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2019 NBA Mock Draft: Full lottery impact on the first round

By Rob Wolkenbrod

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 14: Deputy Commissioner of the NBA, Mark Tatum takes the stage at the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery on May 14, 2019 at the Chicago Hilton in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 14: Deputy Commissioner of the NBA, Mark Tatum takes the stage at the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery on May 14, 2019 at the Chicago Hilton in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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NBA Duke Zion Williamson (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

With the results of the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery, who is in line for the New York Knicks and the other 29 spots?

The 2019 NBA Draft Lottery came and went for the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. Despite owning 14 percent odds to win the No. 1 pick in June, they landed third overall, watching other teams sink down the newly configured system and face despair.

New York’s position still lets them choose one of this class’s top prospects, but outside the range of the assumed prize, along with a few trade scenarios.

Lost in the shuffle, this the Knicks’ highest pick since Patrick Ewing in 1985. No pick had landed between first to third since, with Kristaps Porzingis at No. 4 in 2015 and most recently Kevin Knox at No. 9 in 2018.

Well, with the draft order officially set, who projects to join the Knicks at No. 3? How about the teams in the other 29 spots of the first round? Let’s look at the first full mock draft after the lottery:

1. player. 69. . F. Duke. Zion Williamson

Age: 19
Height, Weight: 6-foot-6, 285 pounds
Slash Line: .680/.338/.640
Season Averages: 22.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 2.1 SPG, 1.8 PG, 0.7 3PM

Well, it’s not the New York Knicks, much to the disappointment of some fans. Instead, this is one of the lottery’s wackiest scenarios coming to fruition: the New Orleans Pelicans won the draft lottery and the right to select Zion Williamson.

The Pelicans dealt with Anthony Davis trade drama for the past four months. From their franchise player to publicly requesting a departure, this franchise seemed set for the ultimate rebuild, potentially taking years to make a dent in the NBA landscape again.

Then came the lottery, which New Orleans had just a six percent chance to win. Embattled in potentially losing the face of the team for the past seven years, they just found their next star.

Williamson now captains a Pelicans team that has Jrue Holiday, but not much else confirmed for next season. A Davis trade would retrieve assets, but it’s difficult to know who or what this early.

Either way, this is the star of the future in the Bayou. He can make New Orleans basketball relevant again. Unlike Davis, will the David Griffin-led front office surround him with talent? DeMarcus Cousins was the closest acquisition to this over the past few years, but he left after a ruptured Achilles.

Williamson is the guy, and this would have been the ideal player for the New York Knicks’ future. Barring an unforeseen trade, this will never happen.

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