Zion Williamson has described this year as a movie. Thursday night was like a fairy tale — it felt to good to be true for the Duke phenom who is now the face of the Pelicans.
Here he was, on the NBA draft stage at Barclays Center, shaking hands with commissioner Adam Silver, living out a lifelong dream of every kid who picks up a basketball as the No. 1 pick.
And right by his side stood his mother, Sharonda Sampson, the person an emotional Williamson said had done the most for him in his meteoric rise to stardom and who coached him until he was 14 years old. As he did his television interview, the 6-foot-7, 285-pound athletic freak broke down, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“I didn’t think I’d be in this position, my mom sacrificed a lot for me. I wouldn’t be here without my mom, she did everything for me, I just want to thank her,” said Williamson, who averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game for Duke. “As a little kid you say you want to go to the NBA. People basically say, you’ve got to have a Plan B because the chances of doing it is just little to none. For me to be selected No. 1, I mean, I can’t dream it no better than that.”
It wasn’t until college coaches began paying home visits and telling him he would only need one year in college that being one-and-done seemed possible. At this time last year, it was uncertain how Williamson would fit in at the college level, if he could do more than dunk. He answered those concerns emphatically, taking college basketball by storm and leading Duke to the Elite Eight.
He became the second freshman ever to be the Naismith National Player of the Year and the first pick in the draft, ironically joining Anthony Davis, who was just traded by the Pelicans to the Lakers. The move netted New Orleans young players Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, but it will be Williamson’s team.
“I think we can build something over there,” he said. “I see myself trying to step into a leadership role.”
Following Williamson was Ja Morant to the Grizzlies, the Murray State point guard who went from an unranked, under-recruited prospect to the second pick in the draft. Duke’s RJ Barrett went to the Knicks at three, as most expected.
At that point is where the surprises were supposed to come. Fifty-four minutes before the Pelicans went on the clock, the first big move of the night was made. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Hawks had moved up six spots, from 10th to fourth, in exchange for the Nos. 8, 17 and 35 picks, along with a heavily protected first-round pick in 2020. Atlanta did receive Solomon Hill, the No. 57 pick and a future second-rounder. A year after trading up for Trae Young, the Hawks were aggressive again.
Ten minutes later, there was another significant move with the Timberwolves dealing the 11th pick and Dario Saric to the Suns for the sixth pick.
The Hawks didn’t surprise anyone at No. 4 by taking Virginia forward De’Andre Hunter. They were the only team he worked out for. At No. 10, they chose Duke wing Cam Reddish, a Philadelphia native like Hunter. The two played against each other in high school.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know him a little bit more,” Reddish said. “It’s crazy, really.”
The Suns did pull a stunner by choosing North Carolina sharpshooter Cameron Johnson at No. 11. Johnson, a 6-foot-9 forward known for his perimeter touch, was projected to go toward the back end of the first round. Already 23 years old, he wasn’t even at Barclays.
The Celtics and 76ers made the first deal during the draft, with Boston drafting long-armed defensive stopper Matisse Thybulle of Washington and sending him to the 76ers for Nos. 24 and 37 picks. Known as “The Disruptor,” in college, Thybulle should be able to help Philadelphia’s woeful bench. The Celtics weren’t done, turning around and trading the 24th pick to the Suns, who chose Virginia’s Ty Jerome of New Rochelle. At No. 25, the Trail Blazers chose Nassir Little, a gifted athlete and talented wing from North Carolina who fell far, going from a top-five-ranked prospect entering the college season to the mid-20’s.
