I have a question for those who have watch a bit of Zion. Is Zion Williamson a good comparison to Justise Winslow? Obviously Zion is the better Dunker and (maybe) better from a pure athletic stand point “. But as far skill set, which do you all think is the better player? Or will be the better college player? I remember Justise being a monster on defense, a good rebounder and could shoot it from time to time. Do you all think Zion will give us more than what Justise gave us?
Zion Williams Comparison
- Thread starter Duke=Boom!
- Start date
I really hope he can give us the defense that Winslow did. I don't think he will shoot it as well, not that Justise shot that well, but he hit big ones.
I see the Draymond comp. a lot but don't get it. Draymond has better skills than athleticisim. Imo Zion will have a few highlights a game, and avg. about 10ppg. If he ever really gets to shooting that may change. His real value will be if he buys in and become an absolute stud in defense.
I see the Draymond comp. a lot but don't get it. Draymond has better skills than athleticisim. Imo Zion will have a few highlights a game, and avg. about 10ppg. If he ever really gets to shooting that may change. His real value will be if he buys in and become an absolute stud in defense.
And my thing is if he can’t give us what Justise produced for us then who are we getting? I’m just trying to figure out who Zion is. His highlights really overshadow what he can really do.
My hope is that Trent comes back, and Zion is our super sixth man. Winslow seemed a little more in control than Zion. Zion may get a lot of charges unless he alters his game. But he's still really good.
Winslow was a hell of an athlete. I haven’t seen too much of him but based on descriptions I liked the Larry Johnson comp
lol he's not going to be 6th man
I went and watch zion play he reminds me of Larry johnson
Agree. If Trent comes back I wouldn’t be surprised to see Zion start at the 5. There were a few times during the McDAA game where I couldn’t see him down near the basket because he was surrounded by bigger players and then like a rocket he would shoot up above everyone to grab a rebound.
Zion is seems like he will feel Carters shoes nicely. I may be wrong but I’ve been close to both of them and watched both play. Zion seems a little more quicker and explosive. I would compare there physicality the same. @pisgah101 would you agree???
Ok to be honest, that Little kid for the holes made Zion look bad, the couple times they went head to head. If I knew the guy I was facing up was going to my bitter rival I think I would have shown more hustle. That’s just me.
He's more along the lines of a Clarence Weatherspoon. I like the Larry Johnson comparison, but it's kind of early to give him Grand ma ma status. I hope he has a Larry Johnson impact at Duke. But his athleticism is more along the lines of Weatherspoon or Julius Randle.
I don’t know. I don’t remember Weatherspoon doing 360 windmills and monster dunks like Zion. Zion is a freak show.
Not comparing Zion in anyway other than the way players get out of the way for Lebron versus taking a charge. After the first few games, I’d be willing to bet that very few guys will try and step in his way if he’s moving full speed towards the basket to dunk. Part of that will be not wanting to end up on ESPN top plays of the night getting embarrassed and part because the kid is super fast for a kid that’s 6’6 and 235 to 245 pounds and he ain’t afraid to run someone over.
College wise he and Larry Johnson are pretty close. LJ had a little bit nicer jumper I believe, and was 6'6 250 and averaged over 20 a game.
Last edited:
LJ also had some freak arms....not sure about Zions measurements, but LJ had what looked like an 8 foot wing span....eat your heart out Bilas.
Happy we got Zion no doubt but he's going to have develop a shot besides the dunk to be compared to any of the players mentioned. He will do it because he has a desire to do it and understands that he has too. Semi didn't have much of a shot selection when he came to Duke and even though he did leave he improved his game a lot. Zion is better coming out of high school than Semi for sure and if he has an outside shot that opposition has to respect then look out. No one will be able to guard him outside or in. He's just too strong. OFC
Larry Johnson. Zion has a 6’11 wingspan and close to a 48 inch vertical leap. He has great handles for his size.
I believe Trent SHOULD come back.. but in my opinion, there is no chance any of the starters return.. I think the scouts see what Trent has to offer and I don’t see him upping his stock by coming back another year unless he somehow develops point guard skills over the Summer.
"Ok to be honest, that Little kid for the holes made Zion look bad, the couple times they went head to head. If I knew the guy I was facing up was going to my bitter rival I think I would have shown more hustle. That’s just me."
I agree with this statement about the McDonald's AA game. Little bested Zion in their head to head match ups. It wasn't even close. The biggest challenge that Zion has to get used to is the level of competition is going to be vastly superior in the ACC versus playing against high school boys where his physical dominance was almost absolute. In high school he literally could do anything he wanted at any time with very little resistance. It is not so anymore. Plus dunks only have a reward of 2 points, nothing extra for style.
That being said, he reminds me (especially now that he has shed 25lbs), of Lebron James, a physical freak who is unselfish, can handle the ball, pass, and shoot. Larry Johnson has been mentioned and I see the resemblence though it appears that Zion is much more versatile in the open court.
It will be fascianting to see how Coach K molds all this incredible talent into one cohesive unit...
I agree with this statement about the McDonald's AA game. Little bested Zion in their head to head match ups. It wasn't even close. The biggest challenge that Zion has to get used to is the level of competition is going to be vastly superior in the ACC versus playing against high school boys where his physical dominance was almost absolute. In high school he literally could do anything he wanted at any time with very little resistance. It is not so anymore. Plus dunks only have a reward of 2 points, nothing extra for style.
That being said, he reminds me (especially now that he has shed 25lbs), of Lebron James, a physical freak who is unselfish, can handle the ball, pass, and shoot. Larry Johnson has been mentioned and I see the resemblence though it appears that Zion is much more versatile in the open court.
It will be fascianting to see how Coach K molds all this incredible talent into one cohesive unit...
Last edited:
Which would certainly push Bolden to the NBA
I think I rather have Bolden than Trent
Yea, I think Bolden (or another NBA caliber true Center) is a piece of the puzzle we have to have next year..
If not, then we will have an obvious weakness that certain teams will be able to expose, regardless of how good we are at every other position.
Ok maybe he's better than I thought. That dude is pretty fast and agile. Idk he could dribble like that. He definitely can play a Draymond type role effectively. I don't see him at the post much but he's a pretty good ball handler
I hope Bolden stays, but if not, I'd put a Vrank at center. Teams need role players. He could get some put backs, set screens, and get to the foul line--where he shoots pretty well. I bet he could average 7 or 8 points a game and give us good minutes.
Good post. The only problem with what you've said is as long as we're bringing in multiple one and dones, the odds of our bench being productive become slimmer. Vrank, Delaurier, White, OConnell, and Bolden are behind where they should be. Then when they get an opportunity in a game, posters cry because they look lost. Granted, Vrank and White aren't all conference players, but they could be solid role players.
I think Zion is eventually going to be a good to great player. I can see Larry Johnson comparisons for him eventually, I'm just a little worried that we wont see them at Duke. I feel like he may be one of those players that turns out really good in the future but not until he is in the league. Hope i am wrong in that assessment.
I think in a lot of cases, Zion is being underestimated. I have seen enough highlights to see that he has more game than just dunking. He is quick, agile, and appears to have a decent shot. And when he gets the ball around the free throw line area, he is very difficult to stop. Yeah, all those highlights are against high school kids, but every kid in this years class highlights are against high school kids. And in the video Dachamp posted, they are talking about how NBA players and scouts were blown away by how he played against kids bigger and older than him....and won MVP. I think we are in for a real treat
As far as a comparison, a lot of his inside moves reminds me of my all time favorite NBA player....Dominique Wilkins
Similar threads
