2019 NBA Draft: Full Mock Draft 1.0, Atlanta Hawks Take Two Stars

#2. Cleveland Cavaliers – R.J. Barrett

With the Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns finishing with an identical record of 19-63 (ten games worse than the Atlanta Hawks), both teams end the season with identical chances at the top of the lottery (52.1% for Top 4, 14% for #1 overall). However, the league offices held a meeting on Friday in which the Cavs won its tiebreaker with Phoenix, allowing the Cavs to take the #2 overall pick.

That tiebreaker has big implications, as the team that falls to 3rd in the lottery has a 7.1 percent chance to fall to 7th in the lottery. Though extremely unlikely, that’s still a doomsday scenario that’s in the cards.

Now that we know they won their tiebreaker, the Cavs will be picking second overall and taking Zion Williamson’s college teammate R.J. Barrett #2 overall.

Barrett was widely believed to be the better prospect coming out of high school, as Zion had been labeled as “just a dunker” during his earlier teens.

Though not quite the incandescent talent that Williamson is, Barrett is surely a terrific consolation prize with the second overall pick, and the Cavs need as much help as they can get. With Collin Sexton already on the roster, the Cavs should prioritize a wing player and Barrett seems like a surefire number two option in this top-heavy draft.