Zion Williamson in the NBA?

[carrrnuttt]

I think he's going to underwhelm in his rookie year. The expectations and hype are just absurd atm.

Ppl have been saying this, since his HS days. Hes going to continue to show all the doubters wrong again.

Not to mention the double-standards are insane.

The same people talking down on his competition (college players) are touting how great LeBron looked in HIGH SCHOOL.

[Goon]

Jezus, are some seriously saying he will be "better than Lebron" or is my sarcasm detector broken? Yes, both just out of this world physical specimens, but the resemblance stops there. LeBrons BBIQ and skill level is just so much more advanced.

[PlatinumState]

Pretty easy bet to make that he won't be as good or better than Lebron or close. Ridiculously high bar to set.

I wouldnt say thats a easy bet at all. I bet you most people would've said if asked back in 2003 its a easy bet that Lebron wont be as good or better than Vince Carter.

No, they wouldn't have. Everyone was sour on Vince Carter already by then, and LeBron was already being touted as a Jordan/Magic hybrid.

Not true. No one was sour on Vince in 2003.

[Audo]

He has the adult build of a young Lebron, but I dont think he has the talent or skillset that Lebron had when he first came into the league.

Lebron is the only player who adapted to the fast pace and toughness of the NBA since day one.

There is a chance Zion does the same, but keep in mind the current era of basketball is vastly different from when Lebron first came into the league in '03. I think Zion would be much more successful back then as opposed to entering the league next year.

[Johnny Bball]

Pretty easy bet to make that he won't be as good or better than Lebron or close. Ridiculously high bar to set.

I wouldnt say thats a easy bet at all. I bet you most people would've said if asked back in 2003 its a easy bet that Lebron wont be as good or better than Vince Carter.

If it weren’t an easy bet you would be suggesting an amount.

[Shock Defeat]

Zion is an instant 20-10 guy in the NBA. I would be surprised if he averages less than 17 PPG his rookie year. If all he knows how to do is dunk, finish at the rim, and set picks, he can score that off of his athleticism and motor alone.

You pick that guy #1 without hesitation. He's a lock to be 20-10 in the NBA. That's aside from his tremendous potential.

[r0drig0lac]

Kemp + Randle hybrid and lol in Luka being a better prospect than Davis (to name just one)

[hype_2004]

Zion is a once in a generation physical freak much like Shaq and LeBron. I mean there's no one in the history of the NBA that moves that fast with that massive size/strength. Zions physical profile is that of an NFL defensive lineman, just pure brute strength with speed and awesome jumping ability. This is like when God gave Casey Hampton the skills to be a basketball player, Zion is a rare athlete if not the first ever of his kind.

[zimpy27]

High School LeBron wasn't meant to be better than LeBron and high school LeBron looked better than Zion.

Let's not lay these expectations on the guy.

[BudenFerry]

He is so far outside the norm that its nearly impossible to project him. The one thing that really sticks out is that he is off ball dominant. That is to say, he isn't pounding the ball and having the entire team run through him. There is a long highlight reel of him online and something like 90% of the plays are ones where he has the ball for less than 2 seconds.

I think that if a team tries to run their entire offense through him, they will be disappointed. If someone else runs the offense and Zion just is free to run around and get quick post ups, lobs, catch and drive, etc. stuff I think he will put up big numbers on huge efficiency and have epic on off based numbers but at the same time, he will have a vocal group of detractors who call him out for not being a traditional isolation scorer.

I strongly disagree with those who don't think he has a good basketball IQ. For his age, its off the charts and yeah, his motor is crazy too. I have been watching basketball for a very long time and never seen anything like him.

Sounds like he needs to play with Trae

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[og15]

I think he is going to be better than Lebron.

So the GOAT basically, because anyone better than Lebron is either the GOAT or one of the contenders

[levon]

Last night from around 15 minutes to 10 minutes left in the first half was the most dominent I have ever seen someone be on a basketball court

If you watched the full game last night against Syracuse, you would understand the Lebron comparisons; If you didn't, then this sounds like lunacy but I would recommend you go watch the first 10ish minutes of the game

I just watched it. All I see is uncontested dunks and putbacks against 150lb white guys. I don't see a breadth of skills in that span that would suggest he's going to be even a positive NBA player right now. Which is fine, almost all rooks are negatives. But man, you need to watch more basketball if you thought that was the most dominant stretch of basketball in your life.

This hype is getting in the way of me actually enjoying him as a basketball player, and I hate it.

[og15]

He has the adult build of a young Lebron, but I dont think he has the talent or skillset that Lebron had when he first came into the league.

Lebron is the only player who adapted to the fast pace and toughness of the NBA since day one.

There is a chance Zion does the same, but keep in mind the current era of basketball is vastly different from when Lebron first came into the league in '03. I think Zion would be much more successful back then as opposed to entering the league next year.

Do you mean only player at that similar age because if not, that isn't an accurate statement. Even a guy like Blake, though he missed his real rookie year adapted to the pace and toughness of the NBA right away.

[GreatWhiteStiff]

Pretty easy bet to make that he won't be as good or better than Lebron or close. Ridiculously high bar to set.

People were saying stuff like this when bron was coming into the league and getting compared to guys. Same with other greats.

[NO-KG-AI]

I wouldnt say thats a easy bet at all. I bet you most people would've said if asked back in 2003 its a easy bet that Lebron wont be as good or better than Vince Carter.

No, they wouldn't have. Everyone was sour on Vince Carter already by then, and LeBron was already being touted as a Jordan/Magic hybrid.

Not true. No one was sour on Vince in 2003.

Vince's scoring had already dropped over the last two seasons, he was hurt all the time, and the Raptors hadn't made the playoffs since 01, and he was about a year away from completely quitting to force a trade, People were turning on Vince before 03, and almost no one still thought he was the next Jordan or anything close to it. Get real.

Most people would not have taken Vince in 03 over rookie LeBron, he hadn't accomplished anything at all, and this analogy sucks. LeBron is a GOAT candidate, and Zion isn't that level. Vince was nowhere close to being even top 30 all time, and LeBron was the most hyped prospect possibly of all time.

[levon]

Pretty easy bet to make that he won't be as good or better than Lebron or close. Ridiculously high bar to set.

People were saying stuff like this when bron was coming into the league and getting compared to guys. Same with other greats.

I don't think a lot of these hype people remember Lebron coming into the league. I'm 25 and I hardly remember it.

[dhsilv2]

I'm more and more thinking Zion looks like what Shaq and Chucks eventual love child will look like. I have no idea how his game translates but the guy will be unique.

[HMFFL]

All-Star level? At 38 years old I have never seen a player of his caliber at the College level.

If he's not at least an All-Star caliber player I'll be shocked, players who are that special physically and have some semblance of skills/IQ/motor don't turn into busts.

Prove me wrong.

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[HMFFL]

Players this hyped up rarely meet the expectations. He's athletically gifted, but he hasn't shown an IQ to match LeBron. Charles Barkley is his ceiling (that's a compliment btw)

The last time a player was this hyped was Lebron James in high school.

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[Johnny Bball]

Pretty easy bet to make that he won't be as good or better than Lebron or close. Ridiculously high bar to set.

People were saying stuff like this when bron was coming into the league and getting compared to guys. Same with other greats.

Lebron came into his draft year and league with people knowing well in advance he would be great and he would clearly go number 1 at 18years old from high school. The same cannot be said about Williamson at the start of this year or last year. I don’t recall an of these “people” you talk about. If you think it’s a safe bet or good chance to say Zion will be Lebron James, you’re not good at betting. If I took the other side of this I would be asking for really long odds.