2019 NBA Mock Draft: Will the Knicks’ big gamble pay off?

The fact remains simple for New Orleans — regardless of what deal the front office takes to ship out Anthony Davis between now and his July 2020 free agency, they need to flip the switch to mass asset acquisition mode when it comes to the rest of the roster. Whether that means dealing Nikola Mirotic, Julius Randle or even Jrue Holiday eventually, finding young assets to rebuild around is the priority now that Davis has decided to leave.

While Hachimura brings huge question marks about shot selection and overall impact on winning, the fact remains he is a tremendously productive player for one of the top college basketball teams in the country. A player with the handle and skill of Hachimura at 6-foot-8 are hard to come by. The soon-to-be 21-year-old has improved his playmaking this year to supplement a 28.4 percent usage rate and incredible statistical impact on the Bulldogs’ offensive efficiency.

Let’s assume New Orleans takes the Lakers’ offer for Davis. The ability to rebuild around length and versatility through Hachimura, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball would be incredibly interesting. It’s a real possibility the Pelicans could become one of the more deep and intriguing young teams right away by drafting well in 2019 and adding good talent in the Davis deal.

Hachimura will have plenty of opportunities to work himself back to surefire lottery status he had entering the year by leading Gonzaga deep into the NCAA tournament this spring.