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One anonymous NBA general manager who spoke to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports says he would have taken Ja Morant over Zion Williamson with the first pick in the 2019 draft. Of course it's easy to say that now since Williamson hasn't played this season and Morant is crushing it with the Memphis Grizzlies.
However, this particular GM says he would have taken Morant over Williamson even back in June without knowing what the future held, while other execs have different opinions:
“I wouldn’t have taken him No. 1 even back then,” a Western Conference general manager said. “I would’ve taken Ja [Morant] or traded back to pick up as many picks as I could.”
“I’d definitely still take him first, wouldn’t you?” an Eastern Conference executive responded.
“Yeah, when you consider everything he brings, I’m still picking him first,” another Eastern Conference general manager said.
Between the right knee sprain he suffered at Duke last year when his shoe gave out and the injury from this preseason, the fears about his health haven’t been quelled.
“He’s definitely unique. Unique talent, special kid. Matchup problem,” the Western Conference GM told Yahoo Sports. “Biggest thing is health. Three hundred pounds of health and torque. What makes him unique is athleticism, not necessarily skill.”
Morant has to be considered the front runner for the Rookie of the Year Award. He's averaging 18.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists and shooting 49.4 percent from the field, 40.7 percent from beyond the arc and 80.4 percent from the free-throw line.
More importantly, Morant is guiding the Grizzlies to wins. Memphis is 19-22 on the season. They are in eighth place in the rugged Western Conference standings.
It's still unclear which player is going to have the better NBA career between Morant and Zion Williamson. Both players play a reckless style of basketball which is no doubt fun to watch, but it puts their body in harm's way a lot.
