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2019 NBA Re-Draft: Would Zion Williamson, Ja Morant Still Go Top 2?
Ja Morant is out with a calf injury, has already been suspended once this season and hasn't made an All-Star appearance since 2022-23. And he's still easily one of the most successful picks from the 2019 draft.
As Morant's star dims a bit, though, it's worth asking if, with the benefit of hindsight, everything that's gone wrong for him over the past few seasons would change his draft position.
The same goes for the No. 1 pick from the class: Zion Williamson.
The answer might surprise you.
Let's check in on the 2019 draftees and re-rank them based on what they've achieved so far and what they project to accomplish going forward.
1. New Orleans Pelicans: Darius Garland
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Original Pick: Zion Williamson
Darius Garland's Original Draft Position: No. 5
Darius Garland hasn't had the highest highs of any 2019 draftee, but he's been the most reliably productive star in the bunch. A 38.8 percent three-point shooter, he averages 18.8 points and 6.7 assists for his career.
He ranks first in total assists among 2019 picks and is second in points, minutes and steals. A two-time All-Star, his Cleveland Cavaliers have made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.
Though his durability is far from elite, Garland has still played over 2,000 more minutes than Ja Morant while nearly doubling Zion Williamson's career total. Unlike those two, Garland's game isn't based largely on athleticism, giving him a much smoother potential aging curve going forward.
Call this a safe pick if you want, but Garland's volume of production and team success make him the most valuable player taken in 2019.
2. Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant
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Original Pick: Ja Morant
Ja Morant's Original Draft Position: No. 2
Believe me, I tried to justify putting anyone else in this spot. It's just not that interesting to see Ja Morant land in his actual position, particularly when the entire premise behind this re-draft was to assess how far his off-court problems, injuries and currently diminished production had caused him to fall.
Ask Memphis Grizzlies fans if they'd trade the last seven years of Morant for what they would have been like with the even more injury-prone Williamson. Or if they'd prefer the lower ceiling of Tyler Herro. Or if they'd choose any number of other options over Ja and the multiple 50-win seasons he was part of producing.
Even if it feels like we're nearing the end of the Morant era in Memphis, I don't think Grizzlies fans would exchange what they've had—a Rookie of the Year award, a top-10 MVP finish, an MIP honor, two All-Star nods and loads of galvanizing highlights—for any other non-Garland pathway the 2019 draft might have provided.
3. New York Knicks: Zion Williamson
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Original Pick: RJ Barrett
Zion Williamson's Original Draft Position: No. 1
Imagine the hoopla of Zion Williamson in New York, even when considering all the missed time, conditioning issues, and the mostly disappointing fits-and-starts nature of his career.
However, the highs—such as when Williamson was an All-Star and averaged 27.0 points per game on 61.1 percent shooting in 61 games as a 20-year-old—would have been beyond intoxicating.
There would be streets named after him. City-wide holidays declared. Probably several bodega cats and deli sandwiches named "Zion."
Though he's missed more than half of his career games, Williamson's peaks arguably exceed anything produced by anybody else in the 2019 class.
RJ Barrett was a decent enough player for the Knicks, and Herro has been more available, but Williamson's top-end talent keeps him in the top three.
4. Atlanta Hawks (via New Orleans Pelicans): Tyler Herro
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Original Pick: De'Andre Hunter
Tyler Herro's Original Draft Position: No. 13
In Tyler Herro, we've reached the fourth and final All-Star in the 2019 class.
Herro won Sixth Man of the Year in 2021-22 while kicking off a still-ongoing run of four straight seasons averaging at least 20.0 points per game. He's been a reliable three-point shooter throughout his career and added elite volume in 2022-23. A scorer above all else, Herro has also developed his playmaking to the point where it's become a real strength.
As long as you don't need him to run an offense as a primary facilitator, he's a major value-add in virtually every other area on that end of the floor. Defensively, he walks around with a target on his back, but that's largely true of the first three picks in our re-draft, so it doesn't hurt him too badly.
Herro's advocates might make the case he belongs higher because he's seen a pair of conference finals and even put up solid numbers in the 2020 Finals. But he hasn't consistently produced star-caliber stats like Morant or Williamson and hasn't been as integral to his team's attack as Garland.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Coby White
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Original Pick: Darius Garland
Coby White's Original Draft Position: No. 7
Coby White joins Garland and Morant as the only 2019 picks to total at least 6,000 points and 1,600 assists since entering the league, and he did it while occupying reserve duties for most of his first four seasons.
White excelled after taking over as a full-time starter in 2023-24, averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds. He followed it up with 20.4 points, 4.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds last year.
Though his only individual accolade was the All-Rookie nod he secured in 2019-20, White stands as one of the best sub-star guards in the league. That's not a backhanded compliment; he's a legitimately good starting guard who can affect the game with his drives, deep shooting and pace.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Phoenix Suns): Lu Dort
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Original Pick: Jarrett Culver
Lu Dort's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
Last season's All-Defensive first-team nod was the first official acknowledgement of Lu Dort's game-changing work on that end. He'd been among the most rugged individual stoppers in the league for several years, and all it took for him to be recognized was a high-profile role on a championship team.
Dort is the only player in this class to occupy a full-time starting role on a title-winning squad. While that doesn't make him the biggest star or most productive individual contributor, it does distinguish him as the most consequential winner.
Back when the Oklahoma City Thunder were struggling to win games, Dort averaged as many as 17.2 points per contest (2021-22) and peaked at 41.2 percent from deep in 2024-25 on 5.8 three-point attempts per game. Offense isn't his strength, but it's not quite right to call him a one-way threat, either.
7. Chicago Bulls: PJ Washington
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Original Pick: Coby White
PJ Washington's Original Draft Position: No. 12
A multi-skilled combo forward who only needed to escape a losing environment in Charlotte to prove he could contribute for a winner on both ends, PJ Washington's plug-and-play game makes him a solid starter on virtually any team.
He averaged 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 38.1 percent from three for the Dallas Mavericks in 2024-25, and his arrival the season before was key to a Finals run.
Capable of guarding the opponent's top wing, initiating the offense in a pinch or spacing the floor as a three-point threat, Washington offers high-end versatility. Early in his career, he got spot reps as a small-ball center. Nowadays, it's not uncommon for him to spend nights checking a dynamic shooting guard.
8. New Orleans Pelicans (via Atlanta Hawks): Cam Johnson
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Original Pick: Jaxson Hayes
Cam Johnson's Original Draft Position: No. 11
Cam Johnson gives us our third 2019 draftee to make major contributions for a Finals team, though his Phoenix Suns didn't secure a championship like Dort's Oklahoma City Thunder.
Nonetheless, Johnson's career 38.8 percent three-point accuracy mark and solid defense at the forward spot make him a portable, starting-caliber weapon.
As we'll soon see, this draft class is running out of that player type.
Though his overall efficiency peaked around 2021-22, Johnson remains the only high-volume perimeter shooter in this draft to post a true shooting percentage above 60.0 percent for his career. His 65.4 postseason mark is also the best of any 2019 draftee to attempt at least 200 shots.
9. Washington Wizards: Naz Reid
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Original Pick: Rui Hachimura
Naz Reid's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
Other than Dort, Naz Reid was the 2019 draft's top overlooked talent. Given how high he's climbed during his six-plus seasons, it's unthinkable that no team believed him to be one of the top 60 prospects available.
Reid won Sixth Man of the Year in 2023-24 and backed it up with a fifth-place finish last season. Though not much of an interior defender, he has carved out a niche as perhaps the best backup big man in the league by developing into a dangerous three-point threat (37.2 percent for his career) and a credible driver.
Never a regular starter, Reid averages 19.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 blocks per 36 minutes. He'd be a viable member of many teams' first units, and the Minnesota Timberwolves' decision to give him $125 million over five years this past offseason suggests they're open to the idea of him occupying that role once Rudy Gobert is off the books.
10. Atlanta Hawks: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
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Original Pick: Cam Reddish
Nickeil Alexander-Walker's Original Draft Position: No. 17
It took stopovers in New Orleans and Utah, not to mention a couple of different role-playing evolutionary steps, but Nickeil Alexander-Walker has now settled in as one of the NBA's most versatile two-way combo guards.
Considering he entered the league as an unabashed chucker who shot 36.8 percent as a rookie and later morphed into more of a perimeter stopper, maybe it's not so strange that he's now among the more well-rounded rotation weapons at his position.
All Alexander-Walker had to do was meld all of his varied skills into one complete package, then trim out all the extremes.
Alexander-Walker shot at least 38.0 percent from deep across each of the three seasons leading into 2025-26, and he's now a frequent starter and closer who defends tough matchups and runs a good portion of the offense for the Atlanta Hawks.
On pace for a career-best 17.8 points per game this year, NAW is an across-the-board contributor who fits anywhere.
11. Phoenix Suns (via Minnesota Timberwolves): RJ Barrett
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Original Pick: Cam Johnson
RJ Barrett's Original Draft Position: No. 3
RJ Barrett has had a strong enough career on paper to make his slippage a surprise. He's the leader among 2019 selections in total points scored and has been a full-time starter since he debuted with the New York Knicks.
At 18.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, his counting stats stack up against all but the starriest names in the class.
That said, volume isn't everything. If you sort the leading scorers in the class, Barrett sits at No. 21 in true shooting percentage. That inefficiency is part of the reason he's only 18th in win shares, which is a cumulative stat that should favor his high minute totals. His minus-1.7 career Box Plus/Minus, 23rd in the class, is further evidence that those on-the-surface numbers have not led to much positive impact.
We've just spent two paragraphs tearing Barrett down, but that's only because the cosmetic numbers suggest he belongs somewhere around his original slot at No. 3. We're just trying to explain the drop.
To balance things out a bit, let's close by noting that while Barrett hasn't established himself as a consistent shooter, he's added layers to his playmaking game. Last year's 5.4 assists per contest were a career high, and they added real value to the lefty's strength as a driver.
12. Charlotte Hornets: De'Andre Hunter
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Original Pick: PJ Washington
De'Andre Hunter's Original Draft Position: No. 4
De'Andre Hunter has averaged double-figure scoring in every year of his career, but last year's fourth-place finish in Sixth Man voting may have settled his place in the league's hierarchy.
A reserve in the majority of his appearances for the first time in his career, the 2024-25 version of Hunter finally felt appropriately utilized.
That's to say: Hunter looks the part of a starting-caliber three-and-D wing, but he's actually more of a spark-plug scorer who creates his own shots (often two-point jumpers against mismatches) and doesn't have to defend top opposing threats.
Now 28, he may not be done developing. After bringing him off the bench last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have turned to Hunter as a starter in place of the injured Max Strus.
On pace to set a new career mark in free-throw attempts per game and distributing the ball more effectively than ever before, Hunter could reestablish himself as a starting-caliber option.
13. Miami Heat: Nic Claxton
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Original Pick: Tyler Herro
Nic Claxton's Original Draft Position: No. 31
That 2022-23 season is doing a lot of the lifting here, but we've reached the point in the draft where virtually any brush with an individual award is going to weigh heavily.
Nic Claxton finished ninth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2022-23, posting averages of 12.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks while leading the league at 70.5 percent from the field.
The scouting report that produced those results—marked by great mobility in space for a big man, quick reaction times and useful downhill drives from the elbows—still applies. It's just that Claxton hasn't had quite the same athletic burst in the two-plus years since that peak season.
Early returns in 2025-26 indicate he might be getting back to his old form. Most encouraging of all, the career 55.1 percent free-throw shooter is hitting over 70.0 percent of his attempts this year—on much higher volume to boot.
If Claxton can sustain that improvement and put together another season resembling 2022-23, he'll climb at least a half-dozen spots the next time we re-draft the 2019 class.
14. Boston Celtics: Daniel Gafford
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Original Pick: Romeo Langford
Daniel Gafford's Original Draft Position: No. 38
Initially a raw, extremely limited offensive prospect whose athleticism made shot-blocking his defining skill, Daniel Gafford eventually established himself as a valuable contributor in a winning environment.
He had a real impact on the Dallas Mavericks team that reached the 2024 Finals, averaging 11.2 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting a ridiculous 78.0 percent from the field in 29 post-deadline games.
He started all 22 of Dallas' playoff contests during that run as well, posting 9.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 20.2 postseason minutes per game.
Gafford can dunk just about everything, which makes him a dangerous lob threat. He's also a tenacious force on the offensive glass.
All that athleticism hasn't made him into much more than a break-even defender, per Dunks and Threes' Estimated Plus/Minus, but the best version of Gafford has real gravity as a roll man and can augment good shooting by pulling help defenders into the lane.
15. Detroit Pistons: Keldon Johnson
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Original Pick: Sekou Doumbouya
Keldon Johnson's Original Draft Position: No. 29
A couple of years ago, Keldon Johnson looked like he was on track to be one of the half-dozen top performers in his class.
It's easy to forget now, but he was named to Team USA in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and then started 74 games in 2021-22. That season, he hit 39.8 percent of his threes and averaged 17.0 points per game. Perimeter production like that, paired with a brutally physical downhill driving style, made stardom seem plausible.
Johnson put up 22.0 points per game in 2022-23 but couldn't replicate the same accuracy on jumpers, and he's been a reserve ever since.
Don't expect him to fall further down the ladder. He's still a physical rebounder who can bludgeon his way to the rim while contributing plenty of hustle on both ends.
Johnson will be a double-digit scorer as long as he's in a rotation and might again warrant a starting job if his three-point shooting gets back above the league average.
16. Orlando Magic: Rui Hachimura
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Original Pick: Chuma Okeke
Rui Hachimura's Original Draft Position: No. 9
Lower usage rates agree with Rui Hachimura, as he's become a much more valuable player in a smaller role with the Los Angeles Lakers than he was in a higher-profile position with the Washington Wizards early in his career.
Hachimura has found his level as a spot-up scorer and capable defender, carving out a niche as a fourth- or fifth-option starter with usage rates well below the league average at his position over the last two seasons.
By trimming out the mid-range jumpers he once loved so much in Washington, and by basically not dribbling anymore, Hachimura now has unobtrusive two-way value.
If he could ever add real volume to a three-point stroke that has registered above 40.0 percent in three of the last four seasons (he's also hitting half of his treys in 2025-26), Hachimura could significantly raise his profile. But at just 4.0 attempts per game, he's not getting up enough shots to truly bend defenses.
17. New Orleans Pelicans (via Atlanta, Brooklyn): Brandon Clarke
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Original Pick: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Brandon Clarke's Original Draft Position: No. 21
At his best, Brandon Clarke was not only better than his original No. 21 draft slot, but he was also more productive than his upgraded No. 17 finish suggests.
Fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year several times in his early days, Clarke simply hasn't been able to stay healthy or log big enough minute totals to grade out higher on balance.
He's never played more than 64 games in a season, and the small-ball center has never once topped 24.0 minutes per game. He's currently out for an extended period to start his seventh campaign.
Springy enough to throw down lobs from above the square, equipped with a slick floater and a tremendous rebounder for his size, Clarke has had multiple seasons in which he graded out in the 80th percentile or better in Estimated Plus/Minus. He owns career per-36 averages of 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals on 60.6 percent shooting from the field.
Durability is the only thing preventing him from a lottery spot.
18. Indiana Pacers: Max Strus
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Original Pick: Goga Bitadze
Max Strus' Original Draft Position: Undrafted
The Miami Heat unearthed another gem in Max Strus, whom they brought aboard for training camp in 2020 after the Chicago Bulls gave him a mere two-game look in 2019-20.
High-volume three-point shooting and rugged-enough defense quickly made the undersized small forward a rotation staple, and he further established his career by earning head coach Erik Spoelstra's trust in the highest-leverage moments.
Though he only started 49 of the 187 games he played for the Heat during the regular season, Strus was on the floor for the opening tip of all 62 postseason contests they played from 2021 to 2023, including five Finals games.
All he's done the last two years is secure his spot as a regular starter for a Cavs team that would very much like to see a similar amount of postseason action.
Though he's averaged a modest 10.4 points per game for his career, Strus (currently out with a foot injury) has been a trusted, productive piece of two big-time winners.
19. San Antonio Spurs: Jordan Poole
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Original Pick: Luka Samanic
Jordan Poole's Original Draft Position: No. 28
Jordan Poole averaged 18.5 points and started 51 times for the 2021-22 Golden State Warriors. Though he came off the bench in the postseason, he was still a critical factor in securing the championship.
That season was, by far, the best Poole has ever played. During it, his wildest on-ball impulses and erratic defensive decisions were just muted enough to make his offensive talent shine. Poole was a swashbuckling scoring force who could change games with his creativity and complete lack of conscience.
Before and after that season, he was and has been a "more harm than good" player. Inefficient, turnover-prone and a devastatingly damaging defender, Poole's lows (and there have been plenty) offset the extreme high he achieved in 2021-22.
Still only 26, there's time for Poole to settle into what feels like his inevitable role. He's ideally built to be an off-the-bench scoring weapon who takes over games for six minutes at a time or, when the shot isn't falling, immediately checks out and waits to try again the next night.
20. Philadelphia 76ers (via Boston Celtics): Ty Jerome
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Original Pick: Matisse Thybulle
Ty Jerome's Original Draft Position: No. 24
Through 2023-24, Ty Jerome had never appeared in more than 50 games or topped 1,000 minutes in any season. Then, the breakout happened.
Jerome finally found his groove with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2024-25, coming off the bench to not just sustain, but also improve, what was the best offense in the entire league. Thanks to a 43.9 percent clip from long distance and a floater that fell at exceptional rates, his presence on the floor added 2.9 points per 100 possessions to Cleveland's league-best offensive rating.
A herky-jerky style and a knack for creating contact made the backup point guard a regular-season force. When the whistles got a little quieter and Jerome's defensive shortcomings made him a playoff target, he was of virtually no help to the Cavs.
Still, a third-place finish in Sixth Man voting and an undeniably positive impact on a No. 1 seed in the East has to count for something. And who knows, if Jerome had been able to stay healthy for a decent stretch prior to last season, he might have broken out a lot sooner.
21. Memphis Grizzlies (via Oklahoma City Thunder): Grant Williams
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Original Pick: Brandon Clarke
Grant Williams' Original Draft Position: No. 22
Often mislabeled as a multi-position defender, Grant Williams was more than capable of using his heft to credibly guard centers—which he often did while hitting threes in bunches for some very good Boston Celtics teams early in his career.
His best moment came in Game 7 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals, when he drilled seven threes and scored a personal-best 27 points, wrecking the Milwaukee Bucks' plans to leave him open and sending Boston to what would be the first of three straight conference finals.
Williams shot 39.3 percent from deep in that postseason and, though a hand injury limited him in the 2023 playoffs, he smashed that number at 45.0 percent across 15 games.
Williams hasn't been as effective since leaving Boston, but he still put up 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in an injury-hit season with the Hornets in 2024-25. He'll only be 27 when he retakes the floor following recovery from a torn ACL, so he still has a good shot to reaffirm his status as a helpful rotation player.
22. Boston Celtics: Caleb Martin
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Original Pick: Grant Williams
Caleb Martin's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
Best remembered for going on a two-month heater in the 2023 playoffs as a member of the Miami Heat, Caleb Martin deserves credit for his larger body of work.
A physical, competitive defender at the key big-wing/combo-forward position, Martin's grit and toughness were the reasons he earned enough playing time with Miami to post that epic 2023 playoff run.
When you scrap for possessions and run the floor like Martin, it gives you the opportunity to drill 42.3 percent of your threes in 30.2 minutes per game en route to the Finals.
Though he's only averaged 10.0 points per game once in his career, he spent the better part of a half-decade as a two-way rotation player on a good Heat team, raising his profile by performing his best in the playoffs.
Now 30, the undrafted Martin has some work to do if he wants to prolong his career. That said, what he did in his mid-20s is more than enough to get him into the first round of our re-draft.
23. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Utah and Memphis): Terance Mann
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Original Pick: Darius Bazley
Terance Mann's Original Draft Position: No. 48
A jack of all trades, Mann has seen rotation minutes everywhere from point guard to power forward, though he's perhaps best remembered for breaking up a dominant Utah Jazz team.
OK, that's not completely accurate, but it's worth wondering whether the narrative that Rudy Gobert couldn't anchor a playoff defense would have ever developed if Mann hadn't exploded for 39 points and hit seven threes in Game 6 of the 2021 Western Conference Semifinals.
Never a featured part of his teams' offenses, Mann has still averaged between 7.0 and 10.8 points per game in each of the last six years, hitting at least 36.0 percent of his threes in every season but his rookie campaign and 2023-24.
This late in the draft, it's not so bad to snag someone with career averages of 8.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists on a 50.1/37.2/78.4 shooting split.
24. Phoenix Suns (via Boston, Philadelphia): Goga Bitadze
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Original Pick: Ty Jerome
Goga Bitadze's Original Draft Position: No. 18
Goga Bitadze has hit at least 60.0 percent of his shots in each of the last three years and hasn't posted a block rate worse than 2.8 percent (85th percentile among bigs) in any season of his career.
There was a moment early on when it seemed the 7-foot Georgian might even provide some floor-stretching shooting, but that passed quickly.
There's nothing wrong with centers who contribute positive value in conventional ways.
The Orlando Magic have had some excellent defenses over the last several years, and Bitadze, in spot minutes, has generally made them even better. The Magic allowed 2.2 fewer points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor last season, and he knocked 7.5 points per 100 possessions off their defensive rating after coming over from Indiana, where he'd been similarly impactful, in 2022-23.
Rarely a starter unless the guy ahead of him was injured, Bitadze averages just 14.5 minutes per game for his career. When he's been on the floor, though, the results have been good.
25. Portland Trail Blazers: Jaxson Hayes
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Original Pick: Nassir Little
Jaxson Hayes' Original Draft Position: No. 8
A 64.9 percent shooter from the field because 37.7 percent of his career attempts have been dunks, Jaxson Hayes never quite figured out how to leverage his length and athleticism.
The highlights were there from the jump, and it was hard not to get excited by plays like this one from 2019, but Hayes' general lack of feel and failure to develop defensively have made him a career backup.
Sitting just outside the top 10 in games played and sixth in blocks among 2019 picks, he has been relatively healthy and provided decent rim-protection. He's never averaged more than 9.3 points or 4.8 rebounds per game in a season and owns an almost identical number of career assists and turnovers.
26. Cleveland Cavaliers: Matisse Thybulle
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Original Pick: Dylan Windler
Matisse Thybulle's's Original Draft Position: No. 20
There aren't many players with a clearer signature skill than Matisse Thybulle, who has over 100 more steals than anyone else in the class, despite ranking just 18th in minutes played.
Elite anticipation skills and disruptive length make Thybulle the preeminent ball-hawk among players picked in 2019. His impact isn't limited to steals, either. Though he's spent the majority of his career classified as a shooting guard, he has more blocks than all but four players (three centers and PJ Washington) in the class.
A wildly inconsistent outside shot and no other offensive skills to speak of are the reasons Thybulle doesn't land higher than this in the re-draft. Injury troubles over the last season and change haven't helped, either. But this is a two-time All-Defensive second-teamer (2020-21 and 2021-22). Even with a career scoring average of just 4.9 points per game, that's good enough to stick in the first round.
27. LA Clippers (via Brooklyn): Dean Wade
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Original Pick: Mfiondu Kabengele
Dean Wade's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
Don't let the career scoring average of 5.3 points per game or the general inability to play more than 55 games fool you. Dean Wade is still easily the second-best D-Wade in NBA history and definitely should have been a first-round pick in 2019.
Across six-plus seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 6'10" forward has consistently provided serviceable three-point shooting (36.5 percent) and long stretches of quietly elite defensive play. Very often over the past few seasons, he has been the easy answer to the question of who should play the 3 between Cleveland's two playmaking guards and its twin-tower frontcourt.
Wade posted a 93rd-percentile D-EPM figure in 2021-22, checked in at the 94th percentile in 2022-23 and climbed to the 95th in 2023-24.
An oft-injured and extremely low-usage option, Wade cannot be counted on for sustained production. But when he's been on the floor, the Cavs have often looked their very best. Their net ratings were all above the team-wide baseline when Wade played from 2021-22 to 2024-25.
28. Golden State Warriors: John Konchar
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Original Pick: Jordan Poole
John Konchar's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
John Konchar has logged a little over 5,000 career minutes, good enough to land him firmly among the top 30 picks from 2019. He's been a more efficient scorer than almost everyone in the class, with his 58.1 true shooting percentage sitting just outside the top 10.
Never a starter unless as an injury replacement, the shooting guard knows his role and sticks to it, with 52.4 percent of his career shots coming from beyond the arc. He's also been accurate around the bucket. A 71.4 percent hit rate inside three feet is a solid number for a guard with limited athleticism.
Think of Konchar as an even lower-usage, smaller Dean Wade.
29. San Antonio Spurs: Cody Martin
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Original Pick: Keldon Johnson
Cody Martin's Original Draft Position: No. 36
Injuries make it seem unlikely Cody Martin's career season of 2021-22 can resurface, but the mere possibility of another campaign marked by excellent wing defense and 38.4 percent shooting from long distance is enough to make him a re-draft flyer.
Martin played 71 games that season for the Hornets, shot the ball better than he had in any season before or since and generally performed like one of the most valuable reserve wings in the entire league. He's provided similar flashes since then, but 2022-23 was almost completely lost to injury (seven games), and Martin hasn't topped 53 games in any of the last three seasons.
Like his twin brother, Caleb, Martin's defensive intensity and willingness to run the floor shine through whenever he's on the floor. Unavailability and a failure to match that career-best shooting season of 2021-22 are the issues.
30. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Milwaukee): Talen Horton-Tucker
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Original Pick: Kevin Porter Jr.
Talen Horton-Tucker's Original Draft Position: No. 46
He's out of the league and playing with Fenerbahçe in Turkey because he never quite shot the long ball consistently enough in the NBA, but Talen Horton-Tucker put together enough encouraging stretches through the 2024-25 season to just barely land among the re-draft's top 30.
THT put up at least 10.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in every season from 2021-22 to 2023-24, and he's one of only a dozen 2019 picks to total at least 2,000 points and 850 assists.
A wide-framed guard who entered the league at just 18 years old, Horton-Tucker never quite found his ideal role. Given his versatility and decent production across his early career, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him figure out his game abroad before making an NBA return at some point in the future.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Salary info via Spotrac.
Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.
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