NBA Draft 2019: Profiling the top 5 picks from this year's draft

The NBA draft is one of the biggest events in the NBA and is the first major event that kicks off any new season. The 2019 NBA draft will be held on June 20th, 2019 and at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the home of the Brooklyn Nets. Each team has 1 pick in the first round of the draft and 1 pick in the second round of the draft. The odds this season have been changed as follows:

The team with the worst record will receive no lower than the 5th pick as compared to getting no lower than the 4th pick in previous years.
The teams with the 3 worst regular season records have a 14% of landing the top pick, while earlier, the worst team had 25%, the second worst had 19.9% and the third worst team had 15.6%.

These changes are implemented from the 2019 NBA draft which is next season, the first change since 2004; where Charlotte were added into the lottery. With the lottery taking place on May 14th in Chicago, teams will find out what pick they have received. As of right now, The New York Knicks, The Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the teams with the 3 worst records in the NBA and have a 14% chance at the first pick. Let us look at the top 5 picks from this year's NBA draft.

#5 Jarrett Culver: (Texas Tech) - Atlanta Hawks:

Jarrett Culver is a star guard for the Texas Tech

Jarrett Culver is turning heads in the college basketball scene this year as he is playing some really great basketball. The 6-foot 6-inch guard from Texas Tech weighs 195 pounds and plays the shooting guard position. He has risen up the boards with his performances this season.

Strengths:

Culver has averaged 18.5 points, 6.3 rebounds. 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals in his sophomore year.
Culver has the traits of being a professional scorer with his length and versatility and has a long frame that can help defensively too. He is one of those guards that can rebound the ball well.
He is still growing and could end up as a 6 feet 8 inches or 6 feet 10 inches player that drastically alters his potential or even his position in the NBA.

Weaknesses:

His downside is that while he is a good defender, his judgment on defense makes him somewhat of a liability.
Along with his frail frame, he is unable to take on players stronger than him that just push him aside. His dribbling has improved on the whole but it suffers when he tries to push through traffic.
His shot selection is somewhat poor as he forces too many shots if he is unable to find an open man.

Final Conclusion:

His pros definitely outweigh his cons and if the draft goes as it is supposed to and the Hawks get Culver as the 5th pick, they might have gotten the potential steal of the draft.

#4 Cam Reddish: (Duke) - Chicago Bulls:

Cam Reddish is one of the best scorers in college basketball right now.

The Duke freshman was touted as one of the best players in the college basketball scene this year and has been great. He is a small forward, standing at 6 feet 8 inches tall, the 19 year old weights 218 pounds and is a superb shooter. He is one of the most exciting players in this year's draft and projects to go at #4.

Strengths:

He is touted as a huge talent for many reasons, one of which is his ability to space the floor and shoot the 3, both of which are elite. He is an intelligent wing that can also make tough shots at the rim, no matter how difficult they seem.
His defensive game is also amazing, his 7 foot 1 inch wingspan makes it easier for him to guard multiple positions and his anticipation is elite, thus the high number of steals he makes each game.
He is averaging a solid 13.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 steals per match, making him a superb 3 and D wing.

Weaknesses:

While he is a tall and long guy, he is not much of an athlete and is not an explosive finisher, relies more on his handles. He struggles with tight spots even with the length advantage and this needs to be improved upon in the future.
His first step also does not exude confidence and usually settles for the jumpers rather than look to push to the rim.
His shot selection is somewhat poor too, settles for too many difficult shots rather than looking for the open man. His pick and roll game is still in the works and he does not make too many good reads.

Final Conclusion:

He is really versatile forward with elite defensive skills and his 3 point shooting tendency is already there, touted as a 3 and D wing of the future. He needs to work on his explosiveness and the first step and could turn out to be the primary offensive option on a team.

#3 RJ Barrett (Duke) - Cleveland Cavaliers:

RJ Barrett is considered a top pick this season

RJ Barrett was considered to be the undisputed #1 pick this season coming into the 2019 NBA draft. But ever since the rise of Zion Williamson, Barrett's stock has fallen, down to the #3 spot. The freshman at Duke is from Canada and is one of the best players in the 2019 draft. Standing at 6 foot 7 and with a 6 foot 9 inch wingspan, Barrett is one of the most sought after players since he is not even 19 yet.

Strengths:

RJ Barrett is a physically gifted player who can do a lot of things for your team. He is a great ball handler, his finishing ability is top class and has a great work ethic.
He can overpower and go past just about any defender that gets in his way, his physical talents let him play anywhere on the floor and guard multiple positions. He has some defensive game which can make him one of the best two-way guards in the NBA.
He plays with intensity, is quick to react and uses his length well. He is a competitor too and is a real hardworker, willing himself to be better than he is. He is averaging 22.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 0.9 steals this season.

Weaknesses:

Though Barrett is already an accomplished scorer, he takes a lot of shots in order to score the number of points he does, showing his glaring efficiency issues.
He is an unusually bad free throw shooter and given how explosive he is, he should make them at a better rate.
His decisions regarding his shot selection needs to improve as he is just does not seem confident at times, taking bad shots and ending up missing them.

Final conclusion:

RJ Barrett is one of the most explosive players to be in this year's draft and certainly has enough to warrant being the #1 draft pick this season. He has the point guard skills, along with his elite IQ, his motor and defensive unknowns. He has to improve his free throw shooting along with his shot selection and he might end up being one of the best 2 way guards in the NBA.

#2 Ja Morant (Murray State) - Phoenix Suns:

Murray State guard has been a revelation this season

Ja Morant has been the success story for college basketball players this season. The 6 foot 3 inch guard from Murray State has been tearing it up for his team. The 19 year old sophomore is touted to be one of the top 3 picks this season and is going at #2 on this list.

Strengths:

Morant is one of the most explosive guards to come into the draft in a long time, his pace and and burst is drawing comparisons to current NBA guards like DeAaron Fox, who rose to prominence with his performances for the Sacramento Kings this season.
Morant is always looking to attack the opposing teams, pushing for a bucket and uses his speed to his full advantage. He is a creative scorer as well as a creative playmaker, making him very difficult to guard along with his pace.
He can score with either hands and finish through contact despite his thin frame, making him very difficult to guard. He is averaging 24.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 10 assists and 1.8 steals, which could have been better if his teammates were playing better.

Weaknesses:

While Morant is a really fast paced player, his 3 point shooting ability is a glaring weakness of his. Although he has the ability to shoot from the distance, Morant shows a lack of consistency with his shot, which has improved to just 32% this year, after an even dismal percentage last year.
His decision making too has been questionable as he sometimes ends up taking a difficult shot rather than passing out of it and makes things too difficult for himself. While he is one of the fastest players in college, he needs to know when to slow the game down and when not to, which he needs to improve.
His turnover rate also leaves something to desire.

Final conclusion:

Ja Morant has become one of the top prospects in the 2019 draft. He can do it all, from scoring to passing to rebounding. He has all the talent there needs to be to make it in the NBA and if he improves on his weaknesses like his 3 point shot, there is no doubt that he can be one of the best in the NBA.

#1 Zion Williamson (Duke) - New York Knicks:

This Duke star has been a phenomenon this year

Zion Williamson is probably one of the biggest talents in the NBA draft, a one of a kind talent. He is 6 foot 7 inch freshman from Duke, who weighs a massive 285 pounds and moves like he is a 200 pound point guard. He has single-handedly turned college basketball into something everyone watches regularly just to see Zion do something inhuman, becoming the #1 player on our list.

Strengths:

He has been a one man army for Duke this season, a powerful and explosive athlete who dominates any game with his physicality and other-worldly dunking ability. His guard-like agility, insane leaping ability and amazing body control in the air shows is just something to behold.
He is a lightning fast player and once he starts going, he is impossible to stop. He always brings upon himself a double team and then showcases some amazing passing ability and decision making that was previously unseen. He is also an excellent rebounder and manages to use his body really well.
He can play multiple positions and is also a very versatile defender, his speed allowing him to take on guards and his massive size allowing him to defend centers as well. He is currently averaging 22.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks.

Weaknesses:

While Zion is an explosive at the rim scorer and post up player, he is still developing an outside shot and it is definitely not ready to be used at the NBA level right now. He does not have a fast release and is inconsistent as well from behind the arc.
His game depends on his ability to explode and overpower his opponents and while this works on the college level, it is questionable in the NBA. He gambles a lot on defense and needs to improve there.
Injury might be a concern considering how he is built and he needs to be monitored on a daily basis.

Final conclusions:

Zion Williamson is probably going to be the #1 draft pick of the 2019 NBA draft after he has shown his explosiveness, his scoring, passing, rebounding ability along with a willingness to play with passion and can defend almost any player. His injury concerns and a lack of a 3 point shot right now can both be worked on but he looks to be the best player coming out of this draft.