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NBA Draft Thread: NO trades 4 to ATL (8/17/35)


NYRaider

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Not a fan of Zion as a top pick. Think he is going to dominate at college level with bully ball, but where does he fit in the modern NBA? You compare him to Draymond, but I don't see any real similarities there besides the size and an underwhelming jump shot. That's just a lazy comparison mate. Draymond is special for his defensive abilities, which mostly stem from unreal intangibles. Zion hasn't shown any of that (I mean, how could you in HS? We'll have to wait and see, but that's like projecting a scrawny guard will be Curry from 3. Could happen, probably won't).

IMO the best comparison is Julius Randle, by far. He is slightly more athletic and his shoot is maybe a little bit further ahead, but other than that they're like clones, all the way down to being left handed. Randle was only the #7 pick in 2014, and since then the NBA has become even less friendly to undersized bigs who cannot shoot. Zion will have to quicky develop, and display, a reliable jumper for me to think he belongs in that top 3 pick convo.

For now I think he's still worth a top 6 gamble, see whether or not he can figure out how to translate his offensive game into the NBA.

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6 hours ago, resilient part 2 said:

Is he a 3 point shooter? 

 

He made 0.6 3's per game at a 38% clip last season but he only played 20 minutes a night. He's the most versatile defender in the class though and has the potential to be a defensive stopper at the next level. It'll be interesting to see how he expands on his offensive game this year. 

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34 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

He made 0.6 3's per game at a 38% clip last season but he only played 20 minutes a night. He's the most versatile defender in the class though and has the potential to be a defensive stopper at the next level. It'll be interesting to see how he expands on his offensive game this year. 

I watched Virginia basketball a few times last year one thing I do know is they have a very slow down without a couple of fence and I don't know how much they going to ask him to shoot threes which is why I asked if you can shoot. Who knows but I will keep an eye out

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4 hours ago, RandyMossIsBoss said:

Not a fan of Zion as a top pick. Think he is going to dominate at college level with bully ball, but where does he fit in the modern NBA? You compare him to Draymond, but I don't see any real similarities there besides the size and an underwhelming jump shot. That's just a lazy comparison mate. Draymond is special for his defensive abilities, which mostly stem from unreal intangibles. Zion hasn't shown any of that (I mean, how could you in HS? We'll have to wait and see, but that's like projecting a scrawny guard will be Curry from 3. Could happen, probably won't).

IMO the best comparison is Julius Randle, by far. He is slightly more athletic and his shoot is maybe a little bit further ahead, but other than that they're like clones, all the way down to being left handed. Randle was only the #7 pick in 2014, and since then the NBA has become even less friendly to undersized bigs who cannot shoot. Zion will have to quicky develop, and display, a reliable jumper for me to think he belongs in that top 3 pick convo.

For now I think he's still worth a top 6 gamble, see whether or not he can figure out how to translate his offensive game into the NBA.

If you like RJ Barrett then you should love Zion Williamson, their games are very similar except Zion is built like a bodybuilder and is an elite athlete. It's very difficult to find a player to compare Zion too because there really hasn't ever been a prospect like Zion, even top journalists like Evan Daniels have said that he is the most unique prospect that they've ever evaluated. I made the comparison to Draymond Green with LeBron's athleticism because they have similar physical profiles, Green (6'7", 7'1" WS, 8'10" SR) and Zion (6'7", 6'11" WS, 8'9" SR) but Zion is a much better athlete. 

Julius Randle is probably the laziest comparison that I've seen for Zion, they're absolutely nothing like each other. Randle is a good but not great athlete while Zion is an elite athlete and in the top 1 percentile in terms of athleticism probably across all major sports, he's an absolute freak. Randle is strictly a post player while Zion is a combo forward that will likely be able to play the 3 or the 4 at the next level depending on how his jumper comes along in the next few years. Zion has been running some point forward this year during Duke's exhibitions and his handle looks very good, plus he has one of the quickest first steps in the country at 270 pounds. Looking at his skill-set what NBA 4's are going to be able to stay in front of him with his handle, first step, strength, and ability to finish absolutely everything around the rim? Players like Zion Williamson are 1 in a million while you get multiple Julius Randle level prospects every year. 

 

 

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Just now, resilient part 2 said:

I watched Virginia basketball a few times last year one thing I do know is they have a very slow down without a couple of fence and I don't know how much they going to ask him to shoot threes which is why I asked if you can shoot. Who knows but I will keep an eye out

He's likely going to be the focal point of their offense this year. 

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On 10/29/2018 at 6:56 PM, RandyMossIsBoss said:

Not a fan of Zion as a top pick. Think he is going to dominate at college level with bully ball, but where does he fit in the modern NBA? You compare him to Draymond, but I don't see any real similarities there besides the size and an underwhelming jump shot. That's just a lazy comparison mate. Draymond is special for his defensive abilities, which mostly stem from unreal intangibles. Zion hasn't shown any of that (I mean, how could you in HS? We'll have to wait and see, but that's like projecting a scrawny guard will be Curry from 3. Could happen, probably won't).

IMO the best comparison is Julius Randle, by far. He is slightly more athletic and his shoot is maybe a little bit further ahead, but other than that they're like clones, all the way down to being left handed. Randle was only the #7 pick in 2014, and since then the NBA has become even less friendly to undersized bigs who cannot shoot. Zion will have to quicky develop, and display, a reliable jumper for me to think he belongs in that top 3 pick convo.

For now I think he's still worth a top 6 gamble, see whether or not he can figure out how to translate his offensive game into the NBA.

Zion is a more athletic, better shooting Randle and Randle has actually showed a good ability to shoot this year. Zion is going to be a stud. "Undersized bigs" is the way the league is heading. If Zion can develop any sort of shot he's going to be a stud. Teams want guys who are athletic, can space the floor, and can defend on switches. That could be Zion to a "T".

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On 10/31/2018 at 7:19 AM, MookieMonstah said:

Zion is a more athletic, better shooting Randle and Randle has actually showed a good ability to shoot this year. Zion is going to be a stud. "Undersized bigs" is the way the league is heading. If Zion can develop any sort of shot he's going to be a stud. Teams want guys who are athletic, can space the floor, and can defend on switches. That could be Zion to a "T".

Randle looks like a bull in a china shop trying to create offense outside of the paint. Zion can likely be a secondary ball-handler at the next level. They're much, much different players. 

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