NBA Draft 2019: The 5 Prospects Who Will Have The Most Successful Careers
By Chris Kern
Zion Williamson
Now we get into the two really elite draft prospects. You may question why Zion Williamson is 2nd on this list and not number one, but that’s not taking anything away from him. He has all the tools to be a game changer for a franchise.
Some people tried to label him as just a dunker coming into college, but they couldn’t be more wrong. He has shown time and time again that he can impact the game in so many different ways, on both ends of the floor. He is an elite playmaker on the defensive end with his size and athleticism, but he is also an elite playmaker on offense with his ability to attack the basket and create for others.
Coming into the season he was a projected top-five pick, but he wasn’t close to the runaway favorite to be the number one pick. Many even felt that he was the third best prospect on his own team behind R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish.
During his only season at Duke, he played in 33 games since he had to miss a few due to the freak injury against North Carolina where his foot went through his shoe. In those games, he averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game on 68% shooting including 34% from three-point range.
People often try and discredit his shooting ability, but as the season went along he showed he has what it takes to hit three-pointers at a good enough clip. Duke was one of the best teams in the country this past shooting, but their three-point struggles were a big reason they fell short in the NCAA Tournament. That was to the fault of other guys such as Cam Reddish and Tre Jones as their 31% shooting from deep was 329th in the nation.
Williamson has the size and strength to be an elite defender right away. Sure he is only 6’7″, but he is more than capable of playing inside against the majority of the power forwards in the game today. His ability to make plays on the offensive end will make him one of the best two-way players in the game.
Zion Williamson is going to have an amazing NBA career. He has a chance to lead a franchise to greatness while racking up all the personal accolades as well. I expect him to be at least a five-time all-star and maybe a hall-of-fame candidate as well