Zion Williamson

[Huskyforlife]

Yikes!

I hate dook as much as the next guy but Zion looks like a player for real. Size, strength, athleticism and he plays with intensity?!? Even his ball handling and court vision seem above average.

If he can hit that outside shot constantly he's gonna be a serious problem.

They are and he is. He’s a matchup nightmare at PF, where he doesn’t need a lethal jumper, but should still work on making it respectable.

 

[Kitaman]

It’s great when people who just watch 10 second clips of his best dunks think he’s just a raw athlete.

There is some history here:

 

[BIIIG]

Playing at Duke will drastically stall his progression for the NBA. Coach Kryzypoopski cares more about winning titles than player progression. Nothing wrong with winning titles, but if Zion wants to be the next big thing, Duke was not the place to go. Coach K is going to use Zion's strengths which will work at the college level, but when he gets to the NBA and has less of a size advantage, brute strength will not be enough to get buckets. Duke already has Barrett and Redish in their lineup there is no incentive to have Zion become a better shooter or ball handler. Just look at Jahlil Okafor. Guy was a stud at Duke, but got to the NBA and suddenly he didn't have the size advantages he had in college. Calipari might not win as many titles, but the progression players make under his coaching for a year or two is leaps and bounds ahead of what they get under Krapzyeski.

Just look at some of the 5 star recruits Duke has ruined over the past 5 years.
DUKE: Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Chase Jeter, Derryck Thornton, Frank Jackson, Marques Bolden

 

[intlzncster]

Playing at Duke will drastically stall his progression for the NBA. Coach Kryzypoopski cares more about winning titles than player progression. Nothing wrong with winning titles, but if Zion wants to be the next big thing, Duke was not the place to go. Coach K is going to use Zion's strengths which will work at the college level, but when he gets to the NBA and has less of a size advantage, brute strength will not be enough to get buckets. Duke already has Barrett and Redish in their lineup there is no incentive to have Zion become a better shooter or ball handler. Just look at Jahlil Okafor. Guy was a stud at Duke, but got to the NBA and suddenly he didn't have the size advantages he had in college. Calipari might not win as many titles, but the progression players make under his coaching for a year or two is leaps and bounds ahead of what they get under Krapzyeski.

Just look at some of the 5 star recruits Duke has ruined over the past 5 years.
DUKE: Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Chase Jeter, Derryck Thornton, Frank Jackson, Marques Bolden

If you're good, your good. Definitely didn't hurt Jason Tatum. Didn't hurt Kyrie. Ingram.

A lot of those guys weren't really that great though. Jahlil you could call from a mile away, couldn't play a lick of D. Tyus jumped too early, but capitalized on championship hype.

Zion is on the Kyrie/Tatum track. Remains to be seen if he can reach his potential.

 

[LIuconn]

Just look at some of the 5 star recruits Duke has ruined over the past 5 years.
DUKE: Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Chase Jeter, Derryck Thornton, Frank Jackson, Marques Bolden

Maybe it was the ranking system that was wrong, not Duke. After some time it all comes out in the wash

 

[Kenny11]

He’s a monster. I wonder if nba teams worry about his long term health though. To be that explosive and yet carry so much weight it definitely makes me wonder if he could play into his 30s without dropping some serious weight.

 

[superjohn]

He’s a monster. I wonder if nba teams worry about his long term health though. To be that explosive and yet carry so much weight it definitely makes me wonder if he could play into his 30s without dropping some serious weight.

After marveling at his sheer size and athleticism that was my next thought. The human body isn't meant to do that long term at that size. Makes me think of Bo Jackson.

 

[intlzncster]

After marveling at his sheer size and athleticism that was my next thought. The human body isn't meant to do that long term at that size. Makes me think of Bo Jackson.

Maybe, but guys like LeBron do exist. I think, if he shows the drive, he'll lean up a bit in the pros. Will be interesting to watch.

 

[BIIIG]

He’s a monster. I wonder if nba teams worry about his long term health though. To be that explosive and yet carry so much weight it definitely makes me wonder if he could play into his 30s without dropping some serious weight.

Couldn't agree more. Not to say that he can't play long term, but you definitely do have to take that into consideration.

Wonder what it would have been like if computers media were as prevalent when Shaq was around during his high school days

 

[BIIIG]

If you're good, your good. Definitely didn't hurt Jason Tatum. Didn't hurt Kyrie. Ingram.

A lot of those guys weren't really that great though. Jahlil you could call from a mile away, couldn't play a lick of D. Tyus jumped too early, but capitalized on championship hype.

Zion is on the Kyrie/Tatum track. Remains to be seen if he can reach his potential.

There's definitely something to be said about that. I mean there were plenty of guys that made the jump straight from high school to the NBA and had great careers (Garnett, Kob, McGrady, etc.), so if you're good you're good is definitely true. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that when you look at the top recruits, the one and done players, that Duke has had, and then the ones Kentucky has had, it seems like in the long term the Kentucky players fair far better.

Over the past ten years here are the relevant one and done players from each:
DUKE: Kyrie Irving, Austin Rivers, Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow, Brandon Ingram, Jayson Tatum
KENTUCKY: John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Julius Randle, Devin Booker, Karl Anthony Towns, De'Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo

And 6 of those 8 Duke players were a top 3 in their recruiting class. My point being that they were the types of guys who were already good as you said, they didn't progress in their sole college year. If you're a player who knows you are going to the NBA but are forced to go to college for one year wouldn't your biggest goal be progression? Duke has caught up to Kentucky in recruiting absolutely but Coach K has a ways to go in NBA readiness progression compared to Calipari.

 

[superjohn]

Couldn't agree more. Not to say that he can't play long term, but you definitely do have to take that into consideration.

Wonder what it would have been like if computers media were as prevalent when Shaq was around during his high school days

It would have been crazy. Shaq is still the biggest freak of nature in the history of sports.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Just look at some of the 5 star recruits Duke has ruined over the past 5 years.
DUKE: Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Chase Jeter, Derryck Thornton, Frank Jackson, Marques Bolden

I hate Duke as much as the next guy but the idea that K ruined these guys is silly. Daniel Orton's playing in Japan for god's sake. Did Cal ruin him in his one year at Kentucky?

 

[pj]

Duke has caught up to Kentucky in recruiting absolutely but Coach K has a ways to go in NBA readiness progression compared to Calipari.

They're both mediocre at development (compared to other top coaches) but K is better at winning than Calipari.

 

[auror]

They're both mediocre at development (compared to other top coaches) but K is better at winning than Calipari.

Cal has a much better record at winning against KenPom expectation in NCAA tournaments over the last 16 years than K. Like much, much better (ranked #2 vs. #329).

Of course, that's partially because K overachieves during the regular season and Cal underachieves.

 

[pj]

Cal has a much better record at winning against KenPom expectation in NCAA tournaments over the last 16 years than K. Like much, much better (ranked #2 vs. #329).

Of course, that's partially because K overachieves during the regular season and Cal underachieves.

Yeah, you need a comparison against talent level, not regular season performance. Cal is in a weak conference and has the luxury of playing poorly during the season. K not so much. So it's much easier for Cal to raise performance in the tourney.

 

[methodology]

After marveling at his sheer size and athleticism that was my next thought. The human body isn't meant to do that long term at that size. Makes me think of Bo Jackson.

A sports guy i know whose scouting opinions i trust and has been around for about 55 years still says to this day Bo is the greatest athlete/ physical specimen he's ever scene. Says it's a shame his body broke down

 

[ARIDE]

Don't think we've seen a player like this come into college in an incredibly long time, if ever. Not saying he has LeBron's complete game because he doesn't, he's not even close to as skilled or polished but physically he actually puts LeBron to shame.

I'm actually scared to see what Duke does to teams this year. The scariest part is it looks like a Kentucky freshman class on steroids but you have coach K coaching them instead of Cal.

this kid is a delight to watch even though he is a Dukee