Rookie Discussion [19/20] [part I]

[clyde21]

Biggest takeaways watching Zion thus far is that he is actually quite great at finishing below the rim if he has to because he's got such fantastic touch and body control, and he's a deceptively good passer. Nothing flashy, but he sees open teammates and makes decisions quickly.

this just in: Zion is actually a really good bball player, not just an athlete

[MemphisX]

I will still wait until I see Ja against NBA competition but it will be hard for any rookie to counter Zion's production, hype and TV appearances.

[Clyde Frazier]

BREAKING: Zion is good at basketball.

[His burst to the rim after he gets his first step and agility to finish inside on non-dunks really is off the charts.]

[Clyde Frazier]

Bazley spent the whole year living with Mike Miller and getting training from him and Penny Hardaway

Throw in his $1 mil "internship" at New Balance and not a bad way to spend the year preparing for the NBA.

[Duke4life831]

I really can't blame people for just starting to catch onto all the small things that makes Zion great. These are things you really cant pickup from highlights and I also cant blame anyone for not wanting to sit down and watch college basketball.

The crazy dunks are the things that fill up the highlights, but its the crazy high IQ on the offensive end which always puts him in perfect positions and allows him to make the perfect cuts at the right time, the fact that he isn't just a dunker at the rim its the fact that he has crazy good touch which means he can use his crazy body control and hang time to finish with layups. He doesn't have the handle to be the primary ball handler yet, but you can see he is a willing passer and has good vision and is able to rack up a solid amount of assists even though he rarely is running the offense.

Just wait until he gets into shape and catches up to the speed of the NBA and his defense comes along. There is a reason he dominated college basketball like we haven't seen in a couple decades.

[rate_]

All rookie 1st team predictions

G Morant
G Herro
F Barrett
F Zion
F Rui

[clyde21]

All rookie 1st team predictions

G Morant
G Herro
F Barrett
F Zion
F Rui

hmm, i think that looks good

maybe Hunter instead of Rui at F or Brandon Clarke if we put a C in there

[clyde21]

i'll do 1st and 2nd team predictions

1st team
G Morant
G Herro
F Barrett
F Zion
F Hunter

2nd team
G Garland
G NAW
F Rui
F Clarke
C Gafford

[Kabookalu]

My Zion hot take is that he has young Jordan's athleticism, but is an inch taller and is in the body of a linebacker. It's not just the vertical, but the first step and body control. The hang time of Zion is magical. His first step, Jesus sometimes he looks like a glitch, it's surreal seeing a kid with his mass burst like that; it's at worst a top 3 quickest first step ever (Jordan and Iverson being the other contenders). Though it's the body control I draw the most parallels with Jordan. Zion never looks like he's ever going to trip over himself, and that's remarkable considering his body size and how explosive he is. Every time he does a spin move I always think he's going to succumb to his momentum and fall. Instead he's exploding off of the ground and finishing with ease. Vertical isn't that special in isolation if you can't keep your balance to make full use of it, and in basketball your balance is always going to be compromised. Zion can jump off the ground no matter how tangled his feet are and how much contact he took in the 5 seconds before.

My few posts in this topic have been fawning over Zion, but I really can't help it (and the Pelicans board is dead so there's nowhere else for me to go LOL). Zion is that special.

[manlisten]

I really can't blame people for just starting to catch onto all the small things that makes Zion great. These are things you really cant pickup from highlights and I also cant blame anyone for not wanting to sit down and watch college basketball.

The crazy dunks are the things that fill up the highlights, but its the crazy high IQ on the offensive end which always puts him in perfect positions and allows him to make the perfect cuts at the right time, the fact that he isn't just a dunker at the rim its the fact that he has crazy good touch which means he can use his crazy body control and hang time to finish with layups. He doesn't have the handle to be the primary ball handler yet, but you can see he is a willing passer and has good vision and is able to rack up a solid amount of assists even though he rarely is running the offense.

Just wait until he gets into shape and catches up to the speed of the NBA and his defense comes along. There is a reason he dominated college basketball like we haven't seen in a couple decades.

I don't like college ball but I try to watch the top prospects at least once. I saw Zion play maybe 2 or 3 times at Duke and those little things you mentioned are what really stood out, along with his crazy motor. Guy was a ball of energy and constantly bouncing on his toes, like a little kid with ants in his pants . He fits the Lonzo/Draymond mold of a player that's just everywhere on the court making the game easier for everybody but with the element of fear to his offense. I'm surprised he doesn't get more Draymond comparisons but I guess that's not sexy enough for a #1 pick.

[clyde21]

My Zion hot take is that he has young Jordan's athleticism, but is an inch taller and is in the body of a linebacker. It's not just the vertical, but the first step and body control. The hang time of Zion is magical. His first step, Jesus sometimes he looks like a glitch, it's surreal seeing a kid with his mass burst like that; it's at worst a top 3 quickest first step ever (Jordan and Iverson being the other contenders). Though it's the body control I draw the most parallels with Jordan. Zion never looks like he's ever going to trip over himself, and that's remarkable considering his body size and how explosive he is. Every time he does a spin move I always think he's going to succumb to his momentum and fall. Instead he's exploding off of the ground and finishing with ease. Vertical isn't that special in isolation if you can't keep your balance to make full use of it, and in basketball your balance is always going to be compromised. Zion can jump off the ground no matter how tangled his feet are and how much contact he took in the 5 seconds before.

My few posts in this topic have been fawning over Zion, but I really can't help it (and the Pelicans board is dead so there's nowhere else for me to go LOL). Zion is that special.

yup...people had no idea, just watch some highlight packages and pretend 'OH HE JUST A DUNKER' 'OH BUT CAN HE SHOOT'...we're talking about a top 3 gifted athlete to ever walk on the court, and I'm not talking about vertical, but speed, explosiveness, first step, balance, coordination, dude glides in the air...he's an anomaly, and add in the fact that he's a smart basketball player, team-first guy who does all the little things...and people had the audacity to compare him to Anthony Bennett earlier...just wild.

this guy is the real deal, as real as it gets people...he's headed for the top 15 all time barring god forbid injury.

[manlisten]

Am I the only one who doesn't really care for the Hawks? I think even if everyone fulfills their potential they will ultimately be.. the Hawks. Feel-good regular season team and perennial 2nd round exit. I'm not too high on any of their prospects aside from Hunter and Bembry. I really don't like bigs that can't defend and Collins is very much Amare with a 3 ball instead of a midrange game. As a group they're a poor man's SSOL Suns.

[stoo]

i'll do 1st and 2nd team predictions

1st team
G Morant
G Herro
F Barrett
F Zion
F Hunter

2nd team
G Garland
G NAW
F Rui
F Clarke
C Gafford

where is mpj

[rate_]

Among this season lottery picks (1-14) in the preseason TOP 5 in order

PPG
Zion, RJ, PJ, Herro, Coby

RPG
Clarke, RJ, Rui, Zion, Herro/PJ

APG
Ja, Zion, Herro/RJ, Hunter/Coby

PER
Zion, PJ, Garland, Herro, Rui/Ja

WS
Zion, Herro, Ja, PJ, Rui

[Dacost]

Wonder what's going to happend when teams pack the paint againts Zion and Ball and force them to shot.

[BlazersBroncos]

Wonder what's going to happend when teams pack the paint againts Zion and Ball and force them to shot.

Zion is a tremendous passer given his age. To have such a good feel for the game, especially in terms of passing, is really unique. The guy could have simply dominated using his athleticism from a young age and not really need to pass. But he has such an insane natural feel for the game that passing is way better than one would expect from a guy that never really needed to pass.

I do think that Ingram may be an issue. If he was on a rookie contract, you keep him around as the 6th man for a few seasons. That's a role that fits him in NO. But in the SL? IDK, a sharpshooter at SF would fit better. Not sure who that would be.

[3toheadmelo]

i'll do 1st and 2nd team predictions

1st team
G Morant
G Herro
F Barrett
F Zion
F Hunter

2nd team
G Garland
G NAW
F Rui
F Clarke
C Gafford

I think that's what I would predict as well. But I would probably switch Hunter with Rui.

[spacemonkey]

Read on Twitter

So much is made of Zion's pure athleticism, but not enough credit is given to how he has an almost unique instinct on *how to use* his body. This crosses over into the bball IQ territory, and not just run-and-jump territory.

Zion's the real deal.

[Sixerscan]

Read on Twitter

So much is made of Zion's pure athleticism, but not enough credit is given to how he has an almost unique instinct on *how to use* his body. This crosses over into the bball IQ territory, and not just run-and-jump territory.

Zion's the real deal.

Zion's gonna be great and all, but I'm not sure I would use the rim protection of Lauri Markkanen and Zach Lavine on that possession as an example of how you can't "pack the paint more than this" against him. That's awful help defense by the two of them (especially Lavine) once he beats Thad off the dribble.

[The_Hater]

Biggest takeaways watching Zion thus far is that he is actually quite great at finishing below the rim if he has to because he's got such fantastic touch and body control, and he's a deceptively good passer. Nothing flashy, but he sees open teammates and makes decisions quickly.

this just in: Zion is actually a really good bball player, not just an athlete

I think this is the part that many of his critics were missing. He can handle and pass, he plays very hard and he has a high bball IQ. That’s generally a winning combination of attributes even if you’re not the strongest player and the best athlete on the floor as well. If he develops his jumper then it’s all over.