Chicago Bulls: Redrafting the 2019 NBA Draft lottery

By Luke Askew | Apr 4, 2020

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 31: Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans and Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies stand on the court during a NBA game at Smoothie King Center on January 31, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /

211. . Point guard. Memphis Grizzlies. Ja Morant. 2. player

Stupidly, I doubted Ja Morant a little bit coming into this season. I thought his questionable jumper and limited defensive ability would end up hurting him, but he had one of the best seasons any rookie point guard has ever had.

Morant put up monster numbers, averaging 17.6 points per game on nice .491/.367/.770 shooting splits to go along with 6.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds. Those weren’t empty stats, though. Amazingly, he had the Memphis Grizzlies winning games. That’s by far the most impressive part of his rookie campaign.

If the season ended today and the NBA decided to jump right into their standard playoff format, the Grizzlies would be the final playoff team in a loaded Western Conference and would have a date with Anthony Davis, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Who predicted that coming into the season?

Ja’s feel for the game is special. He’ll be a problem for a long, long time.

Original pick: 2

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