Atlanta Hawks: RJ Barrett or Zion Williamson?

A pair of Duke Blue Devils are at the top of most 2019 draft boards. The Atlanta Hawks will almost assuredly have a top-3 pick. Who you takin’?

In one corner, standing 6’7″ and weighing 285 pounds, it’s “Zanos,” the “Insta-Darling”, the “Hefty Hooper.”

In the other, standing 6’7 and weighing a scrawny-by-comparison 208 pounds, it’s “Ducky,” the “Canadian Assassin”, the “Maple Mamba.”

Two prized ballers–both Baby Blue Devils.

With a top-end draft selection coming in June, who will the Atlanta Hawks anoint as the next franchise cornerstone?

Zion Williamson? The once-in-a-generation athletic talent who wears the hype like a cheetah fur cloak?

Or will it be R.J. Barrett? The lone recruit rated above Zion in this year’s class?

If the ping pong ball adorned with No. 1 falls into their lap, the Atlanta Hawks will have a league-defining choice to make. And barring some insane late-season infatuation with Ja Morant, Cam Reddish, or another tardy bloomer, the answer to the big question will be one of the demigod dudes in the picture above.

Let’s take a look at each prospect, sizing up their styles and how they might fit into the Atlanta Hawks roster.

Because at it’s root, the meta-question is this. Does R.J. Barrett fit better alongside the pieces Atlanta already has? And even if he does, does that matter when contrasted with the obvious, other-worldly super-star potential of Zion?