Several NBA personnel believe expected No. 2 pick Ja Morant is better than consensus No. 1 pick Zion Williamson, or that he will ultimately become the better pro, according to Jordan Schultz of ESPN.
It took quite a bit for this take to surface, but some had been feeling this way even before the NCAA Tournament started back in March, and the sentiment has held on all the way to June.
While Williamson is seen as a generational talent and is undoubtedly the sexy pick, given his otherworldly athleticism, nonstop motors and the highlight-reel dunks and blocks, he does lack skills that will clearly become evident in the NBA.
His lack of all-around shooting from the perimeter (33.8% from three, 64% from the foul line) is perhaps his biggest weakness, and one that can haunt him in the pros with more agile and smarter defenders clogging the paint and forcing him to seek other ways to score.
Morant, though a raw 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds, is well-rounded — possessing an innate scoring ability from all three levels of the hardwood, an uncanny passing ability, solid rebounding skills and a growing ability to make an impact on defense.
The Murray State star is more ready to make an impact at the NBA level than his counterpart, and one that could potentially slip to the New York Knicks as the third overall choice, if the New Orleans Pelicans wind up trading for the second pick and selecting Williamson's Duke teammate R.J. Barrett with it.
Whether the Memphis Grizzlies or the Knicks wind up with Morant, they will have a very solid stepping stone in a triple-double machine in the making.
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