27/6/19
2019 NBA Draft
Here comes Adam Silver to begin proceedings.
"I'd like to welcome everyone to the 2019 NBA draft, including the young men sitting in this room hoping to see their dreams come true today, but also to the millions watching this live around the world."
He then heads backstage as the clock starts ticking down for the Los Angeles Lakers.
-----Pick 1
Los Angeles Lakers
RJ Barrett | Shooting Guard | 19 years old | Duke | 6'7" | 211 lbs
Commissioner Silver returns to the podium.
"With the first pick in the 2019 NBA draft, the Los Angeles Lakers select... RJ Barrett from Duke University."
So it's the move that everyone expected. The Lakers traded up because they really wanted the highly-rated Canadian and now they have him.
He joins a Lakers team in transition. Most of their current roster is expiring and expected to leave in the Summer. So for now he is part of a core that includes Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell and Ivica Zubac.
As a first overall pick by the Lakers he follows in the footsteps of Elgin Baylor, Magic Johnson and James Worthy. So, no pressure then.
2018-19 Stats: 20.9 PPG - 7.4 RPG - 4.2 APG
NBA Comparison: DeMar DeRozan
Fan Opinion: "Nice pick. Step one is complete, now we just gotta land LeBron and Kawhi. Woooo!"
-----Pick 2
Portland Trail Blazers
Zion Williamson | Power Forward | 18 years old | Duke | 6'8" | 281 lbs
With the second overall pick the Trail Blazers take Barrett's Duke teammate Zion Williamson.
Williamson has been compared to NBA legend Charles Barkley due to being an undersized power forward who is an explosive athlete. He has a play style that is somewhat similar to Barkley's also.
He joins a Portland team that needs an injection of talent to lift it into the top tier of western conference teams. Dynamic scoring duo Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum have been carrying the load for a few years and they haven't managed to advance past the second round of the playoffs.
Hopefully Williamson will fit in well alongside Jusuf Nurkic in Portland's frontcourt.
2018-19 Stats: 23.9 PPG - 10.3 RPG - 4.1 BPG
NBA Comparison: Charles Barkley
Fan Opinion: "This kid has been super hyped since high school. I'm not sure if it's the right pick for us though. We'll have to wait and see."
-----Pick 3
Indiana Pacers
Marvin Bagley III | Power Forward | 20 years old | Duke | 6'11" | 233 lbs
After trading down from the first overall pick, the Indiana Pacers take another Duke player, Marvin Bagley III, with the third selection.
Bagley is somewhat of a rarity in today's NBA because he spent an extra year in college instead of declaring for the draft after only a year at that level. The extra year at Duke really helped him develop his game and boost his draft stocks. He probably would have been a late lottery pick last year.
He joins a great young core in Indiana consisting of Victor Oladipo, Myles Turner, Jaylen Brown, Markelle Fultz, Michael Porter Jr, Wendell Carter and Grayson Allen. Good luck to the other eastern conference teams when this group figures out how to win games.
With Bagley being selected, Duke have made history. It's the first time that players from the same school have been taken with the top three picks in the NBA draft. Kentucky had Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist taken first and second in 2012.
Duke also previously had Jay Williams and Mike Dunleavy Jr taken with the second and third picks in 2002.
2018-19 Stats: 23.7 PPG - 11.0 RPG - 2.7 BPG
NBA Comparison: Chris Bosh
Fan Opinion: "Maybe we shouldn't have traded down and instead taken Barrett. But Bagley has all the tools to be great for us."
-----Pick 4
Dallas Mavericks
Nassir Little | Small Forward | 19 years old | North Carolina | 6'6" | 213 lbs
Dallas select North Carolina forward Nassir Little with the fourth pick.
They are starting a new era without legend Dirk Nowitzki and it doesn't look too bad for them. Little joins DeAndre Ayton and De'Aaron Fox as part of their new young core.
Owner Mark Cuban was pretty annoyed to miss out on the first overall pick and RJ Barrett, but his team have picked up a nice player here. Little is a very competent offensive player and should give Harrison Barnes some solid competition at small forward during his rookie season.
2018-19 Stats: 22.1 PPG - 4.7 RPG - 2.3 APG
NBA Comparison: Gerald Wallace
Fan Opinion: "It's a shame Bagley wasn't still on the board. He would have been a great long-term replacement for Dirk."
-----Here comes Adam Silver to deliver his favourite draft catchphrase.
"We have a trade to announce.."
"The Charlotte Hornets have traded pick 5 to the Utah Jazz in exchange for pick 11 and Rodney Hood".
It looks like the Jazz have their eye on someone who they don't expect to fall to pick eleven. Perhaps Donovan Mitchell from Louisville or Romeo Langford from Indiana.
They struggled last season and missed the playoffs. By doing this trade they remove a ton of luxury tax penalties and get the chance to add a potential third star next to Rudy Gobert and Gordon Hayward.
Charlotte add a solid wing scorer at the cost of moving back six spots in the draft. They desperately needed a backcourt partner for Kemba Walker and Hood should be a good addition.
They recently hired Stan Van Gundy as head coach, so you would assume that they plan on re-signing Dwight Howard and are planning on making a playoff push with a core of Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Dwight Howard and Rodney Hood.Full details
Charlotte Hornets receive: Pick 11, Rodney Hood
Utah Jazz receive: Pick 5
-----Pick 5
Utah Jazz
Donovan Mitchell | Shooting Guard | 22 years old | Louisville | 6'3" | 211 lbs
And the Jazz were targeting Donovan Mitchell. They traded up in order to land the explosive Louisville guard.
Mitchell is an exception to the rule among young NBA hopefuls in that he spent four years in college. He took his time to develop different aspects of his game over the years and will now enter the league as perhaps the most ready to make an instant impact in this whole draft class.
Utah missed the playoffs last season due to a lack of offensive firepower. They have perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Rudy Gobert anchoring their defense, but Gordon Hayward was often their lone threat on offense.
Mitchell should also inject some excitement into the team with his explosive dunking and confident demeanor.
2018-19 Stats: 21.5 PPG - 4.4 APG - 1.6 SPG
NBA Comparison: Wesley Matthews
Fan Opinion: "I think we made the right move trading Hood to get this guy. He looks like an exciting prospect."
-----Pick 6
New York Knicks
Rui Hachimura | Small Forward | 21 years old | Gonzaga | 6'8" | 225 lbs
With the sixth overall pick the New York Knicks select small forward Rui Hachimura from Gonzaga.
This isn't the first time that the Knicks have taken a gamble on a foreign-born prospect. But can Hachimura be anywhere near as good as Kristaps Porzingis? His height and strength will definitely help him be effective in the NBA.
Hachimura certainly has come a long way since arriving in American with basically no understanding of the language.
He becomes only the second Japanese-born player, after Yuta Tabuse, to ever play in the NBA.
2018-19 Stats: 17.8 PPG - 5.3 RPG - 2.9 APG
NBA Comparison: Joe Johnson
Fan Opinion: "Booooooooooooooooooooo!"
-----Pick 7
Atlanta Hawks
Romeo Langford | Shooting Guard | 19 years old | Indiana | 6'6" | 201 lbs
And with the seventh pick in the draft, the Atlanta Hawks select Indiana wing scorer Romeo Langford.
Some in the media had him going within the top three picks, so perhaps the Hawks have gotten themselves a real steal here. Apparently his pre-draft workouts weren't super impressive and that seems to have hurt his draft position.
Langford will likely be the long-term solution at shooting guard for Atlanta with Jeremy Lamb coming out of contract next month and Tim Hardaway Jr only having a year left on his contract.
2018-19 Stats: 23.9 PPG - 7.3 RPG - 4.4 APG
NBA Comparison: Bradley Beal
Fan Opinion: "I rate this kid as a top three talent in this draft. So I'm pumped that we got him this low."
-----Pick 8
Memphis Grizzlies
Bruno Fernando | Center | 20 years old | Maryland | 6'10" | 236 lbs
The Memphis Grizzlies take Maryland center Bruno Fernando with the eighth overall pick.
It seems like they were keen to get a long-term replacement for the departed Marc Gasol. It is interesting that they chose the Brazilian over Oregon's Bol Bol, who came into this draft with a lot more hype.
Fernando quietly put together a solid season at Maryland. He projects to be a similar player to Al Horford at NBA level.
Memphis have five picks in this draft. They moved on from Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, but are stuck with Mike Conley's monster contract for a few more years.
2018-19 Stats: 14.7 PPG - 8.7 RPG - 2.6 BPG
NBA Comparison: Al Horford
Fan Opinion: "This guy looks like a solid replacement for Gasol. Hopefully he can have a similar career with us as Marc did."
-----Pick 9
Detroit Pistons
Immanuel Quickley | Point Guard | 20 years old | Kentucky | 6'4" | 185 lbs
With the ninth pick the Detroit Pistons take Kentucky point guard Immanuel Quickley.
Apparently new coach Dwayne Casey wasn't comfortable going into the season with Reggie Jackson and Raul Neto as his only options at point guard.
Quickley has a nice combination of size and athleticism. He can get his own shot in the lane with relative ease, but also has shown himself capable of knocking down the three-point shot regularly. His perimeter shooting game is quite strong.
2018-19 Stats: 12.7 PPG - 5.6 APG - 1.4 SPG
NBA Comparison: Eric Bledsoe
Fan Opinion: "I would have preferred us to take Cam Reddish with this pick. But this guy did look good at Kentucky."
-----Pick 10
Denver Nuggets
Bol Bol | Center | 19 years old | Oregon | 7'2" | 225 lbs
The Denver Nuggets use pick ten to take Oregon center Bol Bol, the son of former NBA player Manute Bol.
It looks like a smart move by the Nuggets with the future of star big man Nikola Jokic up in the air.
Even if Jokic leaves the future is still promising in Denver with Bol joining Emmanuel Mudiay, Jamal Murray, Josh Jackson, Gary Harris, Trevon Duval, Skal Labissiere and Mikal Bridges. Plus veteran all-star Paul Millsap.
Bol possesses great size and length like his father, but has a much larger offensive repertoire. His lack of strength is the biggest obstacle to him becoming a monster at both ends of the floor right now.
2018-19 Stats: 14.8 PPG - 9.2 RPG - 3.8 BPG
NBA Comparison: Mohamed Bamba
Fan Opinion: "I guess this will soften the blow if Jokic leaves."
-----2019 NBA Draft Summary
And that wraps up the 2019 NBA draft coverage. But wait, Here comes Adam Silver once more...
"We have a late trade to announce...", he declares.
"The Los Angeles Lakers have traded first overall pick RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram and a future first round pick to San Antonio in exchange for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green."
"That is all, thank you for watching. Goodnight."
Wow. Just when all the excitement seemed to be done for the night the Lakers pull off a major move. Apparently they had been working on this deal for the past two weeks and finally got the Spurs to agree to it with minutes before the Warriors made the final selection of the night.
It all makes sense now. They traded up to the first pick in order to land RJ Barrett, who was unlikely to fall to them at pick 3. The Spurs must have made it clear that they would only trade Leonard if they received Barrett and Ingram in return.
Adding a superstar like Kawhi will no doubt lend more weight to the belief of many around the league that the Lakers will be strongly pursuing LeBron James in free agency. They are a much more attractive destination with a top 10 player now on their roster.
San Antonio move on from the Kawhi era and now find themselves with a nice young core around veteran LaMarcus Aldridge. It now includes Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Kyle Kuzma, Kyle Anderson, Dejounte Murray, Moses Brown and Lonnie Walker.
It will be interesting to see if legendary coach Gregg Popovich can make this team competitive again in the cut-throat western conference.