2019 NBA Redraft: Zion, Ja and Garland battle for top pick
De'Andre Hunter. 15. player. 64. . Forward. Detroit Pistons
Original Pick: Sekou Doumbouya, France
De’Andre Hunter’s fall ends at 15, as his defensive ability as a wing stopper finally counter-balances his injury history and latent offensive game. Seeing as how Detroit originally selected Sekou Doumbouya, who is well out of the league, they are excited to get a reliable defensive forward into the mix.
. Power Forward. Orlando Magic. Caleb Martin. 16. player. 38
Original Pick: Chuma Okeke, Auburn
Another original pick who won’t shot up in the first round of our redraft, Chuma Okeke looks like a solid wing but hasn’t been able to put things together enough and likely won’t be in the rotation for the Orlando Magic this season. Instead, they get the third undrafted player of our draft, Caleb Martin, who has proven himself as a starter for the Miami Heat and had some mammoth games in the playoffs. He can shoot, defend and even create offense for himself, and if that carries over into next season he’ll rise even higher on the redraft board.
New Orleans Pelicans. Naz Reid. 17. player. 69. . Center
Original Pick: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Virginia Tech
Nickeil Alexander-Walker is one of those players who still looks like a future star, even if that ship has almost certainly sailed. He looks smooth and confident handling the ball, has a great-looking jumper, has size on defense…it just hasn’t come together yet.
In his stead, the Pelicans add a center in Naz Reid who completes their 2019 Redraft makeover. He has developed steadily each season into a stretch-5 who can hit from outside, unexpectedly get separation to finish inside, and plays reasonable defense. Reid is the fourth undrafted player to make our redraft; there will be a whopping seven players altogether.
Coby White. 18. player. 100. . Point Guard. Indiana Pacers
Original Pick: Goga Bitadze, Georgia
The hard work the Indiana Pacers have put into replacing Myles Turner is tremendous, especially considering that he is still on the team. From Domantas Sabonis to Isaiah Jackson to Goga Bitadze, they have invested a lot of assets into the position. In our redraft they pivot off of the disappointing big to instead take a semi-disappointing point guard in Coby White. The former No. 7 pick has struggled to make a consistent impact, but a strong end to his fourth season might finally bring his potential to the forefront. It’s the right time to make that bet.