For a moment Tuesday evening, the nation was anxious. Both the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers found themselves in the top-four lottery slots, leading some to speculate the NBA’s biggest markets would get the top picks. Then the opposite happened.
New Orleans and Memphis, respectively, received the first and second picks. The NBA’s smallest markets won big, giving the Pelicans — fresh off an Anthony Davis trade request and some inadvertent tanking — a chance to add the most hyped prospect since LeBron James.
At this stage, nobody will surpass Zion Williamson on draft boards. Assuming the 19-year-old dynamo doesn’t bail on the draft in an effort to avoid New Orleans, he’s going to be a Pelican. He will instantly make the Pelicans a must-watch team on League Pass.
Williamson is an elite talent almost irrespective of position. He feels like a natural four, but has the skill set to operate in multiple different facets. He can handle in the pick-and-roll, attack in transition, or rim-run and set screens. He’s a do-it-all talent with unmatched athleticism and underrated basketball I.Q.
When you add in Williamson’s defensive profile, he could also transform the Pelicans into an elite defensive squad alongside Jrue Holiday. That’s especially true if Anthony Davis is willing to stick around and test the waters in Zion’s company. This will be fun.