Pelicans select Duke phenom Zion Williamson first overall in 2019 NBA draft

As expected, the New Orleans Pelicans selected Duke freshman Zion Williamson first overall in the NBA draft on Thursday, replacing the face of their franchise within days of agreeing to trade superstar Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers. This was inevitable once the Pelicans won last month's draft lottery. Williamson burst into the basketball consciousness as a high school recruit with an endless array of breathtaking dunks, and he entered another stratosphere in his lone year at Duke. There is no precedent for his 22.6 points (70.8 effective field-goal percentage), 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks in 30 minutes per game for the Blue Devils, all of which solidified his status as a generational talent.