NBADraftWatch: Who Will Go Number One?

NBADraftWatch is your one-stop shop for everything related to the NBA draft We’ll be keeping track of who’s projected to go number one overall, and providing analysis on the top prospects

The Case for Zion Williamson

It’s Zion Williamson’s world, and we’re all just living in it. The 6-foot-7, 285-pound Duke forward has been the talk of college basketball since he stepped on campus last year, and he’s only gotten better as the season has gone on. Williamson is averaging 22.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 68 percent from the field and 33 percent from three-point range He’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, he can jump out of the gym, and he has the rare ability to make everyone around him better. Quite simply, there’s nobody in college basketball like Zion Williamson

The question, then, is whether Zion Williamson is good enough to be the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft And the answer is a resounding yes.

Here’s a look at why Zion Williamson should be the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft

1) He’s an elite athlete with rare physical tools
2) He’s an outstanding scorer with a versatile offensive game
3) He’s a very good rebounder for his position
4) He’s an excellent defender with tremendous upside on that end of the court
5) He has tremendous intangibles and a winning pedigree

The Case for Ja Morant

It’s looking more and more likely that Ja Morant will be the number one pick in the 2019 NBA draft Here’s why:

He’s an elite athlete. Morant is quick, explosive, and has a 42-inch vertical leap. He uses his athleticism to his advantage on both ends of the floor.

He’s a gifted scorer. Morant averaged 24.5 points per game last season, second only to Zion Williamson among eligible draft prospects He has an uncanny ability to get to the basket and finish with either hand. He also has a deadly jump shot which he continues to get better at.

He’s a great playmaker Morant averaged 10 assists per game last season, leading the nation. He has superb vision and court awareness and always seems to make the right play. His Passing skills are reminiscent of Lebron James and Magic Johnson

It’s not just Morant’s individual skills that make him special; it’s also his leadership ability and intangibles. He took Murray State from being a mediocre team to an NCAA tournament team in just two years. His teammates love him and he always puts the team first.

NBA scouts have been raving about Morant for months now, and it seems like only a matter of time until he hears his name called first on draft night.

The Case for RJ Barrett

RJ Barrett is widely expected to be the number one pick in the 2019 NBA draft and it’s easy to see why. The 6’7″ wing out of Duke averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game last season, leading the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament

Barrett is an explosive athlete with a strong frame who can score from anywhere on the court. He’s also a willing passer and an improving defender, with the potential to become a very good two-way player at the next level. While there are concerns about his outside shooting and decision-making, Barrett has all the tools to be a superstar in the NBA.

The Case for Other Prospects

The NBA Draft is less than a month away, and the debate over who will go number one overall is heating up. While some believe that the consensus top prospect Zion Williamson is a lock to be selected first, there are a number of other players who could make a case for being taken first. Let’s take a look at some of the other top prospects and why they could be in contention to be the number one overall pick.

The Case Against Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson is widely expected to be the number one overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft but there are some who believe he isn’t the best prospect available. Here’s a look at the case against Zion Williamson as the top pick in the draft.

One of the biggest criticisms of Williamson is that he is too one-dimensional as a player. He is an elite athlete and an outstanding dunker, but he doesn’t have a lot of experience playing outside of the paint. This could be a problem against more versatile and skilled defenders at the NBA level.

Furthermore, Williamson is still very raw from a skills perspective. He has not shown much ability to shoot from distance or create his own shot off the dribble. While he has improved in this area over the course of his one year at Duke, he still has a long way to go before he can be considered a complete player.

Another concern with Williamson is his slender frame. At 6’7″ and 285 pounds, he has the size to compete at the NBA level, but he will be give up a lot of size and strength to many of his opponents. This could make it difficult for him to score inside and could lead to him getting into foul trouble on a regular basis.

Finally, Williamson is coming off of a Knee Injury that forced him to miss six games during his freshman season at Duke. While he appears to have recovered fully from the injury, it’s still something that teams will have to take into consideration when deciding whether or not to draft him with such a high pick.

So, while Zion Williamson is clearly an exceptional talent, there are some legitimate concerns about his game that could cause him to slip down draft boards come June 20th.

The Case Against Ja Morant

There is no clear consensus on who will be the number one pick in the 2019 NBA Draft but many experts believe it will be Ja Morant. Morant is a point guard from Murray State University who averaged 24.5 points and 10 assists per game this season.

However, there are some who believe that Morant is not the best player in the draft. Some believe that Zion Williamson a forward from Duke University is the better choice. Williamson averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game this season.

Others believe that RJ Barrett, also a forward from Duke, is the best player in the draft. Barrett averaged 22.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season.

So who should be the number one pick? It depends on who you ask.

The Case Against RJ Barrett

It’s nearly impossible to find a Mock Draft that doesn’t have Zion Williamson or RJ Barrett pegged as the top two picks. But while Williamson is almost universally considered a can’t-miss prospect, Barrett is a little more polarizing. Some see him as the next great wing scorer in the mold of Kobe Bryant or Paul George, while others worry about his inefficient shooting and high turnover rate.

Here’s a look at the case against RJ Barrett, and why he might not be the best bet to go number one in the 2019 NBA draft

Barrett is an incredible scorer, but he’s not especially efficient. His true shooting percentage ( which measures shooting accuracy taking into account three-pointers and free throws) was just 52.6 percent last season at Duke. That’s not horrible, but it does rank him in the bottom half of all prospects in this year’s Draft Class

And while Barrett averaged 22 points per game last season, he also turned the ball over a ton, averaging 4.4 turnovers per game. That’s more than twice as many as Zion Williamson (1.8), and it’s something that will need to be addressed if Barrett wants to be successful at the next level.

There’s also some concern about Barrett’s ability to create his own shot off the dribble. He excelled in Duke’s system last season, but NBA defenses will be much tougher to crack than college ones. If Barrett can’t learn to create his own shot against better defenders, he could end up being a liability on offense rather than a strength.

All that being said, there’s no doubt that Barrett is a talented player with a high ceiling. He has all the physical tools you look for in an NBA wing, and he proved last season that he has what it takes to be a go-to scorer on a good team. It will be interesting to see how he develops over the next few years, but there are definitely some red flags that suggest he might not be worthy of the number one pick in this year’s draft class

The Case Against Other Prospects

In recent years the number one pick in the NBA draft has been a point guard Kyrie Irving (2011), Anthony Davis (2012), and Andrew Wiggins (2014) were all selected first overall, and in 2015, the top spot went to Karl-Anthony Towns a center. This year’s draft is considered to be weak overall, but there are a few players who have a chance to go number one. The most likely candidates are Ben Simmons a Power Forward from LSU, and Brandon Ingram a small forward from Duke.

However, there are arguments to be made against both of these players. Simmons is considered to be a poor shooter, and while he’s an excellent rebounder and passer, some scouts worry that he doesn’t have the killer instinct necessary to be a true superstar. Ingram, on the other hand, is an excellent shooter, but he’s skinny and may not be able to create his own shot against NBA defenses.

The truth is that there is no clear-cut number one pick in this year’s draft. However, whoever does end up going first will have a lot of pressure on them to live up to the expectations that come with being the top pick in the NBA Draft

The Case for Zion Williamson as the Number One Pick

With the 2019 NBA Draft just around the corner, the debate over who will be selected with the number one overall pick is heating up. The top two prospects in this year’s class are widely considered to be Zion Williamson of Duke and Ja Morant of Murray State While Morant is an electrifying point guard with dynamic playmaking ability, Williamson is a once-in-a-generation talent who has the potential to change the game with his rare combination of size, athleticism, and skill.

Here are three reasons why Williamson should be the number one overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft

1. He’s an elite athlete.

Zion Williamson is an elite athlete. He’s listed at 6’7” and 285 pounds, but he moves like a much smaller player. He has unbelievable explosiveness and agility for someone his size, and he uses his strength and power to finish plays above the rim with ease. Zion is also an outstanding leaper, which makes him a force on both ends of the floor. On defense, he can block shots and alter shots at the rim; on offense, he can finish plays above the rim and rebound his own misses. In short, Zion is a physical specimen who is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before in the NBA.

2. He has a unique skillset.

In addition to being an elite athlete, Zion Williamson also has a unique skillset for someone his size. He’s an excellent shooter from both inside and outside the paint, and he has a quick first step that allows him to blow by defenders off the dribble. He also has great vision and passing ability for someone his size, which makes him an even more dangerous offensive weapon. In other words, Zion Williamson is not just a big man who can run and jump; he’s a big man who can shoot, handle the ball, and pass like a perimeter player. This combination of athleticism and skill makes him virtually unguardable on offense.

3. He has star potential.

Zion Williamson has star potential written all over him. He possesses all of the physical tools and basketball skills that you look for in a franchise player, and he has shown time after time that he can take over games when it matters most. In his one season at Duke, Zion led the Blue Devils to a National Championship while averaging 22 points per game on 68 percent shooting from the field (including 41 percent shooting from three-point range), 8 rebounds per game, 2 assists per game, 2 blocks per game, and 1 steal per game. These numbers are even more impressive when you consider that Zion was only 18 years old during his lone college season; there’s no telling how good he could be once he develops more experience and matures as a player. With all of this considered, it’s easy to see why many believe that Zion Williamson will be a future MVP candidate in the NBA

The Case Against Zion Williamson as the Number One Pick

It is no secret that Zion Williamson is the consensus number one pick in the upcoming NBA Draft The young superstar from Duke has taken the College Basketball world by storm, and looks destined for great things at the next level. However, there are some who believe that Williamson is not deserving of the number one overall pick, and that another player would be a better choice. Here are a few of the arguments against Zion as the top pick in the draft.