The 2019 NBA Draft came and went last Thursday night, with draft grades and instant pick analysis pieces coming out of the woodwork’s. I’ve never been a huge proponent on giving instant reactions or definitive grades on a selection or player right after the draft. There’s so much left to be decided or determined with all of these prospects and so much unknown about how they’ll even fit in with their new franchises. But after seeing all the pieces come out and all the analysis post draft, I caved and thought I’d throw my thoughts out for the internet to dissect on what team’s really won the 2019 NBA Draft.
Memphis Grizzlies
Atlanta and New Orleans seem to be the two teams labeled the consensus “winners” of the night, really solidifying the young cores of both of their respective teams. But Memphis did the same thing as well and after trading longtime star Mike Conley Jr. to the Utah Jazz just prior to the draft, they’ve done a great job of turning the page to a new era of Grizzlies basketball with a collection of young talent. They started off the night selecting Murray State guard Ja Morant second overall (who as a I wrote a month ago is the best player in the 2019 NBA Draft in my opinion) finding the replacement for Conley Jr. and the new face of their franchise. Morant doesn’t necessarily represent the continuing of the “Grit and Grind” Grizzlies of old, but the evolution of a more transition-high paced offensive approach for the team.
Then after swapping late first round picks with Oklahoma City, Memphis selected Gonzaga forward Brandon Clarke with the twenty first pick. This was an absolute steal for the Grizzlies, Clarke projected by some as a top five talent in this class, fits like peanut butter and jelly next to last year’s fourth overall pick Jaren Jackson Jr. in the frontcourt. Clarke’s going to undoubtedly help Memphis offensively and should have no problem running the floor next to Morant, but where he can make a real difference from day one for the team is on the defensive end of the floor.
Pairing Clarke’s athleticism and length with Jackson Jr’s, gives the Grizzlies an immense amount of versatility, switchability and rim protection that should cause nightmares for opposing teams for the next decade. Memphis might currently be in a transitional phase, but they now have one of the most talented young trio’s in basketball with Morant, Jackson Jr. and Clarke to go with a plethora of versatile complementary players like Grayson Allen, Dillon Brooks, Bruno Caboclo, Kyle Anderson and Ivan Rabb, all of whom are 25 years old or younger. General Manager Jason Wexler has put Memphis on a bright path to future contention, especially after the treasure trove he came away with in the 2019 draft.
San Antonio Spurs
Some things in life are just sure things in sports like Floyd Mayweather Jr. winning a fight, Tom Brady pulling off a fourth quarter game winning drive or the San Antonio Spurs making smart decisions. The power duo of R.C. Buford and Gregg Popovich continued that trend for the franchise last Thursday night, selecting Croatian forward Luka Samanic nineteenth and Kentucky guard Keldon Johnson twenty ninth. Both seem like effortless fits in Popovich’s system and add much needed defensive versatility, length and shooting to the Spurs rotation. Samanic might not see significant minutes early, but offensively he should be a great fit next to LaMarcus Aldridge and provide the Spurs with one of the best shooting frontcourts in the league. He also should massively improve San Antonio’s pick and roll defense when he finds his place in the lineup, but until then Samanic will need to continue to develop his offensive post game and mainly get stronger in the weight room.
But the real gem San Antonio got was Johnson in my opinion, a player who easily could’ve gone in the lottery and potentially even top ten at one point. But Johnson seemed to disappoint many after underwhelming at Lexington this season averaging 13.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 46.1% from the field and 38.1% from the three-point line for the Wildcats. This made Johnson’s draft stock lukewarm which led to his fall to twenty nine, because many analysts don’t view him as having any one elite skill to his arsenal. However, I think Johnson is one of the most versatile players in this draft and should be a swiss army knife of sorts for Popovich to unleash on the league in the years to come. DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay seem like natural, perfect mentors for the 19-year old Johnson and playing behind both veterans should ease his development for an organization who’s shown they can nurture prospects as well as any.
Like Samanic, Johnson’s defensive versatility will be welcomed in San Antonio and his three point shooting ability, could find him seeing minutes sooner than expected in his rookie season. The potential three-headed defensive rotation of Johnson, Dejounte Murray and Derrick White should have opposing guards quaking in their Air Jordan’s going into the 2019 season. The Spurs also took Mississippi State guard Quinndary Weatherspoon forty ninth overall, to finish up the night in the second round. Weatherspoon might not find much room for playing time in the crowded guard heavy roster San Antonio has at the moment, but his career 39.6% three-point shooting percentage should be welcomed in the Alamo.
After watching franchise cornerstones Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili say their goodbyes the past decade, Buford has done a great of replenishing the talent pool for the next generation of Spurs basketball. Having players now like Derrick White, Dejounte Murray, Bryn Forbes, Lonnie Walker IV, Jakob Poeltl, Luka Samanic and Keldon Johnson builds a respective core of what could try to replace the legendary Spurs teams of old. Only time will be able to tell in those regards, but as of now, San Antonio continues to make intelligent decisions and was one of the bells of the ball of the 2019 NBA Draft.
Cleveland Cavaliers
At first I was somewhat puzzled and confused by what the Cavaliers were doing on draft night, but as I’ve had a few days to digest what all these teams have done and analyzing the fits for these individual prospects, I actually really love what Cleveland did. They begun the night taking a risk on Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland selecting him fifth overall, then ending the first round with the selections of Belmont forward Dylan Windler at twenty six and USC guard Kevin Porter Jr. at thirty. All three should be ideal fits in new head coach John Beilein’s offensive system which prioritizes shooting and his vision of the Cavs becoming a positionless team.
I tend to believe in that vision Beilein has laid out for Cleveland and even though some are worried by Garland and Collin Sexton’s ability to play off of eachother in the backcourt, they could be the backcourt that helps the Cavs finally move into a post-LeBron era of actually competing. I think those concerns are valid, but Garland excels coming off screens and should have no problem playing off of Sexton whenever needed. Garland might’ve been a risky pick at five, but his brief stint at Vanderbilt where he averaged 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 53.7% from the field and 47.8% from beyond the arc, showcased his potential of becoming an elite lead guard in this league. He probably has the best handle in the class, incredible range as a shooter and flashes elements of an Damian Lillard-esque game. Now neither Garland or Sexton are elite facilitators which could cause some trouble, but both have elite creation ability and both should benefit from playing under an offensive mind like Beilein.
Windler was my favorite selection of the three that the Cavaliers made though, the Belmont star should become one of the most valued two-way players on the team. Coming off a stellar senior season that saw Windler average 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game for the Bears, he could become one of the sleepers of this draft. He’s got the ability to defend potentially four positions, is a great rebounder for his size and gives Beilein so much line-up versatility to utilize next season. Plus like Garland, simply put Windler gives the Cavaliers another player who can flat out score and shoot the three with great efficiency, Windler shot a career 40.6% from the three-point line at Belmont. He should be able to play a myriad of roles for the Cavs when asked and is one of the biggest assets the team has going forward.
Lastly, selecting Porter Jr. to round out the first round continued the theme of scoring and shooting for Cleveland’s 2019 draft. After only averaging 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game during a tumultuous season for the Trojans that saw him deal with injury and off the court issues, Porter Jr.’s draft stock was somewhat volatile coming in. But I think much of Porter Jr.’s perceived issues are a misunderstanding of his character and story personally. He once again adds much needed scoring to a Cavaliers team that finished 29th (104.5) in points per game last season and should slide ride into a sixth man role for them. Like Windler, Porter Jr. also gives Beilein another lengthy defender who could defend multiple positions potentially. Some will knock his defense, but when he’s dialed in Porter Jr. is a more than adequate defender, go watch how much trouble he gave Jarret Culver in Texas Tech and USC’s game from early last season. The Cavs had a polarizing draft for sure, but they drafted three players that all shoot 40%+ from beyond the arc, can really score and all fit what coach John Beilein’s new system values most. They might not be significantly better next season, but after what should be another top ten selection in 2020 to add to their roster and the core they’ve built here in 2019, Cleveland might soon be back in contention in the East.