Pelicans primed to draft Zion -- and another top-5 prospect
NEW ORLEANS--Now that six-time All-Star Anthony Davis’ trade request has been honored, it’s time for the New Orleans Pelicans to start a new era by drafting the next face of the franchise.
Duke star Zion Williamson is widely seen as the top pro prospect to enter any NBA draft since Davis in 2012, and the Pelicans — thanks to an unlikely NBA draft lottery victory last month — have the right to select him first overall on Thursday night.
While new Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin and coach Alvin Gentry have declined to announce their draft intentions, Gentry chuckled when describing the pressure to get the decision right as “Really very little. Minimal, OK? I think we’ll make the right decision.”
The ability to make that first pick this year “gives a boost to our franchise right away,” Gentry said. “We’re going to end up with a really good basketball player.”
The Pelicans even posted a compilation of Williamson’s Duke highlights on their official website.
The 6-foot-7, 285-pound Williamson was just the second freshman to be a consensus national player of the year, along with Kevin Durant with Texas in 2007. While Williamson has yet to exhibit consistent outside shooting, he has displayed a dominant mix of power, quickness and skill that has convinced scouts of his extraordinary promise as a pro.
He averaged 22.6 points per game at Duke and also was voted to the ACC’s All-Defensive Team after averaging 8.9 rebounds, 2.12 steals and 1.8 blocked shots per game. He leaves Duke as the holder of several freshman records, including single-game scoring after
Oakland did not faze them. Three of their four wins came at the Oracle Arena, with the last being the sweetest of them all—the series clincher.
4) VANVLEET’S SHOOTING. A player whom I would consider as Toronto’s unlikely hero is Fred VanVleet, the team’s three-year backup point guard. He connected on four threepointers in Game 3, including a desperation heave with 1:40 left to seal the win. He had five three-pointers in Game 6, one of which gave the Raptors the lead for good. In total, he made 16–the most by a bench player in Finals history. His name
may not be known in the NBA landscape, but after this historic performance, he will forever be remembered in Toronto’s legacy.
5) KAWHI LEONARD. Personally, I would claim that Kawhi Leonard had the greatest individual run in NBA playoff history. It sits right on the top alongside Dirk Nowitzki’s 2011 performance. Kawhi started with multiple 30-point performances in the first round against the Magic; ended the Sixers’ season on a historic game-winning fadeaway; out-dueled Giannis in an emotional conference finals win against the Bucks; and capped his brilliant season off with a monumental performance in the Finals against the Warriors. He has led his team on both offense and defense. His humility and focus are unmatched. He has learned from the Spurs’ legends and is using his gained expertise to help his team do the unthinkable.
6) SPURS-ESQUE BALL MOVEMENT. The way the Raptors set up their offense is what makes the game of basketball beautiful. Their passing is intangible—difficult to value using stats. Their offense starts with Kawhi and ends with the 12th player on the roster. Even former Knick superstar Jeremy Lin served as a mentor on the bench; and he was rewarded with his first title, making him the first Asian-American to achieve the feat.