Zion Williamson: Star or Bust

Today, we will be talking about one of the most hyped players in college basketball, Duke freshman Zion Williamson. Zion has broken out to become one of the most popular athletes in the nation, with his highlight dunks and his athleticism. He will undoubtedly be the #1 pick in this year’s draft, which right now looks like it might belong to the Knicks. The Knicks are also rumored to be getting some free agents in this year’s free agent class, maybe Kevin Durant? Kyrie Irving?

Williamson averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, shooting 68% from the field and 33.8% from 3. These are incredible numbers from anybody, but to have them coming from an 18-year-old is just crazy. He rivals Lebron James as becoming one of the next great stars in our league coming out of school at such a young age. But, some people are saying that Zion could be a bust in the NBA, and here’s why.

When you see Zion Williamson, one thing you notice is that he does not take many outside jumpers, and most of his offense his generated inside the paint. He is not a good free throw shooter and is an ok 3-PT shooter. Why some people are calling Zion a bust is because his game does not translate to the NBA. In today’s NBA, almost everybody needs to have a jump shot to be successful. But there are examples of people who are not great at shooting the ball but are great players like Russell Westbrook and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Those are 2 great players who don’t have a great jump shot but are very successful in the league. But the critics do have a point. If Zion cannot get a jump shot, then people will be playing him like they play Ben Simmons, playing 5 on 4 because Ben cannot shoot the ball and therefore can lay back on defense like a free safety. Another example of why not having a jump shot is problematic is because when the Warriors are playing, Curry, Thompson, Durant, and Cousins can all shoot the ball well enough to be guarded. But when you have Draymond on the floor, who is a terrible jump shooter, the defender can just back off and try to block Durant, Curry, and Thompson from getting open looks at jump shots off of screens. It clogs the whole thing up and makes the offense stagnant.

So, if Zion does not develop a jump shot, then it could be a problem for whoever drafts him, or it could mean that he would dominate inside and not have to worry about a jump shot too much.

Hope you enjoyed this edition of the blog, and nest time we will be looking into the 2019 Free Agent Class!