Zion Williamson and Ja Morant are two of the most talented players in the NBA. They went back-to-back with the top two picks in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Their talent would leave you to believe that they were easily worthy of those two selections, and many fans have debated who would go number one overall in a redraft. However, both players have also had their fair share of injuries and off-the-court incidents that have limited their time on the hardwood and left fans wanting more.
Morant is returning from suspension on December 19th, and he happens to play none other than Zion Williamson and the Pelicans. The coincidence has re-sparked discussion on who would go first overall in a redraft of the 2019 NBA Draft class, so in this article, we decided to settle the debate.
Was there a Zion Williams-Ja Morant debate for No. 1 in 2019?
In 2019, Zion Williamson and Ja Morant were clearly the top two prospects in the draft. However, there wasn't much of a debate about who would and should go number one overall. Williamson was viewed at as a generational prospect and arguably the most promising player to declare for the draft since LeBron James in 2003.
Williamson was one of the best and most hyped-up prep athletes ever. His highlight reel of high-school dunks took over the nation, and he brought that same game to the collegiate level, where he played at Duke. Williamson was the projected No. 1 pick throughout the entire collegiate season. His strength, quickness and leaping ability were truly unmatched, allowing him to dominate the paint unlike any player before or after him. He even had some playmaking potential that NBA teams believed they could unlock.
Williamson was so dominant that he was named the consensus National College Player of the Year. He became only the third freshman to be named college's best player, and over only one season, established himself as one of the greatest college basketball players of the 21st century.
Some critics were concerned about potential injuries. Williamson did have a minor knee injury at Duke, and no one had ever seen a player of his size elevate as high as he did, so there was an expectation that his knees may not hold up. For the most part, the forward had remained injury-free during his pre-NBA career, and any health concerns were more hypothetical than tangible at that point.
Williamson's freak talent was worth the risk regardless of where you fell on the injury discussions, though. He was more unique than perfect as a prospect, but still a generational one who was the obvious No. 1 overall pick.
Ja Morant's route to being drafted was much different. Morant was not a highly touted prospect coming out of high school. He was not ranked by the big recruiting services and ended up playing at mid-major Murray State. Morant exceeded expectations as a freshman with the Racers, but only averaged 12.7 points per game and was not on most experts' draft radar.
Murray exploded in year two, though. Despite a short stature and thin frame, Morant proved he was one of the most explosive athletes in college basketball history. He played with a high motor, and his speed, vertical leap and aerial acrobatics allowed him to shine when attacking the rim. He collapsed defenses and thrived when kicking the ball out to open teammates as well.
By season's end, NBA teams viewed Morant as a franchise point guard and a player who would go first overall in a number of draft classes, but was never a threat to dethrone Williamson for the top pick. This exercise is not about who did go number one overall, though. It is about who would go number one overall in a 2019 NBA redraft.
Was Zion Williamson the right choice at number one overall?
Amazingly, Zion Williamson and Ja Morant were AAU teammates long before they went back-to-back in the NBA Draft. That is another weird coincidence in their closely tied stories, and it only further begs the question of who would go first overall in a redraft.
At different points in their career, they have both made a case as the best player from the 2019 draft class. This is even illustrated by Williamson's first career NBA game. The number one pick tore his meniscus during preseason before his rookie campaign even began. It was an unfortunate beginning to his career but also a sign of things to come.
However, when he retuned, Williamson had one of most notable debuts in recent NBA history, dropping 18 points in only 22 minutes. He scored 17 consecutive points in the fourth quarter in what went down as one of the best late-game performances ever by rookie. Williamson even went 4-4 from deep, a glimpse of knockdown shooting ability he hasn't flashed since.
Williamson averaged 22.5 points during the rest of his rookie season, but his numbers only ever rose after that. For his career, Williamson is a 25.3 point per game scorer, gets 6.8 rebounds per game and averages 3.8 assists per game. When he has been on the floor, he has been one of the best players in the league, and it has already led to two All-Star appearances.
That is Williamson's problem, though. The big man has not been able to stay on the floor consistently. A number of injuries have made it so Williamson only played in 24 games during his rookie year and 61 games his sophomore season. He missed the entirety of year three, and only played in 29 games last season. Williamson has played like a number one overall pick when he's been healthy, but just hasn't played enough.
Additionally, his motor, work ethic, conditioning, and diet have all come under fire during low points in Zion's career. If Williamson can clean up his injury concerns, he still has the potential to live up to the extremely high expectations that are associated with being the No. 1 overall pick. Unfortunately, his play style and body type may prevent that from ever happening.
Would Ja Morant be picked first in a 2019 NBA redraft?
Ja Morant's stats have been slightly less impressive than Williamson's, but barely. Morant came onto the scene strong during his debut season, winning the Rookie of the Year Award in Williamson's absence. The former No. 2 overall pick has career averages of 22.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.4 assists. Like Williamson, the point guard is also a two-time All-Star, but he has also made an All-NBA Second Team and was the Most Improved Player in 2022.
Morant has even carried his team to three postseason appearances, whereas Williamson has yet to appear in a postseason game. Williamson has disappeared when his team has needed him the most.
Morant is not a perfect player, though. He served a 25-game suspension this year after he flashed a gun on Instagram Live. Before that, he had been suspended eight games after flashing a gun at a strip club. On top of that, Morant was already on thin ice after he was accused of beating up a teenager. Morant claims he acted in self-defense, but it was just one of many troubling off-the-court incidents that have gotten Morant in trouble.
Many believed Morant could be the face of the league, but his actions have prevented that from coming to fruition. Morant is back from his suspension, though, looking to get back on track. Fans hope his bone-headed decisions are a thing of the past, and if they are, Morant can continue on as one of the best young players in the NBA.
Who would be the number one pick in a 2019 NBA redraft?
When it comes to deciding who would be the first overall pick in a redraft of the 2019 NBA Draft, we are giving the slight edge to Ja Morant. Not only has Morant been a great player, but he has turned the Memphis Grizzlies around and made them one of the best teams in the NBA in recent years.
It is evident they struggle without him, as Memphis is only 6-19 this season while he has been suspended. Morant's impact on his team has been greater than Williamson's, too, and that is largely because he has been more available. Availability is the greatest ability, and Morant has played in 248 regular season games to Williamson's 136.
It is surely a close call, though, and these two are likely to battle for years to come, so it is almost a guarantee that this will not be the last time that we will visit this discussion. For now, though, we rule that Ja Morant would go first overall in a 2019 draft do-over. Zion Williamson wasn't necessarily a bad No. 1 pick, but Morant has simply done more in his career so far.
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