Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Hunter Felt

NBA draft 2019: Zion Williamson goes No 1 to Pelicans – as it happened

Zion Williamson with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted with the first overall pick
Zion Williamson with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted with the first overall pick. Photograph: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Complete list of first round picks

That will do it for the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft. Adam Silver, because he’s the boss, will take his leave and enjoy the second round as a mere spectator. As will we. That will end our liveblog for today, but here’s a complete list of all the first-round selections:

1) Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
2) Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
3) RJ Barrett, New York Knicks
4) De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta Hawks
5) Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers
6) Jarrett Culver, Minnesota Timberwolves
7) Coby White, Chicago Bulls
8) Jaxson Hayes, New Orleans Pelicans
9) Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards
10) Cam Reddish, Atlanta Hawks
11) Cameron Johnson, Phoenix Suns
12) PJ Washington, Charlotte Hornets
13) Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
14) Romeo Langford, Boston Celtics
15) Sekou Doumbouya, Detroit Pistons
16) Chuma Okeke, Orlando Magic
17) Nickeil Alexander-Walker, New Orleans Pelicans
18) Goga Bitadze, Indiana Pacers
19) Luka Šamanić, San Antonio Spurs
20) Matisse Thybulle, Boston Celtics
21) Brandon Clarke, Oklahoma City Thunder
22) Grant Williams, Boston Celtics
23) Darius Bazley, Memphis Grizzlies
24) Ty Jerome, Philadelphia 76ers
25) Nassir Little, Portland Trail Blazers
26) Dylan Windler, Cleveland Cavaliers
27) Mfiondu Kabengele, Brooklyn Nets
28) Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors

29) Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs
30) Kevin Porter Jr, Cleveland Cavaliers

Updated

No. 30 Kevin Porter Jr, shooting guard, USC —Cleveland Cavaliers

Oh hey Kevin Porter Jr was the last remaining player that I had a blurb written about. This works out perfectly:

Porter Jr should be one of the top picks in the draft, with a high three-point percentage. Unfortunately, he was suspended during his last semester with USC thanks to off-the-court behavior and has been stuck with the label of having “maturity issues.” In the right environment, he could be a steal in the draft or he could find his way out of the league.

Never mind, the Cleveland Cavaliers have traded up for this pick. That’s a lot of second-rounders. Maybe this is the Bol Bol pick at last?

The Detroit Pistons via the Milwaukee Bucks will wrap up a very chaotic first round with the 30th pick.

Updated

No. 29 Keldon Johnson, forward, Kentucky—San Antonio Spurs

Two more picks here in the first round. Up next is the Spurs, with a pick they received from the Toronto Raptors. They go with Keldon Johnson.

From Gorz_EoD

Who’s been the biggest steal so far? Who’s the biggest blunder?

I (obviously) really liked Brandon Clarke for the Grizzlies at 21. I was really confused with the Rui Hachimora pick for the Wizards.

No. 28 Jordan Poole, guard, Michigan—Golden State Warriors

The Warriors pick Jordan Poole, welp my mock draft bracket is busted. Did anybody have him in the first round?

The Nets have apparently gotten the 76ers first-round pick in 2020 and the No. 56 pick later tonight.

Oh and the Golden State Warriors are on the clock.

No. 27 Mfiondu Kabengele, forward, Florida State—Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers go with Kabengele, who happens to be the nephew of Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo.

The Brooklyn Nets fans are getting excited for their pick... it would be a shame if they traded it. Which they do, apparently, to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Meanwhile.

Celtics trade Aron Baynes

The Celtics have apparently included the 24th pick in a deal that will send Aron Baynes to the Phoenix Suns in return for future draft considerations. The Celtics are obviously clearing cap space in order to make room for a potential big ticket free agent.

No. 26 Dylan Windler, guard/forward, Belmont—Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have selected Dylan Windler out of Belmont with the 26nd pick in the draft. I was distracted because the Celtics have made yet another move…

The Cleveland Cavaliers are up next with the 26nd pick, which they received from the Houston Rockets.

Email from Thomas Ramsey:

This seems like it’s gonna go forever. Also who do you reckon will have a great season who is a low prospect.

It will go on forever, haha. Just a reminder that we’re only liveblogging the first round here, although I’ll be watching til the bitter end.

As far as the players still available, if Kevin Porter Jr can avoid off-the-court controversy and Bol Bol’s game isn’t altered by his foot injury they are clearly the most talented players remaining. These are, of course, huge ifs.

No. 25 Nassir Little, forward, North Carolina—Portland Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers agree with me, apparently. Everybody had high hopes for Nassir coming into college but he showed them very Little in his one year with North Carolina. A late bloomer, who projects to be a 3-and-D kind of player, he’s had enough defensive and offensive hiccups to call that into question. Man does he look the part of a stud, however.

Nassir Little has fallen so far. I’m not really sold on him, but at this point in THIS draft you figure somebody’s going to roll the dice.

The Portland Trail Blazers are theoretically on the clock now if they also don’t trade down.

No. 24 Ty Jerome, guard, Virginia—Phoenix Suns

JUST KIDDING. The Boston Celtics pick Ty Jerome based on the Philadelphia 76ers pick but they… have also traded this one down. This time to the Phoenix Suns, apparently.

The Boston Celtics are on the clock yet again. This is feeling like Groundhog Day.

No. 23 Darius Bazley, forward, free agent—Utah Jazz

That’s right “free agent.” Darius Bazley decided to skip college and just a spent a year training, something that makes him a gigantic question mark for teams since they haven’t seen him in a game in a season. The Utah Jazz have decided it’s worth the risk, an interesting player to keep a track of over the course of his career.

If Kyrie Irving does indeed leave Boston, leaving the franchise a mess, this quote will win Williams plenty of love among fans.

Okay, NOW the Thunder are on the clock.

No. 22 Grant Williams, forward, Tennessee—Boston Celtics

Lots of reports had the Celtics very high on Grant Williams, so this isn’t a surprise at all. He’s considered a great fit when it comes to modern NBA and has a quality basketball IQ. He doesn’t have the frame that teams tend to like, however, so he might be limited.

The Boston Celtics are on the clock again. Maybe they take a flyer on Kevin Porter Jr here? Or do they trade down yet again? I am done guessing at this point.

Trade! No. 21 Brandon Clarke, center, Gonzaga—Memphis Grizzlies

The Thunder pick Brandon Clarke, although they will trade him to the Memphis Grizzlies for the 23rd pick and a 2024 second rounder.

The Gonzaga big man averaged 3.1 blocks per game last year which is utterly ridiculous. One of the most impressive defenders in the draft and he might be able to contribute on offense as well. No three-point shot to speak of, however, which is not great.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the clock for their only pick of the evening.

Celtics make a trade!

Oh that’s because he’s not going to the Celtics. The Celtics want to maximize their chances of coming up with a decent player in this weak draft by trading him to the Philadelphia 76ers for the 24th and 33rd picks.

No. 20 Matisse Thybulle, Forward, Washington —Boston Celtics

This is a very weird pick. Thybulle is a great defender but provides very little offense. I’m not sure what Danny Ainge is doing here, but he’ll have the 22nd pick here shortly as well so he’s not done.

Best pick ever...

The Boston Celtics are on the clock now with their second of three first-round picks, this one courtesy of the Memphis Grizzlies. Maybe now Brandon Clarke?

No. 19 Luka Samanic, forward, Croatia —San Antonio Spurs

What a surprise, the Spurs have picked an international player that not many people had on their radar around this point. I would question it, but the Spurs are basically beyond questioning when it comes to drafting players from overseas.

Twitter is saying that “Bol Bol is falling,” when around the 20s is actually starting to be around when teams were expected to start seriously considering him. He looks like he could be fantastic, but he’s a huge injury risk.

The San Antoino Spurs are next on the clock and whoever they pick will almost certainly end up being great because that’s how it always goes for San Antonio.

No. 18 – Goga Bitadze, Center, Georgia—Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers select Goga Bitadze from Georgia. No, not the University, the actual country. Most mock drafts had him as the second foreign player to go in the draft and they were right, as he played last year for Buducnost. He also has the best name in the draft. I absolutely love this pick for the Pacers, and not just for the name or because I’m a sucker for international players.

No. 17 – Nickiel Alexander-Walker, guard, Virginia Tech—New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans pick Nickeil Alexander-Walker who is probably NBA-ready, although he’ll never be an All-Star caliber player. He’s a solid combo guard who can do just about everything rather well.

The Pelicans are now going to get the second pick that they got from the Hawks (via the Brooklyn Nets) earlier today. Got all of that? Good.

No. 16 Chuma Okeke, forward, Auburn—Orlando Magic

Okeke took a heavy slide after his season ended with an ACL tear. The Magic are making a huge risk-reward gamble here, but hey this is the point in the draft where you start to make those bets.

It’s been a rough week for Celtics fans and, unsurprisingly, New York is not entirely sympathetic.

Oh and the Orlando Magic are on the clock now.

No. 15 Sekou Doumboya, forward, France —Detroit Pistons

The Pistons choose Duomboya, which means I finally get to use my final pre-written spiel.

The best foreign player in the mix, the 18-year-old Doumboya currently plays for Limoges CSP. He’s very young, obviously, and would need some time to adjust not only to the NBA but to a new country, but he’s already shown some defensive flexibility. He can turn over the ball quite a bit and is mistake-prone, but he may be the first player to benefit from how Toronto’s Pascal Siakam opened up the NBA’s eyes last year.

We’re officially out of the lottery! The Detroit Pistons are here with the 15th pick.

No. 14 Romeo Langford, guard, Indiana—Boston Celtics

The Celtics select Romeo Langford who, despite the fact that I spent literally the last few weeks just focused on the Celtics’ drafting, I know nothing about. He didn’t show up in any pre-draft workouts due to injury, which is not a great sign. Considering that Kyrie Irving is probably gone, they did need a guard.

No. 13 Tyler Herro, guard, Kentucky—Miami Heat

The Miami Heat pick Tyler Herror. Something of a reach, I could have seen Herro easily falling out of the lottery. He’s a quality shooter though and that’s a trait that’s always in high demand. Quality last name too.

Some history being made tonight:

The Miami Heat are on the clock now. The Celtics fan in me is screaming anybody but Clarke right now.

And whither France’s Sekou Doumboya, who I had going in the Top 10?

No. 12 P.J. Washington, forward, Kentucky—Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets take P.J. Washington who improved dramatically during his sophomore year but really might not have the upside or skill to be anything other than a solid role-player. Maybe not a bust, but perhaps not a guy either.

That sounds very Hornets.

Charlotte Hornets are on the clock with the number 12 pick. We’re officially in on man’s land here as far I’m concerned. Maybe Gonzaga’s Brandon Clarke, just to annoy the Boston Celtics who are probably now hoping he falls to them at No. 14?

No. 11 Cam Johnson, forward, North Carolina —Phoenix Suns

The Suns will be receiving, via Minnesota, Cam Jordan at number 11. I also did not have him this high. I guess we’re having a run on Cams here. He’s apparently impressed teams with his shooting, including from long distance.

The Timberwolves will now be picking for the Suns for the 11th pick of the draft. Yes I know this gets a little convoluted.

No. 10 Cam Reddish, forward, Duke —Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks go with Cam Reddish and number 10. It might be an interesting pick but it might depend on how hard Reddish works to become the best version of himself.

Reddish had a disappointing Duke career, particularly when compared to Williamson and Barrett, his field goal shooting was particularly poor, and has been labeled something of a slow learner. Still, there’s plenty of talent here, he has all the traits to be a difference-making scorer. He’s 6’8” with a 7’0” wingspan and if he can learn to harness that at the NBA level he’s going to make the teams that have passed up on him regret it.

Chauncey Billups just compared Hachimora to Kawhi Leonard. Okay.

The Hawks have another pick here, they received it from the Dallas Mavericks

No. 9 Rui Hachimora, forward, Gonzaga—Washington Wizards

And, okay, I didn’t have Rui Hachimora in my Top 10 so I don’t have a long piece on him. The junior has the capacity to be a scorer, but the Japanese native started late and will take time to develop.

The Washington Wizards are on the clock with the ninth pick.

No.8 Jaxon Hayes, power forward, Texas —New Orleans Pelicans

Okay, that’s not Cam Reddish. The Pelicans decide to add Jaxon Hayes to their mix. The 6-foot-11 big man, who doubled as a wide receiver in high school, shot nearly 73% from the field in Texas in limited usage and was 74% from the free throw line. If he finds a three-point shot, he could be absolutely deadly. That’s, of course, a big if, and at 19 years old he’s somewhat difficult to project, so expect him to be something of a long-term thing for the Pelicans. Which is fine for them considering they’re building for the near-future.

The New Orleans Pelicans now are going to be picking at number 8 here with the selection they picked up with their earlier trade with the Atlanta Hawks.

No. 7. Coby White, guard, North Carolina—Chicago Bulls

It is indeed Coby White at number seven. The speedy freshman already has an NBA three-point range and was an 80% free throw shooter. Those tend to be skills that translate fairly well at an NBA level. He might be the best offensive point guard in the mix, although he’s not the purest of playmakers. His impressive field goal shooting might take a hit when he’s going up against NBA defenders.

Updated

I’m going to go ahead and guess that North Carolina point guard Coby White is heading to Chicago. Then, probably, Cam Reddish at number eight? And then after that I have no idea.

But that’s what makes it fun. That’s why I don’t follow Woj, he just spoils things. Okay, also because he blocked me a long time ago, but mostly the first thing.

The Chicago Bulls, once again, are on the clock with the No. 7 pick.

No.6 Jarrett Culver, shooting guard, Texas Tech —Minnesota TImberwolves

And there’s Jarrett Culver, he’ll be going to the Timberwolves at number six.

The 6-foot-7 Culver managed to be the best scorer and passer on his Texas Tech team. He’s the type of player who can potentially run an offense. He’s not much of an outside shooter, however, which could limit his professional game and he’s going to have to start cutting back on shooting from the midrange. A solid defender, even if there are questions about his frame going forward.

Do we have our first official “slipping” candidate of the draft in Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver? Plenty of mock drafts had him going at Number 4.

Or will we see him at Number 6. The Minnesota Timberwolves will be making the selection after today’s trade with the Phoenix Suns trade. Just ignore the insignia on the hat.

No.5 Darius Garland, point guard, Vanderbilt—Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers choose Darius Garland out of Vanderbilt.

Darius Garland is a risky proposition since we have just five games for Vanderbilt is in his one and only season at college. While that torn meniscus is a question, not to mention his skinny frame, he’s a flashy scorer who has earned comparisons to Damian Lillard. He’s super fast and can also make a well-timed pass when necessary.

Gotta love the scenes of college players wearing the hats of teams that everybody in the world knows they will never play for.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, choosing for themselves, are up next.

No.4 De’Andre Hunter, forward, Virginia—Atlanta Hawks

The “Los Angeles Lakers” pick De’Andre Hunter at number four, but it’s really the Atlanta Hawks selection.

Not a sexy pick, and thus maybe the definitive Hawks pick, but the defensive-minded sophomore should have very little time adjusting to the NBA. He’s a classic 3-and-D prospect who hit an impressive 48.35 from the three-point range last year with Virginia. He doesn’t quite have the upside of many of his peers this high on the draft board but there’s something be said about reliability when there aren’t a lot of sure-things on the table here.

Zion Williamson had a tearful interview that has already gone viral. It’s hard not to root for this kid.

The Atlanta Hawks, confusingly enough, are on the clock now. They have the number four pick, thanks to their earlier trade with the Pelicans, who received it from the Los Angeles Lakers.

No.3 R.J. Barrett, small forward, Duke—New York Knicks

The Knicks go the obvious route with R.J. Barrett. Not really another choice here. The home town crowd strongly approves.

Barrett might not be as flashy as Williamson or Morant, but he’s proven winner who has been a high school champion and helped Canada win the FIBA World Cup. He averaged 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists per game while playing for Duke. He’s still just coming off a freshman campaign, so he will require further development to get the most out of his talent.

New York Knicks are on the clock now. As per usual, the Onion has come up with the pitch-perfect headline for this star-crossed franchise:

No. 2 Ja Morant, point guard, Murray State—Memphis Grizzlies

With the second overall pick, the Grizzlies do indeed choose Ja Morant.

One of the best pure shot-creators on the board. Morant emerged as the clear-cut number two player in this draft thanks to his excellent sophomore season with Murray State, which included a head-turning triple-double display in the NCAA Tournament in a win over Marquette. He does have an issue with turnovers, probably needs to add some weight and could need to work on his jump shot to succeed.

The Memphis Grizzlies are now on the clock with the number two pick. I would bet literally everything in my bank account* that it’s Murray State guard Ja Morant.

*Note: this is not a lot of money.

No. 1 Zion Williamson, forward, Duke—New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans, as expected, select Zion Williamson with the first overall pick. They decide to take the full five minutes, however, just to tease all of the reporters on tight deadlines.

Potentially the most talented player to appear in the NBA Draft since, well, Anthony Davis. Williamson brings both size and skill to the table and is a two-way player who should already be capable of contributing both offensively and defensively (that 70.8% field goal percentage certainly does jump out). There are no sure things when it comes to drafting players out of college but man does Williamson come close. The only serious question might be health, as he has suffered foot and MCL injuries in the past.

Updated

2019 Draft begins!

Adam Silver steps up and starts things up, congratulating the Toronto Raptors (to a decidedly mixed reaction from the New York crowd). He highlights that they were truly an international team and that they won without a lottery pick, emphasizing that it doesn’t matter where a player gets picked. Of course, it does. That’s why we’re here.

The New Orleans Pelicans are on the clock. They will have five minutes, they won’t need all of them.

We’re getting closer to the actual start of the Draft here, about five minutes or so. I suppose unlike most drafts there’s not a lot of suspense here early on. We’re just waiting for Zion’s name to be called, really, but the later picks are going to be filled with surprises.

Because of that, the Draft have brought in a record number of picks to Barclays Center tonight. over twenty players and their families.

While Bol Bol might be falling down draft boards thanks to injury concerns, it’s hard to draft a big man coming off a foot injury after all, but he should already be a lock for Best Dressed of the Draft.

While Bol Bol might be falling down draft boards thanks to injury concerns, it’s hard to draft a big man coming off a foot injury after all, but he should already be a lock for Best Dressed of the Draft.

Maybe the biggest competition tonight will be as reporters Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania are battling the league and each other in order to spoil as many picks as possible on Twitter before NBA Commissioner Adam Silver officially makes the announcements.

This however, will remain a spoiler-free zone.

Timberwolves trade

Also we have a report that the Minnesota Timberwolves have traded up for the number six pick, trading Dario Saric and the number 11 pick to the Phoenix Suns. The Suns also traded the number 32 pick and TJ Warren to the Indiana Pacers for cash earlier today, so they’re essentially swapping Warren for Saric.

Okay that’s not a great precedent.

Pelicans have already made a trade

No, they’re keeping the number one pick, don’t be silly.

Instead, the Pelicans will receive the No. 8, 17 & 35 picks from the Atlanta Hawks, who will pick up the No. 4 & 57 pick along with Solomon Hill and a future second-rounder. Basically, they are trading the biggest pick they received from the Lakers in the Antonio Davis trade and doubling up on their first-round picks tonight. Not a bad trade considering that after the Top Three, there are not a lot of certainties here and Hill was taking up $12.7 million next season. The Hawks clearly have someone they like there at number four (De’Andre Hunter is the rumor).

Preamble

Welcome to the 2019 NBA Draft, where teams select the stars, role players and (sadly) busts of the future. Over two rounds (of which, we’ll be only covering the first), franchises will select college standouts and hope to find the right pieces to improve their rosters (or package in trades). It’s a bit of a crapshoot, and it takes years before we know whether or not teams have hit the jackpot or if they’ve just set their hard-earned draft picks on fire.

Of course, that doesn’t prevent us from judging their selections almost immediately. It’s ridiculous but we do live in the Take Economy. Unfortunately, even the most judgmental of us (this writer included) is going to have trouble declaring winners or losers here given the fact that after the first three selections or so, this is one of the most question-mark filled drafts in recent memory. There are simply not enough known quantities on the board to know if any team is making the right decision here.

Unless, of course, the New Orleans Pelicans decide to pass on Duke’s Zion Williamson. That’s about as wrong decision as possible. Chances are that it’s not going to happen as there’s a 99.9% chance that they will choose Williamson to be the successor to Anthony Davis, who they agreed to trade to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this week.

In any case, whatever happens over the course of the next few hours, we’ll be here documenting it. If you’d like to contribute to the liveblog, feel free to send us your thoughts, predictions, hopes and analysis either via email (to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com) or Twitter (to @HunterFelt). The ESPN broadcast is about to start here at 7:00pm EST, but it will likely be a bit before teams start making their selections.

Updated

Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s a look at the order for tonight’s first round.

  1. New Orleans Pelicans
  2. Memphis Grizzlies
  3. New York Knicks
  4. New Orleans Pelicans (from LA Lakers)
  5. Cleveland Cavaliers
  6. Phoenix Suns
  7. Chicago Bulls
  8. Atlanta Hawks
  9. Washington Wizards
  10. Atlanta Hawks (from Dallas)
  11. Minnesota Timberwolves
  12. Charlotte Hornets
  13. Miami Heat
  14. Boston Celtics (from Sacramento via Philadelphia)
  15. Detroit Pistons
  16. Orlando Magic
  17. Atlanta Hawks (from Brooklyn)
  18. Indiana Pacers
  19. San Antonio Spurs
  20. Boston Celtics (from LA Clippers via Memphis)
  21. Oklahoma City Thunder
  22. Boston Celtics
  23. Memphis Grizzlies (from Utah)
  24. Philadelphia 76ers
  25. Portland Trail Blazers
  26. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Houston)
  27. Brooklyn Nets (from Denver)
  28. Golden State Warriors
  29. San Antonio Spurs (from Toronto)
  30. Detroit Pistons (from Milwaukee)

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.