Getty Citizen Naismith Men's College Player of the Year nominee Grant Williams of the Tennessee Volunteers greets 2019 Citizen Naismith Men's College Player of the Year Zion Williamson of the Duke Blue Devils signs an autograph during the 2019 Naismith Awards Brunch.
We learned three things last night: The Knicks will get the third pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers will get the fourth pick in that draft.
Sadly, neither of those teams will get Zion Williamson in June.
That didn’t stop Knicks fans from cheering that the Lakers got the fourth pick!
Lakers got 4th! Knicks fans are happy!
That also didn’t stop Knicks fans from lamenting with their third pick:
If you’re tardy to the party: The New Orleans Pelicans have the number one pick in the 2019 NBA Draft
The New Orleans Pelicans started the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery with just a six percent chance to claim the top overall selection in the upcoming draft, but left with the top pick and a chance to select Zion Williamson the top prospect in the upcoming draft.
The Pelicans last had the top overall pick in the NBA Draft back in 2012 and they selected Anthony Davis.
There had been speculation that whoever picked up the top selection in the June 30th draft could trade the pick to New Orleans for Anthony Davis.
“I think it’s just another positive event for us in what we hope is going to be several we stack together,” David Griffin, the Pelicans new executive vice president of basketball operations, said moments after the No. 1 pick was revealed.
“I think Mrs. Benson and her ownership group have invested in this very heavily. And my presence there and my desire to be there had everything to do with this community. So I’m really excited for our fanbase, and we’ve got a lot of work to do, but this is a good start.”
Most draft experts have Duke forward Zion Williamson as the top prospect for the draft, however his teammate RJ Barrett and Murray State’s Ja Morant are expected to be the next two players taken off the board.
The 6’7″ and 285 pound Williamson, 18, averaged 22.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game this year and was the unanimous ACC player of the year.
For those keeping score at home: Williamson recorded a total of 81 points, 30 rebounds and seven steals to help lead the Blue Devils to their 21st ACC title in school history.
Williamson was one of four finalists for the Naismith Trophy, an award which recognizes the most outstanding men’s college basketball player.
Los Angeles Lakers All Star, LeBron James thinks the world of Duke University phenom, Zion Williamson.
In a recent episode of HBO’s “The Shop” LeBron James spoke reverently of Williamson.
“I’ve watched him a lot over the last year,” said James.
“Obviously I was with everybody, you know, him coming out of high school—I was like, OK, all this competition that he’s playing against, these little short-ass white kids he’s dunking over every single time.
“The one thing that I noticed with his one year at Duke [is] that his energy was infectious. Every possession it seemed like he could make a difference on the outcome of the game.”
Worth noting: ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, tweeted last night that Williamson wasn’t exactly happy with the possibility of being the Pelicans’ Number 1 pick next month.
He preferred the New York Knicks. The Knicks, the NBA’s worst team, with a 17-65 record this season, will select third in June’s draft.
“We are excited to have the third pick and are confident we will be able to add a great player to our talented young core and the team that we are building,” Knicks president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry said in a joint statement.
Per the New York Post: Mills and Perry were at another hotel watching the proceedings as Patrick Ewing, 34 years after the Knicks won the lottery for the right to draft him, manned the dais for the team.
“I was still hoping that we were going to get the No. 1 pick, but three’s very good I think,’’ Ewing said.
“I’m proud and whoever we draft I know they’re going to be happy and proud to be a New York Knick. … We struggled for a few years. Hopefully this will be the stepping stone to helping them get back where they need to be. ’’
The Los Angeles Lakers originally held just a 9.4 percent chance to move into the top four.
“This is a powerful asset for us,” said Lakers GM, Rob Pelinka.
“Our focus right now is going to be on doing all we can to have an incredibly successful year next year.”
“I think it’s an extraordinary shift for us. Top five picks in the draft, if you go back in history and study them, those picks can alter and impact franchises. I think this is a big moment for us. Last year of course we had to go through some hard and difficult things, but this is certainly a great silver lining. I think our dedication is really towards our fans right now, and doing all we can next year to deliver a really special Lakers season for our fans.”