2019 NBA Redraft: Zion, Ja and Garland battle for top pick

As the 2022-23 NBA season is drawing to a close, four years have passed since the 2019 NBA Draft. At the time of writing, teams are preparing for the 2023 NBA Draft. The players taken four years ago will be hitting free agency or starting their rookie extensions when the league calendar changes over.

This draft has not aged particularly well, with lottery players washing out of the league while undrafted talents have blown up. In fact, two of this draft’s best players were a part of the Miami Heat’s run to the NBA Finals, and both were undrafted.

What does the 2019 Draft look like four years later?

In this redraft, we will use four years of hindsight to pick the first round over again. We’ll primarily just be ordering the players based on their careers and development rather than team needs, which are less clear four years later. We did a similar exercise a year ago, and the differences are interesting to look at.

Although this is a Cleveland Cavaliers website, this redraft is done with the entire league in mind. Cavs fans are NBA fans, after all.

The toughest decision for this draft will be with the first pick, as the best player may not be the best pick. From there it’s a complete shakeup as players move up and down the board. Who will make the greatest leap? Let’s dive in and find out.