Atlanta Hawks: Atl All Day Mock Draft 1.0 Post Lottery
3. New Orleans Pelicans (Trade with Knicks)
R.J. Barrett: Wing – Duke
Height:6’6 Weight:208
Wingspan:6’10 Age:18.11
The New Orleans Pelicans are set to trade star Anthony Davis and the New York Knicks covet him badly. The Lakers covet Davis as well, but the two sides negotiated tediously without reaching a deal before last season’s trade deadline. So I’m projecting that the New York Knicks will land Anthony Davis in a trade involving the number three pick, Dennis Smith Jr., Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson and multiple future first round picks. There will be other players and picks involved to make the salary cap structure work out.
With the third pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans will select R.J. Barrett. This will reunite Barrett with his teammate and roommate from Duke University in New Orleans. Zion and R.J. would give the Pelicans a nice foundation, along with the other players that come over from New York. Barrett has the physical talent that NBA general managers look for in a wing. He was the number one high school player coming into the 2018-19 season. He was the favorite to be the number one pick in the draft, before Zion Williamson dominated college basketball.
R.J. Barrett is very quick and moves around the court fluidly. He’s a good mid range shooter off the bounce. He also finishes well at the basket. Barrett is very left hand dominant, but he’s crafty with the ball, and is typically able to fake or freeze his opponent enough to come back to his left hand. He’s also a good passer and very good in transition. He’s a fiery competitor, who doesn’t back down from a challenge. He’s also a very good rebounder at the guard position. R.J. isn’t a lock down defender, but he has all the tools to be one, once he refines his technique. The main drawback on Barrett, is his shooting efficiency. He is a volume shooter than runs hot and cold. He also needs to improve his free throw shooting.
2018 Stats: Pts:22.6 REB:7.7 APG:4.3 STL:0.9 BLK:0.4 FG%:45.4 2P%:52.9 3P%:30.8 FT%:66.5
ESPN produced this scouting video of R.J. Barrett’s game on their YouTube channel:
4. Los Angeles Lakers
Darius Garland: Point Guard – Vanderbilt
Height:6’3 Weight:173
Wingspan:6’5″ Age:18.5
Despite only playing five games in his one and only season at Vanderbilt, Darius Garland is still a highly rated prospect. The fact that he plays point guard and several teams in the top half of the lottery have a need at the position, almost guarantees that Garland won’t have a long wait to hear his name called on draft night. Shooting is the top skill that he possesses, both spotting up and off the dribble. He would fit well in Los Angeles, both running the offense and playing off of LeBron James. Garland is a smart player and a great ball handler, who should be a good distributor in time. The main things that Garland needs to work on, are defense and finishing inside. The fact that he is signed to Clutch Sports, the agency that represents LeBron, certainly won’t hurt his chances of being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers.
2018 Stats: Pts:16.2 REB:2.7 APG:2.6 STL:0.8 BLK:0.4 FG%:53.7 2P%:58.1 3P%:47.8 FT%:75
Sports Illustrated NBA Draft Expert Jeremy Woo, has Garland going number six to Phoenix in his latest mock draft. Check out the ESPN scouting video on Darius Garland, compliments of their YouTube Channel: