Zion Williamson

[reanimator]

ummm all he did was completely dominate the event from start to finish and the fact that he only took 2 3s and didn't try to be a playmaker is the reason why.

Which works against 16 year olds and meddling international competition but will it translate at the highest level is the question.

If he has peaked physically at 16 then no it won't translate but that goes for anyone. But I think Zion's eventual physique is Ben Wallace.

Even the most gifted athletes of our time needed elite skill level to tap into those tools to make them functional.

At some point. Zion will have to expand his game. He will do fine at the college level just using pure physicality but at the pro level I definitely think the need to improve his shot and/or vision is there unless he grows a couple of inches.

[Duke4life831]

Which works against 16 year olds and meddling international competition but will it translate at the highest level is the question.

If he has peaked physically at 16 then no it won't translate but that goes for anyone. But I think Zion's eventual physique is Ben Wallace.

Even the most gifted athletes of our time needed elite skill level to tap into those tools to make them functional.

At some point. Zion will have to expand his game. He will do fine at the college level just using pure physicality but at the pro level I definitely think the need to improve his shot and/or vision is there unless he grows a couple of inches.

Agreed, I think he needs to continue to grow his perimeter skills (shooting, handles, vision). If he can do that, great skill mixed with that size and athleticism is a very scary combination.

Now if he does continue to grow and gets to say a legit 6'8. We will be talking about a whole different monster.

[KobesScarf]

If he has peaked physically at 16 then no it won't translate but that goes for anyone. But I think Zion's eventual physique is Ben Wallace.

Even the most gifted athletes of our time needed elite skill level to tap into those tools to make them functional.

At some point. Zion will have to expand his game. He will do fine at the college level just using pure physicality but at the pro level I definitely think the need to improve his shot and/or vision is there unless he grows a couple of inches.

Agreed, I think he needs to continue to grow his perimeter skills (shooting, handles, vision). If he can do that, great skill mixed with that size and athleticism is a very scary combination.

Now if he does continue to grow and gets to say a legit 6'8. We will be talking about a whole different monster.

The skills he needs to develop are the ones that compliment his talents, which are moving without the ball, mid range shot, finishing with his right. Anything thats taking him outside the paint where none of his natural gifts can be deployed is a detriment and potentially stunting his development.

[blazeyo]

Even the most gifted athletes of our time needed elite skill level to tap into those tools to make them functional.

At some point. Zion will have to expand his game. He will do fine at the college level just using pure physicality but at the pro level I definitely think the need to improve his shot and/or vision is there unless he grows a couple of inches.

Agreed, I think he needs to continue to grow his perimeter skills (shooting, handles, vision). If he can do that, great skill mixed with that size and athleticism is a very scary combination.

Now if he does continue to grow and gets to say a legit 6'8. We will be talking about a whole different monster.

The skills he needs to develop are the ones that compliment his talents, which are moving without the ball, mid range shot, finishing with his right. Anything thats taking him outside the paint where none of his natural gifts can be deployed is a detriment and potentially stunting his development.

None of what you said was true.

[reanimator]

Even the most gifted athletes of our time needed elite skill level to tap into those tools to make them functional.

At some point. Zion will have to expand his game. He will do fine at the college level just using pure physicality but at the pro level I definitely think the need to improve his shot and/or vision is there unless he grows a couple of inches.

Agreed, I think he needs to continue to grow his perimeter skills (shooting, handles, vision). If he can do that, great skill mixed with that size and athleticism is a very scary combination.

Now if he does continue to grow and gets to say a legit 6'8. We will be talking about a whole different monster.

The skills he needs to develop are the ones that compliment his talents, which are moving without the ball, mid range shot, finishing with his right. Anything thats taking him outside the paint where none of his natural gifts can be deployed is a detriment and potentially stunting his development.

You do realize expanding his game only opens up his game and enhances his strengths, right?

[KobesScarf]

Agreed, I think he needs to continue to grow his perimeter skills (shooting, handles, vision). If he can do that, great skill mixed with that size and athleticism is a very scary combination.

Now if he does continue to grow and gets to say a legit 6'8. We will be talking about a whole different monster.

The skills he needs to develop are the ones that compliment his talents, which are moving without the ball, mid range shot, finishing with his right. Anything thats taking him outside the paint where none of his natural gifts can be deployed is a detriment and potentially stunting his development.

None of what you said was true.

If you watch the plays in he video I posted and think his core competency isn't crashing the boards I don't know what to tell you.

[Hoopz Afrik]

The skills he needs to develop are the ones that compliment his talents, which are moving without the ball, mid range shot, finishing with his right. Anything thats taking him outside the paint where none of his natural gifts can be deployed is a detriment and potentially stunting his development.

None of what you said was true.

If you watch the plays in he video I posted and think his core competency isn't crashing the boards I don't know what to tell you.

If this is the case and he ends up turning into Kenneth Faried that you keep hoping for then he will have severely disappointed.

[KobesScarf]

None of what you said was true.

If you watch the plays in he video I posted and think his core competency isn't crashing the boards I don't know what to tell you.

If this is the case and he ends up turning into Kenneth Faried that you keep hoping for then he will have severely disappointed.

Kenny Faried + Ben Wallace's strength, Russell Westbrook's explosiveness, and Blake Griffin's hands is a multiple time MVP

[madmaxmedia]

If the desire to be great and ability to think a little long term are in him, he obviously has a ton of potential. He should be able to wreck it in college, but I hope he sets his sights much higher and trains accordingly. He's a 67% FT shooter now and 30% 3FG so will hopefully work on his shooting, with those numbers at least he has some fundamentals.

[Catchall]

Prime Larry Johnson

Yep, that's what I was thinking. That seems to be his body type and game. Hope his knees and back hold up.

[crazy_me_87]

If the desire to be great and ability to think a little long term are in him, he obviously has a ton of potential. He should be able to wreck it in college, but I hope he sets his sights much higher and trains accordingly. He's a 67% FT shooter now and 30% 3FG so will hopefully work on his shooting, with those numbers at least he has some fundamentals.

I think somehow the myth spread that Zion has no jumper at all right now.. Some clips even show him shooting an airball.. that does not help..

But at 67% FT and 30% 3FG he is not beyond hope at all. If he can shoot around 70% from the FT line and 30% from three in the NBA he will be a total Monster.. Basically a 6'7 230 Westbrook.. there is no hope stopping that...

As with other Hyper Athletic wings with questional jumpshots people overreact and forget that guys like Zion or Ben Simmons dont need to become 40% 3pt Shooters to be amazing. If they can shoot 30-35% from three they cant be left totally open and thats enough to open up their Games immensly.

With time and effort nearly everybody improves as a shooter to some degree.. People are very negative and assume guys like Zion and Ben will be among they few that wont improve at all.. wich is silly because both are reported to be tireless workers and are obsessed with getting better.

People laughed at Lebron teaching Ben about Shooting... but people forget that Lebron actually has become a good enough shooter. If Ben can become the Shooter Lebron is the Leauge is in huge trouble...

Same goes for Zion.. He does not need a good jumper... an even slightly below average one would totally suffice.

[The-Power]

Basically a 6'7 230 Westbrook..

Without the ballhandling, playmaking and insane attacking mindset. And let's also wait and see how explosive he's going to be in the NBA compared to someone like Westbrook.

[crazy_me_87]

Basically a 6'7 230 Westbrook..

Without the ballhandling, playmaking and insane attacking mindset. And let's also wait and see how explosive he's going to be in the NBA compared to someone like Westbrook.

Cant agree ... He has good ball handling for a guy his size has played PG as a Kid and if you watch more than some dunking highlights you can see that he can pass really well.. and he clearly has that insane attacking mindset. He even said so that Westbrooks mindset is an inspiration for him.

He is extremly explosive for a guy his size period.. he wont suddenly be unathletic in the NBA.. He wont bully people as much as he does now but he is fast as hell has great touch around the Rim and is creative with layups and floaters. He will be fine.

[Kolkmania]

The times I've seen him I always ended up being impressed by his vision and willingness to share the ball. His handles need some work, but the kid is 16 years old and he's already improved throughout his high school career. He's the number #1 prospect in 2019 for me, with Cameron Reddish and RJ Barrett completing the top three at the moment.

Shame that the kid is framed as a one-trick pony who dominates with his frame and dunks because of YouTube mixtapes.

[Duke4life831]

The times I've seen him I always ended up being impressed by his vision and willingness to share the ball. His handles need some work, but the kid is 16 years old and he's already improved throughout his high school career. He's the number #1 prospect in 2019 for me, with Cameron Reddish and RJ Barrett completing the top three at the moment.

Shame that the kid is framed as a one-trick pony who dominates with his frame and dunks because of YouTube mixtapes.

Agreed 100%. Ive been singing his praises when it comes to his IQ since I first started watching him. Its not something you see in the mixtapes because the mixtapes are just 4-5 minutes of crazy dunks. But if you watch the game the dude just seems to always make the right plays. He seems to always make the pass if its the better scenario and he never takes bad shots. When you watch him against more elite competition you see his vision/passing and shot IQ a lot more.

[crazy_me_87]

The times I've seen him I always ended up being impressed by his vision and willingness to share the ball. His handles need some work, but the kid is 16 years old and he's already improved throughout his high school career. He's the number #1 prospect in 2019 for me, with Cameron Reddish and RJ Barrett completing the top three at the moment.

Shame that the kid is framed as a one-trick pony who dominates with his frame and dunks because of YouTube mixtapes.

Agreed 100%. Ive been singing his praises when it comes to his IQ since I first started watching him. Its not something you see in the mixtapes because the mixtapes are just 4-5 minutes of crazy dunks. But if you watch the game the dude just seems to always make the right plays. He seems to always make the pass if its the better scenario and he never takes bad shots. When you watch him against more elite competition you see his vision/passing and shot IQ a lot more.

Very True.. He may not be a Lebron or Ben Simmons type of passer(those passes show up on highlight Reels) but watching some whole Games i have seen some really good Passes. And honestly ball handling just as good as Lebron. His IQ is also really great as you said. He makes the right play.

I would not be suprised at all if starting in College people will be shocked by his all around Game and especially passing. Once he has Teammates that can make shots people will notice how well he can pass the Ball. I would not be shocked by 3.5 - 4 Apg in College.

His defense is also severely underrated. Yes some blocks are shown in the Highlights but he is actually a very good all around defender who plays hard defense almost all the time.

To show is IQ a quote from a recent interview when he was asked what he thinks most people dont know about his game:

" I make my teammates better. I can handle the ball, I can play positions one through four. Of course, that’s not going to show when all you show is dunk highlights. I don’t let that stuff bother me, I just go out there and show the scouts and stuff why I’m one of the best."

Amazing clarity, awareness from a 17 yo Kid.

Yes his jumpshot has a long way to go but he seems to be an insane worker(you dont get as ripped and huge at 15-17 unless you arent even with good genetics..) so i dont have a doubt he can at least become a servicable shooter one day (30 + 3pt FG% and 70+ FT%) wich would make him basically unguardable.

I think the Lebron comparisons are fair in terms of raw Physical unfairness and overall BBIQ.. He is not a Copy of Lebron though.. in terms of Playstyle he is propably more of a Scorer. So instead of 27/7/7 more like 30/8/4 as his signature/Prime Stat line

[Marcus]

I'm still waiting to catch him in some live games so I can see for myself. Anybody know if he's on the AAU circuit and which team he's with?

[reanimator]

I'm still waiting to catch him in some live games so I can see for myself. Anybody know if he's on the AAU circuit and which team he's with?

Done with AAU, I believe. Was on the Adidas Gauntlet with SC Supreme.

[Marcus]

I'm still waiting to catch him in some live games so I can see for myself. Anybody know if he's on the AAU circuit and which team he's with?

Done with AAU, I believe. Was on the Adidas Gauntlet with SC Supreme.

damn. feels like i'll legit be waiting until college to see this kid against anybody with size. Only other time was during the HSAA circuit at one of those New York pier games.

Hoop Summit maybe but it all depends on the level of talent on the international scale.

[reanimator]

I'm still waiting to catch him in some live games so I can see for myself. Anybody know if he's on the AAU circuit and which team he's with?

Done with AAU, I believe. Was on the Adidas Gauntlet with SC Supreme.

damn. feels like i'll legit be waiting until college to see this kid against anybody with size. Only other time was during the HSAA circuit at one of those New York pier games.

Hoop Summit maybe but it all depends on the level of talent on the international scale.

I've seen him live a few times. Really isn't fun to watch IMO. Uses sheer strength to overpower at and around the rim and doesn't really need to display the J or ball skills often.

Outside of a marquee matchup here and there in college, it'll be really is hard to evaluate Zion's game as far as translation to the pros.