Who Won the 2019 NBA Draft?

The answer to who won the 2019 NBA Draft is Zion Williamson. He was the number one pick in the draft.

Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson was the big story coming into the 2019 NBA Draft. The 18-year-old from Spartanburg, South Carolina, was the consensus number one pick and was taken by the New Orleans Pelicans with the first overall pick in the draft. Williamson is a 6-foot-7, 285-pound power forward who is a physical specimen. He is an incredible athlete with a lot of upside.

Stats

In his one season at Duke, Zion Williamson averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 68.0 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from three-point range. He was named the consensus National Player of the Year, as well as the Naismith College Player of the Year, USBWA Player of the Year, Sporting News Player of the Year, and ESPN Player of the Year after leading Duke to a 32-6 record and a No. 1 ranking in the AP poll for much of the season.

Highlights

At 6’7″ and 285 pounds, Zion Williamson is an absolute powerhouse. He was immediately compared to LeBron James when he started playing college basketball for Duke University, and it’s easy to see why. He has incredible strength and agility for a man of his size, and he knows how to use it, often posterizing unsuspecting opponents.

In his one and only season at Duke, Zion averaged 22.6 points per game on 68.0% shooting from the field, 8.9 rebounds per game, 2.1 assists per game, and 1.8 blocks per game. He was named the ACC Player of the Year and the National Player of the Year, among other things. He led Duke to a 32-6 record and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but they were upset by Michigan State in the Round of 32.

The New Orleans Pelicans selected Zion Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, making him the third Duke player to be drafted first overall (joining Elton Brand and Kyrie Irving).

Ja Morant

The Memphis Grizzlies selected Ja Morant with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Morant, a 6-3 point guard from Murray State, was the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and the 2019 NCAA Tournament’s South Region Most Outstanding Player. He is the first Murray State player to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft.

Stats

In his sophomore year, Morant averaged 24.5 points, 10.0 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. He was named first-team All-American by the Associated Press (AP), first-team All-Conference USA, and the Conference USA Player of the Year. He was a finalist for the Naismith College Player of the Year and the John R. Wooden Award.

Morant led the NCAA in assists and finished second in points per game, only behind Duke’s Zion Williamson. He is just the eighth player since 1992–93 to average at least 20 points and 10 assists per game in a season and the first NCAA Division I player to do so since Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin in 2008–09.

Highlights

In his one and only season at Murray State, Morant established himself as one of the most electric players in college basketball. He averaged 24.5 points, 10 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game en route to being named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and leading the Racers to a NCAA Tournament berth. He then put up 28 points, 11 assists, and 5 rebounds in an upset win over Marquette in the Round of 64 before bowing out against Florida State in the Round of 32.

RJ Barrett

RJ Barrett, from Duke University, was the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He was drafted by the New York Knicks. Barrett is a 6’7″ small forward who was born in Toronto, Canada.

Stats

RJ Barrett was born in 1999 in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He is a 6’7” small forward who played high school basketball at Montverde Academy in Florida and college basketball at Duke University. Barrett was drafted 3rd overall by the New York Knicks in the 2019 NBA draft.

In his one season at Duke, Barrett averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He was named a consensus first-team All-American and the ACC Player of the Year. Barrett led Duke to a 29-5 record and a number one seed in the NCAA tournament where they lost to Michigan State in the Elite Eight.

Highlights

RJ Barrett was born on June 14, 2000, in Toronto, Canada. He played his high school basketball at Montverde Academy in Florida, where he was teammates with fellow Canadian and future NBA player, Chris Boucher. Barrett won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2017 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. He was named the tournament MVP after averaging 21.6 points per game.

In his lone season at Duke University, Barrett averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He was named a First Team All-American and the National Freshman of the Year by the USBWA. Barrett declared for the 2019 NBA draft following his freshman year and was selected with the third overall pick by the New York Knicks.

Other Notable Players

Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and RJ Barrett were the top three picks in the 2019 NBA Draft, but there are plenty of other notable players who were drafted in the first round. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Stats

The National Basketball Association (NBA) draft is an annual event dating back to 1947 in which the (now thirty) teams from the league select new players to join their organization. These drafted players are either college basketball players or international players. The draft order is determined by the previous season’s standings, with the team who had the worst record receiving the first pick. In recent years, the draft has consisted of two rounds of selections.

The most notable player from this year’s draft class is Zion Williamson, who was selected as the first overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans. Williamson was widely considered to be the consensus best player in this year’s class, and his selection did not come as a surprise to most NBA pundits. Other notable players from this year’s class include RJ Barrett (selected 3rd overall by the New York Knicks), Ja Morant (selected 2nd overall by the Memphis Grizzlies), and Coby White (selected 7th overall by the Chicago Bulls).

Statistically, Barrett was the most productive player in this year’s class, averaging 22.6 points per game during his lone season at Duke University. Morant, meanwhile, led all NCAA Division I men’s basketball players in assists last season, averaging 10 per game for Murray State University. White was also a productive scorer in college, averaging 19 points per game during his one season at the University of North Carolina.

Highlights

Some other notable names who were drafted in the 2019 NBA draft include:

Romeo Langford (14th pick, Indiana Pacers)

Tyus Battle (41st pick, Brooklyn Nets)

Carsen Edwards (33rd pick, Boston Celtics)