The New Orleans Pelicans won the right to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery Tuesday night after having just a six percent chance of landing the top pick coming into the draft, but the odds were in their favor and the Pelicans will now look to add Duke super athlete Zion Williamson to their roster.
Rounding out the top five is the Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Knicks fans didn’t get the No. 1 pick they were hoping for, but No. 3 is a solid landing spot. As for the Lakers, they made a big leap. They were in the No. 11 slot heading into the lottery and had just a 9.4 percent chance of jumping into the top four, but that’s just where they landed at No. 4.
Despite the second-worst record in the NBA last season, the Cavaliers and newly hired coach John Beilein received the fifth pick. The Cavs had a 14 percent chance of getting the No. 1 pick in the draft but they also had almost a 48 percent chance to not get picked in the top four.
With Duke sensation Zion Williamson expected to be the No. 1 overall pick, there was plenty at stake this year. Every team would have been thrilled to win the right to take the big man, who is one of the best prospects to come along in years.
The 6-foot-6 power forward is the most sought-after rookie in more than a decade. In one season at Duke, he averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Murray State point guard Ja Morant or Duke shooting guard RJ Barrett will likely follow Williamson to round out the top 3 picks
