No. 1 and No. 2! Zion Williamson, Ja Morant give state of SC top picks in NBA Draft
On Thursday night, NBA commissioner Adam Silver made official what many had surmised for months: Zion Williamson and Ja Morant went as the top-two picks in the NBA Draft.
The South Carolina natives went to the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies, respectively, with both drastically altering the future of their franchises.
“I didn’t think I’d be in this position,” an emotional Williamson told ESPN after being selected No. 1. “My mom sacrificed a lot for me. I wouldn’t be here without her. ... I dreamed about his since I was 4.”
Williamson, who played for one season at Duke, becomes the face of the Pelicans in wake of the team’s trade of Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers and will face immediate pressure of leading a franchise full of young players including Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. The 6-foot-7, 285-pound forward is the most-hyped draft prospect since LeBron James in 2003 and will face similar hurdles to the Lakers star, from leading a small-market franchise to the supporting cast around him.
During his post-stage interview with ESPN’s Maria Taylor, Williamson became extremely emotional talking about his mother. He then said in his official press conference that despite the expectation that he would go No. 1, it still hit him hard when he heard his name called.
“I was able to make it on stage without a tear,” he said. “My emotions just took over.”
When asked about the situation he’s stepping into, Williamson said he likes the amount of young players on New Orleans because he’ll have a lot of players to lean on that recently experienced the college-to-professional transition he’s about to make. He also likes the idea that the Pelicans have part of a young core already in place, which should help speed up the rebuilding process.
Morant enters Memphis with similar expectations after the Grizzlies traded star point guard Mike Conley to Utah on Wednesday, clearing the way for the team to take him and immediately make him the focal point of the offense. Morant’s drafting is an impressive feat for the 6-foot-3 point guard because he played for a mid-major school in Murray State, which rarely produces lottery picks. Morant gives second-year forward Jaren Jackson a partner as Memphis works on its rebuild.
In his press conference, Morant wished Conley well and said he had “big shoes to fill,” given who he’s replacing. Morant also touched on the numerous mid-major players that helped players like him have a chance, including Stephen Curry (Davidson), Damian Lillard (Weber State) and C.J. McCollum (Lehigh).
“We can go down the line of mid-major players who made a name for themselves in this league,” he said. “I feel like guys who opened the door for me, it’s only right that I go in, try to do what those guys did, make a name and keep the doors open for other mid-major players. It just means a lot for them to look up to me.”
Williamson starred at Spartanburg Day High School in the Upstate of South Carolina. Morant, from Dalzell near Sumter, was a standout at Crestwood High.
They played together in 2015 in high school on the South Carolina Hornets AAU team.
Top NBA Draft picks
1. New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson (Duke) PF
2. Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant (Murray State) PG
3. New York Knicks: RJ Barrett (Duke) SF
4. Los Angeles Lakers: De’Andre Hunter (Virginia) SF
5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Darius Garland (Vanderbilt) PG
6. Phoenix Suns: Jarrett Culver (Texas Tech) SF
7. Chicago Bulls: Coby White (North Carolina) PG
8. Atlanta Hawks: Jaxson Hayes (Texas) C
9. Washington Wizards: Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga) PF
10. Atlanta Hawks: Cam Reddish (Duke) SF
11. Minnesota Timberwolves: Cameron Johnson (North Carolina) SF
12: Charlotte Hornets: PJ Washington (Kentucky) PF
13. Miami Heat: Tyler Herro (Kentucky) SG
14. Boston Celtics: Romeo Langford (Indiana) SG
Full coverage in The State’s digital e-edition.
This story was originally published June 20, 2019 at 7:46 PM.