The Master wrote:Duke4life831 wrote:I love me some zion hype as much the next guy. But ya it is only preseason. This goes for the guys that look really good and the ones struggling, it's only preseason.
Well, about Zion it's not even a case of an enthusiasm after preseason games, he hasn't showed anything people watching ZW on regular basis at Duke wouldn't have expected from him to do, it's more about how quickly some critics' prejudice is verified.
NAW is more it's only SL/preseason type of guy because he looks utterly freaking amazing every time he plays since he was drafted. If he plays the way he's played on bigger sample size, Pelicans have Thunder-esque upside with this core of guys and assets they have.
Even with Zion, its still just preseason. Jimmer Fredette as a rookie came in and was the leading scorer for rookies his preseason, he shot 55% from the floor and 67% from 3. Im sure if we go back, there were plenty of posts saying something along the lines of, "of course he wont shoot 67% from 3, but this just shows he can get his shot off with no problem against NBA players, the dude is going to be a legit threat in this league."
I remember watching Bradley Beal as a rookie in preseason and he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with his shot. I remember the Josh Jackson > Tatum talk as well because it looked like Jackson could actually shoot and people thought Tatum couldn't shoot a NBA 3.
Now do I think Zion's game is going to translate? Ya, Ive been saying that on this board since December in 2016. Just saying we still have to remember it is still just preseason. The vets turn it up another notch once the season starts and the biggest thing, coaches start scouting and game planning.