zion is expected to be both a finisher and a secondary creator for New Orleans. He will bring a level of excitement that New Orleans basketball fans have never seen, with his powerful, acrobatic, jaw dropping dunks. If Williamson can become a decent outside shooter, he will be virtually unstoppable. His value financially in ticket and merchandise sales, exceeds his on court value. That’s saying a lot, because Zion is very valuable on the court.
2018 Stats: PPG:22.6 REB: 8.9 APG:2.1 BPG:1.8 STL:2.1 FG%:68 2P%:74.7 3P%:33.8 FT%:64%
ESPN’s DraftExpress provides this scouting video on Zion Williamson with strengths and weaknesses:
2. Memphis Grizzlies
Ja Morant: Point Guard – Murray State
Height:6’3 Weight: 170
Wingspan:6’6″ Age:19.7
Ja Morant is quickly shaping up to be the consensus second best prospect in the 2019 draft. Jonathan Givony is reporting, that the Memphis Grizzlies are zeroing in on Morant with the second overall pick in this ESPN article. This will set the stage for them to trade veteran Mike Conley. Ja Morant is a lightning quick point guard with similar athletic talent as Russell Westbrook. He is a very good passer and led division one in assists. He averaged more assists than Trae Young did as a college freshman in the 2017-1 season, although it was against lesser competition. His jumps shot needs some work, but he still managed to shoot a respectable percentage, despite being the player defenses keyed on for his team. He will team with forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr., who was the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft, to form the Grizzlies new foundation.
2018 Stats: PPG:24.5 REB:5.7 APG:10 STL:1.8 BLK:0.8 FG%:49.9 2P%:55.6 3P%:36.3 FT%:81.3
The Dime Drop takes a closer Ja Morant via their YouTube channel: