You don't kill Superman with another Superman (or Ben Affleck in an ugly-fake-ass Batman suit), you kill him with Kryptonite. This guy has flaws for the modern game but he also possesses the anti-venom to a lot of the critical strategic and schematic nuances which drive today's NBA. You can teach shooting; doesn't make it easy to learn or ensure success but you can teach it. However, you can't teach what god gave this young man WRT basketball. In the business world I'd call him a disrupter. Now the difference between this guy and James White - back when he and David Lee were headed to Florida to play for Billy Donovan - is that with James White's body type you need to play an excellent defender and a competent - at least - 3 pt shooter. Think right-side-of-the-bed Corey Brewer, nay, think Monopoly-walking-stick-twirling Corey Brewer. With Zion you don't have constraints on what he absolutely needs to do to be successful except for rebounding and finishing at the rim. Book it. With the post above in mind I'll throw out a few possible nicknames: The Hack Paradigm Shift Swamp-Drainer (haha, couldn't resist!) Clone Prototype The Drone Freight Thunderbolt Inflection Point Paradox The Portal and wait for it.... waitttt for it.... SKYNET. Kind of encompasses the theme of disrupting the status quo and neither "SKY" nor "NET" need any explanation after watching a few of his highlights.
For me Zion is the opposite of Doncic. Athleticism only black guy from America with flashy game. Their rivarly would be fun
This guy is oversized and yet undersized. Strange and not sure how it translates to the association. He'd be a hell of a TE or DE end though. He's literally Watt's size but with the quickness of a skill player. Crazy.
When he does shoot the ball it's actually pretty smooth. He doesn't have much range, but he's such an amazing athlete he can beat defenders off the dribble from outside, and he finishes as well as anyone. Defense needs some work. He flashes crazy plays, but he often overcommits and isn't exactly up to speed yet. That being said he has the athleticism to become a very good defender. I think he ends up being a good to great NBA player who ages well bc instead of his size being a burden I can see him morphing into a post-player and bruiser in his later years. For now though he could step on an NFL field, NBA court, or MLB and easily be one of the best athletes out there.
Very good comparison. The question I had about their depth has been answered. Can they lock up on D (remember the "amoeba defense") like that UNLV team did? I've never seen a true freshman in game 1 play like RJ Barrett. I know they had the exhibition run but his comfort zone against Kentucky from the get go was crazy. I can't imagine how good he will be in March. "Advanced" doesn't begin to describe him. Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish are very good too. But Barrett is on his own level. He's like a combo of Harden and LeBron.
This kid is going to be unstoppable, as long as he doesn't become a fatty. But history isn't on his side. LIke you say, Duke players = failure in NBA. Parker and Oakafor will both be out of the league soon. So damn lazy on defense. Bulls are already sick of Parker and his lazy attitude
OMG, his handles! That play where he blocked the shot by ripping it out of the air with both hands, pushed the ball, and threaded the needle with the bounce pass assist made me sit up and take notice. Then that crossover was just killer. Lebron is not looking forward to defending this kid.
He's like PJ Tucker and Barkley was in college but with crazy perimeter skills. He just bullies everyone. A man among boys.