Zion, Ja and R.J. are officially NBA rookies.
The first three picks in the NBA Draft went to form on Thursday night at Barclays Center, with Duke claiming two of them.
Zion Williamson, the 6-foot-7, 285-pound otherworldly talent from Duke, was selected No. 1 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans, where he is expected to become the face of the franchise. As reported by ESPN.com, the Pelicans also traded the No. 4 pick in the draft to the Atlanta Hawks and were slated to have five total picks on the night.
Ja Morant, the 6-4 point guard from Murray State, was chosen No. 2 by the Memphis Grizzlies and is expected to become the team's main floor general after it agreed to trade Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz.
R.J. Barrett, the 6-7 left-hander who has drawn comparisons to James Harden, was picked No. 3 by the New York Knicks, the team he has said all along he would "love" to play for.
Virginia's De'Hunter then went No. 4 to the Atlanta Hawks, and Vanderbilt point guard Darius Garland was chosen No. 5 by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Williamson becomes the first No. 1 overall pick from Duke since Kyrie Irving in 2011. He is just the second freshmen ever to win the Naismith Award and become the No. 1 pick after Kentucky's Anthony Davis, who ironically the Pelicans just traded to the Lakers.
"I don't know what to say," an emotional Williamson said on ESPN. "I didn't think I'd be in this position. My mom sacrificed a lot for me. I wouldn't be here without my mom. She did everything for me. I just want to thank her."
Williamson, who averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds at Duke, could command a $100-million sneaker deal, but has yet to choose which shoe company he will endorse.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski calls the 6-foot-7, 285-pound Williamson "incredibly unique" and "phenomenal."
"Zion's incredibly unique," Coach K said on his Sirius show. "Not just as a player but as a young man. He's still only 18 years old. And as good of an athlete - he's a top percentile athlete in the world, not just in the game of basketball - he's that level of young man. He gets it. I enjoyed every day with that kid. And he's improved, he's going to be a star in the league. Everyone talks about his jumping and his dunking, but he's very smart and his lateral quickness is phenomenal. Not good, phenomenal. And his ball handling, it's hard to think of him small, but when he was smaller he was a point guard. So he has an incredible skill set and talent set that'll set him apart.”
Zion and his mom both rocking white suits. pic.twitter.com/dup9TxtX5g
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) June 20, 2019
“He's improved so much this past year,” Krzyzewski continued. “And what he'll do for the community - unless, you know, something is really crazy in this world, he'll be in New Orleans - for that community, he'll reach out. He's an amazing people person and humble. He's just so humble. I love him. I love him as a player and as a young man. I'd take him any day of the week.”
Morant, who played AAU ball with Williamson in South Carolina, went No. 2 overall to Memphis. They became the first players from the same state to go 1-2 in the Draft since California's Derrick Coleman and Gary Payton did so in 1990.
“It is truly amazing,” Ricky Taylor, who coached Williamson and Morant on the Hornets in the summer of 2015, told PostandCourier.com. “When I sit back and think about those kids, I don’t know how many states can say they’ve had two kids go 1 and 2 in the same draft the same year. I think it’s amazing that it could be two kids who grew up an hour away from each other.”
Despite recently undergoing minor knee surgery, Morant figures to be handed the keys to the Grizzlies in the post-Conley Era. In addition to averaging 24.5 points and 10 assists, Morant chipped in 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals in his sophomore season.
"It means a lot," Morant said. "Obviously, it means that Memphis sees a lot in me. I'm grateful and thankful to them for drafting me. I'm very excited to play in Memphis."
Coming from Murray State, Morant will follow guys like Damian Lillard C.J. McCollam and Steph Curry who played at mid-major schools. He's also drawn comparisons to McCollam in terms of style of play.
"They made a name for themselves and that's what I'm going to go in and try to do and hopefully keep the door open for mid-major guys," Morant said Wednesday. "I'm just going to try to come in and help the team win ballgames."
The 6-7 Barrett was a sweet consolation prize for the Knicks, whose fans dreamt for much of the season landing Williamson as their team effectively "Stopped Tryin' for Zion.'
Barrett was the consensus projected No. 1 pick in the Draft heading into the college season before Zion became Zion. A native of Mississauga, Ontario whose parents were both big-time athletes, Barrett becomes the highest international player drafted since fellow Canadian Andrew Wiggins went No. 1 in 2014. Barrett was expected to lead a parade of Canadians in this draft.
"I’m so happy to be a Knick and I just can’t wait to play in Madison Square Garden," Barrett said.
He will likely become the new face of the Knicks, especially if they fail to land Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard or Kyrie Irving in free agency, which looks increasingly likely.
"It doesn't even matter to me, I just want to play," Barrett said Wednesday about potential free agents declining to play with the Knicks. "So whatever happens, happens. And if I play with a great player like KD or just play with the guys on the team right now, I don't even care."
Only three college freshmen ever have scored more points than Barrett, who averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists -- Durant, Trae Young and one-time Knick Michael Beasley.
“R.J. will flourish here in New York," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "He wants to be here. He is so mature. He just turned 19 last Friday, but he's been a part of the Canadian basketball program since [he was] a little guy, always played up."
Coach K also praised Barrett for not becoming jealous of the attention given to Williamson.,
"And what says a lot about him is his relationship with Zion," Coach K said. "You know, the two of them could [have been] very jealous of one another, envious. [Instead] they became brothers. Literally. They love one another. And this kid is a multi-dimensional player. He would start right away. He has the potential to be a double-double guy. He's a great defensive rebounder, and if he gets the defensive rebound he can push, and he can play one through four. Because he can pass too. As he grows, there'll be times in this kid's career where the triple-double will happen more than once. He's a star. There's no question. Beautiful, beautiful kid.”
Williamson, meantime, said Barrett is an "assassin" who will thrive in New York.
“He’s cold-blooded,” Williamson said Wednesday. “We’ve all seen it this year. Assassin.”
He added: "New York, I’ve heard how hostile New York can be with the players. But I think R.J. is ready for it. They’ll get a great player [if they take him]. … If RJ gets drafted by New York, he’ll handle it. Not just good, but great. Better than people expect. He’s built for people doubting him, telling him he’s not ready. I don’t doubt RJ in the slightest.”
‘I’m so happy to be a Knick and I just can’t wait to play in Madison Square Garden’ pic.twitter.com/Cv1Xe6TvFy
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) June 21, 2019
