Zion Williamson is largely considered the best overall player in a weak draft class. His early exit during the Duke-UNC game and Duke’s double digit loss without him shows the impact he has on the team. His highlights combined with his size and athleticism have made him the most exciting prospect in the country. No one can look at the highlights below and not be wowed by his feats on the court.
His return is crucial to Duke having any chance at keeping their national championship hopes alive. There are quite a few indicators which provide further proof of his astronomical potential. Let’s start with the physical traits that make him a transcendent player.
Elite Athleticism
His numbers at the combine will be incredible but even his numbers will not fully capture the functional athleticism he displays on the court. Many know about the jumping ability and his football-player like build. To provide an idea of how large a human being Zion is; Rob Gronkowski is an NFL player who will be a hall of fame Tight End by the time he retires. He is listed at 6’6″ 268 lbs on the NFL.com website. This size makes him one of the most physically imposing players in the NFL. How does Zion compare in size to one of the most physically dominant players in the NFL?
Zion is listed at 6’7″ 285 lbs on Duke’s basketball website. We just finished discussing Gronkowski’s imposing size yet Zion has an extra inch and 10 plus pounds on him. The size is one thing but his athleticism at his size is what makes him incredible. Human beings of that size should not be near as fast, explosive, agile, and quick as Zion. The first-step; the explosiveness he displays on hop steps; the power to finish through contact; the reaction time on steals; the soft touch displayed at the rim; and the sheer hops to make plays few can make him special. While it is fun to look at the qualitative evidence of what makes Zion special, it’s the quantitative evidence that shows signs of an elite level prospect.
Historic Stats
Zion has elite physical tools; however, this shouldn’t underscore the skill-set he shows on both ends of the floor. His efficiency on the offensive end of the floor is historically excellent. Since player efficiency rating and box plus-minus have been recorded, 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively, he is currently the all time leader in both categories. Zion is the only college basketball player in history who has played at least 700 total minutes with a PER over 40. He is also the only player who has played at least 700 minutes to have a PER over 20 which is ahead of players such as Anthony Davis (18.7), Karl-Anthony Towns (17.3), and Victor Oladipo (17.0). Each one of those players listed has been an NBA All-Star.
Context to The Numbers
His efficiency is especially impressive when considering teams know he isn’t a great shooter and pack the paint to contain his drives. Regardless, he is able to use a variety of moves combined with his quickness and leaping ability to get what he wants in the paint. When considering all three backcourt players in the starting lineup – R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish, and Tre Jones – shoot less than 35 percent from the three point line. He is putting up historical offensive efficiency numbers without ideal spacing around him.
Uniqueness
There has never been a player in basketball quite like Zion Williamson. The common comparisons Zion receives include: Larry Johnson, Draymond Green, Charles Barkley, and Blake Griffin. Each of those players are similar to him; however, none of them are quite as big at 285 lbs. Though Blake Griffin likely comes closest in regards to play style and athleticism, he has never been the defender Zion has proven to be. When combining both steals and blocks we’ll call it stocks. Blake Griffin had 2.5 stocks per 36 minutes while Zion is currently at 5.2 stocks. As good as Blake Griffin is, especially before the injury, he has never been close to the impact defender Zion has proven to be.
One of Zion’s most underrated attributes is his defense. Duke has one of the best defenses in the nation and Zion is a major reason for that. When Zion is on the floor Duke has a defensive rating of 83.8; the next closest defensive rating among Duke players with at least 500 minutes is Marques Bolden at 90.8. That is approximately the difference in defensive rating between sixth place Duke (89.4) and 64th place Toledo (96.5). As huge as his impact is on offense, he might be that much more impactful on the defensive end.
Outlook
Zion is seen as the consensus number one pick for good reason. While the 2019 draft class is seen as a weak draft class this does not diminish Zion’s impact. He has been an impact player for the Duke Blue Devils all season long. It will be only a matter of months until he will provide that same impact to an NBA team.
All stats referenced use www.sports-reference.com unless stated otherwise.
