Zion Williamson

[TMU]

No brainer here. If I were a future NBA prospect there's no other school I'd rather go to other than Duke.

[akhan786]

My point still stands though. Now that he's going to Duke, I wish even more that he transferred to a Oak Hill type school. I don't think he's getting that much better playing against these middle schoolers you see in his highlights.

That's why I still think its 1. RJ 2. Cam 3. Zion on my draft board.

[Duke4life831]

Not going to lie I thought it was a foregone conclusion he was going elsewhere. Insiders on other sites (well connected insiders) and my personal insiders connected to the team all thought he was going elsewhere. So I didn't pay attention to his announcement and didn't find out until right now and reading this thread haha. What a time to be a Duke fan haha.

[Duke4life831]

Forgive me but I gotta hit this place up with a few of these

[Duke4life831]

Damn. @Duke4life831, how does it feel to be fan of the Warriors and Duke these days? Two evil empires, two ‘unfairly stacked‘ teams, two unprecedented favorites.

Well, this team is going to be must-see TV. The three top prospects of a class in which these 3 are currently in a tier of their own? I hope some veteran teams can at least challenge them next year. I mean, who's going the second most talented team next year? Perhaps Oregon if Troy Brown stays, with the additions of Bol and King as well as another year of development from Wooten, Pritchard and E. Brown – but that's already a huge drop-off compared to Duke's nuclear arsenal.

I just hope that Reddish won't play too passive next to Zion and Barrett. He's the one guy I fear is most likely to ‘float around‘ for stretches during games and I believe that he has the biggest upside of all. Not sure I like the big-3 combo in terms of maximizing talent and development but it sure as hell is going to be fun to watch. Wow.

Any words of who might stay from the current roster? Any chance Duval or Trent will return if their stock keeps being relatively low?

I also have my underdog team in Minny in the NFC championship tomorrow, been a fan since 98 when I was just 7 (my first team I have ever followed as a fan). So right now I'm in a good spot in sports haha.

When it comes to who is returning, right now Bagley, Carter and Duval are all gone for sure. I know there have been some rumblings that Trent may come back because hes been off to a really rough start this year, but his play has turned around in the last few games and with this news, there really wouldn't be any room for him as a starter. I expect him to go unless he hears he will go undrafted.

Right now the expected lineup has to be Tre/Cam/RJ/Zion/Javin. I could see Bolden starting and having Javin come off the bench, but I expect that first lineup to be the most used. I do kind of wonder how Cam is feeling about all of this, he was the first one to commit so I wonder if he was hoping for like an Ingram type situation where he would be the only big OAD, or if hes cool with being apart of another star trio like we had in 2015 with Tyus/Winslow/Okafor. The thing with Cam I think his game is best to fit alongside a bunch of stars because of his ability to play off the ball and his ability to be a backup facilitator. But like you said, his intensity is his biggest question mark and I'm very curious on how hes going to handle this situation.

[Duke4life831]

[quote="Duke4life831"]

Yup I'm hearing it's down to Clemson and UK with Clemson looking like the favorites. Still holding out hope this turns into a Kevin Knox type situation and he shocks everyone and chooses a team that most didn't think had a chance. Come on Duke haha.
quote]

From a few weeks ago, see I told you all this was going to happen. No but in all seriousness, I had 0 hope this was actually going to happen. Still in shock that Cam/RJ/Zion are all going to be on the same team next year and its the team I love haha.

[azcatz11]

No brainer here. If I were a future NBA prospect there's no other school I'd rather go to other than Duke.

We should look at the tiers here.

1st Tier
Duke
Kentucky

2nd Tier
Arizona
Kansas
UNC
MSU

[The-Power]

I do kind of wonder how Cam is feeling about all of this, he was the first one to commit so I wonder if he was hoping for like an Ingram type situation where he would be the only big OAD, or if hes cool with being apart of another star trio like we had in 2015 with Tyus/Winslow/Okafor.

At least publicly he stated that he definitely wants Zion to commit and that he's going to recruit him – that was just a couple days ago iirc. I do believe him but I'm not sure it's the best for his personal development. On the other hand if he can prove to be effective and dominant alongside other top players, that's going to be a great sign for the NBA.

Also damn, I totally forgot about Tre for a second. Having seen enough of him but if he's going to be anything like his brother then that's the perfect PG for Duke. And of course then there's no reason for Duval and Trent to come back unless their stock plummets which is not really to be expected. This has to be the best recruiting class ever.

[doordoor123]

I don’t get why top prospects would want to be on the same team. Sure you make sure you’re a lottery pick or close to it, but if you’re competing for the #1 pick it doesn’t make sense because one of those players will outplay the others just because they’re more featured. If they went to a team that is built around them and they succeed they have a much better chance of going higher. Duke is going to destroy college basketball next year.

[Duke4life831]

I do kind of wonder how Cam is feeling about all of this, he was the first one to commit so I wonder if he was hoping for like an Ingram type situation where he would be the only big OAD, or if hes cool with being apart of another star trio like we had in 2015 with Tyus/Winslow/Okafor.

At least publicly he stated that he definitely wants Zion to commit and that he's going to recruit him – that was just a couple days ago iirc. I do believe him but I'm not sure it's the best for his personal development. On the other hand if he can prove to be effective and dominant alongside other top players, that's going to be a great sign for the NBA.

Also damn, I totally forgot about Tre for a second. Having seen enough of him but if he's going to be anything like his brother then that's the perfect PG for Duke. And of course then there's no reason for Duval and Trent to come back unless their stock plummets which is not really to be expected. This has to be the best recruiting class ever.

Ya right now they seem to be almost the consensus top 3 players, there is a really solid chance Duke may end up having the 1st, 2nd and 3rd picks in the draft.

And ya when it comes to Tre, he is a lot like his brother. Very smart with the ball, the type of PG that is almost perfect for a team like this because he is very selfless. Hes not as good of a shooter as Tyus was coming into Duke but he is much further along defensively than Tyus was. So Im really stoked to see him with this bunch. The crazy thing is, Tre is already being kind of overlooked because of the top guys that Duke has landed and no doubt hes going to be overlooked a lot during the season, the dude is right ranked as the 10th best recruit on ESPN and 7th for RSCI's composite rankings. Right now Duke has 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 7th recruits in the RSCI rankings, that is flat out ridiculous.

[clyde21]

My point still stands though. Now that he's going to Duke, I wish even more that he transferred to a Oak Hill type school. I don't think he's getting that much better playing against these middle schoolers you see in his highlights.

That's why I still think its 1. RJ 2. Cam 3. Zion on my draft board.

Wait, are all three of these guys going to the same school now?

[Duke4life831]

My point still stands though. Now that he's going to Duke, I wish even more that he transferred to a Oak Hill type school. I don't think he's getting that much better playing against these middle schoolers you see in his highlights.

That's why I still think its 1. RJ 2. Cam 3. Zion on my draft board.

Wait, are all three of these guys going to the same school now?

Isnt it a beautiful thing.

[clyde21]

My point still stands though. Now that he's going to Duke, I wish even more that he transferred to a Oak Hill type school. I don't think he's getting that much better playing against these middle schoolers you see in his highlights.

That's why I still think its 1. RJ 2. Cam 3. Zion on my draft board.

Wait, are all three of these guys going to the same school now?

Isnt it a beautiful thing.

You're a Warriors, Duke and Vikings fan. Life must be good.

[Duke4life831]

Wait, are all three of these guys going to the same school now?

Isnt it a beautiful thing.

You're a Warriors, Duke and Vikings fan. Life must be good.

Not going to lie, the mid 2000s werent the greatest. But right now my 3 teams are looking real good right now and its a great thing. I will have to say the Vikings feel the best out of all of them. Been a die hard since I was 7 and talk about an unlucky team haha. If the Vikings can pull off the win tomorrow, it will be a hell of a week. Sunday the Minnieppolas miracle, Monday a Duke win over Miami, then today with Duke's win and now Zion. A win tomorrow completes the ultimate sports week for me. GS's game by game results in the regular season have such a small impact on me right now (I know that wouldve been crazy to say 5 years ago) that tonight's loss has pretty much 0 negative affect on my sports week haha. Need that win tomorrow though.

[CptCrunch]

So I'm watching some Zion highlights.

6'5" barefeet, 272 lbs. This kid needs to lose some weight.

Looks more explosive than LeBron. Someone 272 should not be jumping like that.

What position will he play in the league?

[Duke4life831]

So I'm watching some Zion highlights.

6'5" barefeet, 272 lbs. This kid needs to lose some weight.

Looks more explosive than LeBron. Someone 272 should not be jumping like that.

What position will he play in the league?

Definitely needs to lose some weight. Im really curious what he could look like if he can get down to a shredded 250-255. I think weight is going to be a major factor in his career. I think he is the type of guy that can put on weight really easily (Kemp, Jabari). Right now you have hope he can become Draymond 2.0. A few things he does have going for him, the dude has a tremendous motor and is a really good rebounder for his size. Now he doesnt have the 7'1" wingspan and 8'10" standing reach like Draymond. The last measurements for Zion I believe are a 6'10" wingspan and an 8'7" standing reach. But who knows if the elite athleticism can make up for that. So if Im K and Im whoever is the coach that gets him at the NBA level, Im doing my best to make him Draymond. Right now he doesnt have the perimeter skills to be a 3.

[clyde21]

So I'm watching some Zion highlights.

6'5" barefeet, 272 lbs. This kid needs to lose some weight.

Looks more explosive than LeBron. Someone 272 should not be jumping like that.

What position will he play in the league?

Yhea, someone that size should not be that explosive. It's unreal. He's going to be a menace in the open court.

[CelticsWin5]

Wait, are all three of these guys going to the same school now?

Isnt it a beautiful thing.

You're a Warriors, Duke and Vikings fan. Life must be good.

How is life good for a Vikings fan? We celebrate winning a playoff game now? When was the last time they won a Title? Life won’t be so great when they lose to the patriots or tomorrow to the eagles

[Duke4life831]

Isnt it a beautiful thing.

You're a Warriors, Duke and Vikings fan. Life must be good.

How is life good for a Vikings fan? We celebrate winning a playoff game now? When was the last time they won a Title? Life won’t be so great when they lose to the patriots or tomorrow to the eagles

The great thing about the Vikings and the same with the Warriors a few years ago. Ya a playoff win (playoff series win in GS terms) feels/felt damn good. The agonizing defeats year after year make these wins, especially a win like last Sunday's feel amazing. Viking fans should celebrate a playoff victory, theyre rare. Im not ashamed to admit that. Just like TimberWolves fans should celebrate a playoff series win this year, or Northwestern fans should celebrate just getting into the tournament. I no longer celebrate if GS wins the first round series, I expect it. Same goes for Duke, I dont celebrate getting into the tournament or getting to a sweet 16. Ill start to celebrate conference final victories for GS and sweet 16 and above victories for Duke.

[crazy_me_87]

Meh.. its kinda Lame that the Top 3 Prospects are all going to one Team ... i always prefer a Top Prospect beeing by himself so you can get a glimpse of how he would look as a clear No1 Option on a Team.