NBA Rookie Survey 2019: Zion Williamson to Win ROY; LeBron Wins Favorite Player

NBA.com's John Schuhmann shared the site's annual survey of the league's rookie draft picks on Monday, and unsurprisingly, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is the pick to win Rookie of the Year.

Williamson, who won the Naismith Player of the Year Award in his lone season at Duke, received 35 percent of the vote. Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant wasn't far behind at 27 percent, and New York Knicks forward RJ Barrett and Atlanta Hawks forward Cam Reddish each tallied 5 percent.

NBA.com also polled rookies on their favorite NBA player, and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James won for the third consecutive time and fourth overall. He landed 38 percent of the vote, with Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant second at 20 percent.

The entire list of winners and survey questions is as follows:

Rookie of the Year: New Orleans Pelicans F Zion Williamson (35 percent)

Best Career: Atlanta Hawks F Cam Reddish (19 percent)

Biggest Steal: Denver Nuggets C Bol Bol at No. 44 (19 percent)

Most Athletic Rookie: New Orleans Pelicans F Zion Williamson (87 percent)

Best Shooter: Miami Heat SG Tyler Herro (33 percent)

Best Defender: Philadelphia 76ers G/F Matisse Thybulle (37 percent)

Best Playmaker: Memphis Grizzlies PG Ja Morant (40 percent)

Biggest Adjustment Required: Speed or pace of the game (40 percent)

Most Important Skill Needed To Develop: Shooting (32 percent)

Favorite Player: Los Angeles Lakers F LeBron James (38 percent)

Reddish's win in the best career category may be the most surprising given Williamson's prestige. He averaged 13.5 points on 35.6 percent shooting last year and was considered a top-three pick for much of the pre-draft season before falling to No. 8.

On the steal side, Bol could be a massive pickup for the Nuggets after slipping out of the first round. The big man averaged 21.0 points and 9.6 boards per game for Oregon in nine contests before a foot injury ended his season. Still, the 7-footer can shoot the three (52.0 percent) and can be a huge asset off the bench behind All-Star Nikola Jokic.

Summer-league star Tyler Herro lit it up from the perimeter at Kentucky and may do the same with the Heat. He averaged 19.8 points per game in Las Vegas.

We'll see how these picks come to fruition beginning on Oct. 22 when the 2019-20 NBA season opens.