During the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery sele𝕴ction, almost every team was hoping to land the #1 pick, or at the very least #2 or #3. Many draft analysts considered this a top-heavy class with not a lot of superstar talent outside of the top 3 prospects. Those prospects were of course consensus #1 pick Zion Williamson and Duke teammate RJ Barrett, as well as Ja Morant from Murray State. Williamson ultimately landed with the Pelicans, Barrett with the Knicks, and Morant with the Grizzlies.
With NBA 2K20 around the corner, let's look at 10 rookies most likely to see a ratings boꦕost before the All-Star break.
10 Bol Bol
Many analysts and NBA fans may not consider Bol Bol a Top 10 rookie prospect, but his skill set is incredible for a kid his size. Bol's fall in the 2019 NBA Draft was entirely due to his injury he suffered and uncertainty surrounding his timetable to return. The Denver Nuggets were able to snag Bol in the middle to late part of the 2nd roun🐲d.
He's a 7+ footer with great range and a guard skill set in terms of ball♉ handling. Denver made a low-risk investment in a prospect who could be the steal of the 🍌2019 NBA Draft.
9 Jaxson Hayes 🎀 𓆏
During the NBA Draft, most New Orleans Pelicans fans lost ꦯtheir mind when the organization was able to get Zion Williamson, then they scratched their head wondering who Jaxson Hayes was later in the draft. Hayes was considering the draft's most athletic player, and many scouts believed he could blossom into something great.
The common comparison for what he'll most likely de🐻velop into is Tyson Chan൲dler, a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, and an anchor for a starting 5. That type of presence could also alleviate Zion's game moving forward.
8 Cam Reddish ✅
At Duke, Cam Reddish ไwas unfortunately overshadowed by the likes of teammates Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett. Though analysts understood his skills and most projected him as a Top 10 pick at the very least, he still hasn't had the ability to show the world🐽 what he's capable of.
He'll nܫow be playing as a piece of a young Atlanta Hawks roster that has assembled a young nucleus of talent with Trae Young, De'Andre Hunter, and himself. They all compliment each other's games and can take the pressure and burd♔en off of one another.
7 Tyler 🌱Herro
Pure shooters may never✤ be considered the cream of the crop in the NBA, but JJ Reddick and Kyle Korve😼r have shown it can provide some great paychecks and good longevity to your career. Tyler Herro is cut from a similar cloth and will likely see the same type of shooting success those guys have if his NBA Summer League performances are any indication of what he's capable of.
With the Miami Heat adding 🎶Jimmy Butler, Herro is the perfect compliment to a shot creator like that, and can really prosper at the next level.
6 ꦦ ꦫ Coby White
Despite numerous questions about it, 2K hasn't clarified whether or not Coby White's hair will get its own overall rating. Seriously, the guy has some of the coolest and most unruly hair the NBA has ever seen. Through the ꦉNBA Summer League White has shown an ability to create his own shots and work well with the young core of the Chicago Bulls.
On a Bulls roster that's on the rebuilding timeline, White can really establish himself as the cornerstone piece they've been looking for since Derrick Rose's unfort𓂃u🌸nate run-in with injuries.
5 ꦓ ꦐ Darius Garland
Darius Garland has the impossible task of playing for the team most associated with LeBron James🦄 and showcasing he's worthy of the investment despite one of the NﷺBA's worst rosters around him. Garland's relationship with Kevin Love could go a long way in his early success.
Garland may not even be in the discussion for NBA Rookie of the Year, but he'll have th🉐e least amount of eyes and the smallest of expectations given his situation. He could hide in the background, or he could use it to focꦯus on being the best version of himself that he can be in the NBA.
4 De'Andre Hunter 💧
De'Andre Hunter is enteri🤪ng a situation where he'll be playing alongside another talented rookie in Cam Reddish and a sophomore scoring sensation in Trae Young. The Atlanta Hawks have quietly built a young core of players that can catapult them into long-term success if the 3 of them turn out to be as good as people thought.
When you have thre💦e young men who get to split the responsibility of bringing a franchise back to a winning way, it makes things a lot easier. The burden on Young's back got a lot lighter with the selection of Hunter and Reddish.
3 Ja Morant
Now, after the NBA Draft Lottery had finished many people assumed the Memওphis Grizzlies would take Ja Morant and he would pair up with veteran star point guard Mike Conley. Well, in the w๊eeks that followed Memphis ended up trading Conley to the Utah Jazz in exchange for numerous players and picks.
This leaves Morant as the main guy on a roster looking to re🧸build after the long stint for Conley and Marc Gasol. It will be up to Morant to show the league he can eventually lead the Grizzlies to the promised💯 land, given the right pieces around him come into place.
2 𓃲 RJ Barrett 🦋
RJ Barrett landing in both the best and worst spot a rookie can. He's currently looked at as the future of the New York Knicks and will bear that burden even more deeply thanks to the lack 🍃of superstar signings in the Knicks part. They opened up two max contract spots and the best player they signed was Julius 📖Randle, a promising big who's nowhere near Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard.
Barrett will have the oppo🔴rtunity to show Knicks fans what he's made of. The real question is if the pressure will enhance his game, or bury him in stress.
1 Zion 🐼Williamson
Zion Williamson has been the most hyped up and talked about draft prospect since LeBron James in the early𓆉 2000s. His pure athleticism and power have given him a distinct advantage ever since he hit puberty and he hasn't looked back. The one issue with Zion is that he'll be a𒁏n undersized power forward, so he'll need to develop a consistent shot from outside as well as becoming his own shot creator.
Th꧟at being said, just like Blake Griffin's early years, Zion will have no trouble lighting up the league as a rook🍸ie with his high-flying athleticism.