2019 Lottery Redraft: How high does Darius Garland go?

Drafting at the very top of the NBA Draft brings a lot of pressure. Settling for a rotation player is not good enough; this is often a team’s sole chance at a true difference-making star. Zion Williamson originally went first overall, and he absolutely has the potential to be that star that the New Orleans Pelicans drafted him to be.

He also has played only 85 games in three seasons, and just missed all of last year with a foot injury that the organization either lied about or was surprised in that it lingered all year. The Pelicans hope he can return next season and be the centerpiece of a playoff push, but there is the chance he never gets fully healthy for a long period of time. They hope he is Joel Embiid, but he could certainly instead be Greg Oden.

That leaves the door open for a new No. 1 pick, and Ja Morant is the one to step through and seize the prize. The point guard out of Murray State originally went second overall, so this is not some sort of unexpected rise. It has certainly been a rise, though; Morant went from 19.1 points per game last season to 27.4 this year, leading the Memphis Grizzlies to the second-best record in the entire league and finishing on the All-NBA Second Team.

Morant is not without injury concerns, as he has missed time in all three seasons of his career and couldn’t finish the NBA playoffs this season due to a knee injury. Yet he has played more than 100 games more than Williamson, and proven he can excel at the highest level with his speed and relentlessness driving to the rim. The Pelicans are building a different team by taking Morant first in this redraft, but not necessarily a worse one.