Welcome to The Jump Cut, For The Win’s newest video series where we take an alternative approach to the most popular topics in sports.
Zion Williamson made college basketball uniquely special this season. You can hate Duke all you want, but you can’t deny that watching this teenage superstar play was absolutely mesmerizing.
For basketball fans who weren’t aware of him coming out of high school, they definitely knew his name by the time the NCAA tournament rolled around. And they were so excited and hopeful and giddy about the mere thought of their team getting him in the NBA Draft that they started #TankForZion campaigns.
After Tuesday’s NBA Draft lottery, we now know that the New Orleans Pelicans have the No. 1 overall pick — not because they did all the right things or because they deserve it the most.
No, the Pelicans simply got lucky, and at this point, they’d be the most foolish organization in the league if they didn’t draft him. It’s actually unfathomable.
But New Orleans’ luck goes just beyond drafting Zion.
This year more than in past, it’s so obvious who the No. 1 draft pick should be that the Pelicans can now relax and start planning beyond the top pick. They can get a jump start on their free agency strategy and craft a plan for Anthony Davis.
Their All-Star center reportedly still wants out of the organization, to the team needs to decide if it will ignore his wishes or if it will oblige. And the question becomes: What could the Pelicans get for trading Davis?
To start, possibly another top-5 draft pick and more potential for the future than the team would know what to do with.
