2019 Lottery Redraft: How high does Darius Garland go?

We’ve already discussed the concerns with taking Zion Williamson first overall, and in fact he drops to third here in our redraft. On pure talent alone he is tops in this class, and the same for demonstrated impact. A healthy Williamson is probably already a top-20 player in this league.

The issue is health, and even though he was recently cleared for basketball activities it looms over Williamson and the Pelicans like a storm cloud. Yet at No. 3 the talent and impact are too great to ignore, especially for a team in the New York Knicks looking for a marketable star to put under the lights at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks’ original choice with the third pick does not fall far, with the Atlanta Hawks scooping him up here with the fourth pick. Despite playing in New York he has someone stayed under the radar as a national product, but the reality is that Barrett has improved in each of his three seasons in the league and is on the cusp of the All-Star conversation entering his fourth year.

In the midst of the Knicks’ dysfunction last season Barrett averaged 20 points per game with 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists. He didn’t shoot well, but he is still a 35.7 percent career 3-point shooter and has defensive intangibles, even if the ecosystem around him blew up last year. He could start alongside Trae Young in Atlanta and defend opposing guards to help Young survive, while his ball-handling could shift Young off-ball to run more Stephen Curry actions. It’s a fun pairing that develops from this redraft.