Zion Williamson – “OVERRATED”

By: Tyrone Montgomery Jr.

Headline Photo Credit: Darrell Owens-LMS Network

We all love our shiny new cars. I just got one a few years ago. It was a 2016 Honda Civic. I haven’t had any problems with it what so ever, and I’m expecting that to last at least for the foreseeable future. I love that car. I live in Richmond, VA. That car has taken me to DC, Maryland, all the way to North Carolina in various cities. This year, my fiancé and I decided to purchase yet another vehicle, a 2019 Toyota Rav4. Now, this was a necessity. We could have gotten another sedan. However, we decided to get an SUV for our future of travel. Getting that Rav4 has been a good investment. But it has had a few bumps in the road for us. We have had a few too many trips to Toyota to get some things updated on the car. One, in particular, was the remote start. They haven’t quite mastered or even figured out how to properly install remote start to the 2019 Rav4. And, they’re still trying to solve the equation. This has been a project for Toyota. This brings us to Duke’s Zion Williamson. He has such great size and physical abilities. He’s quite the athlete! Standing at 6’7 tall, 284 pounds, Zion has shown us that he is a man amongst boys in college.

But the only concern is what happens when he does enter the NBA Draft? What happens when he gets into the NBA and he has to play against LeBron, Anthony Davis, and Giannis Antetokounmpo? Well, one thing we do know is he will be drafted #1 Overall in this upcoming NBA Draft. We don’t, however, know who is going to have the #1 Overall Pick. You know how franchises will let suspense play out claiming they don’t know who they will select with their #1 overall pick? They wait right before they get on the clock to announce who they will be selecting with their #1 Over Pick. Yeah, well this time is different. Zion Williamson is a clear cut #1 Overall Pick no matter the fit or even the need. He’s been playing PF in college. The competition while at Duke has been smaller and weaker than him. He clearly has the advantage. But what happens against AD and The Greek Freak? Or even Draymond Green and Blake Griffin? All of these guys are PF’s but are bigger, taller and stronger than Zion. Zion’s a PF in college but will he be in the NBA? What if he has to change positions? That’s another issue in itself. A change in position means a change in your game. That means you have to do things you may not be used to doing or even comfortable at doing. Zion’s a lot like that 2019 Rav4.

As good as he is, as much upside that he may bring, he is and will be a project. Just like that Rav4 has missed a few days on the road, Zion to has missed a few games as well. Unlike R.J. Barrett and the Honda Civic, they both have yet to miss any time. His teammate, on the other hand, R.J. Barrett, is the 2016 Honda Civic. He’s older than Zion, just like the Civic is to the Rav4. He’s also smaller than Zion, just like the Civic is to the Rav4. And he’s more reliable and fully developed, again just like the Civic is to the Rav4. R.J. Barrett is more of the complete player. He fits in perfectly in today’s game in the NBA and will have an immediate impact, unlike Zion Williamson which we don’t know which position he will ultimately play in the league. R.J. Barrett can play both guard positions, and maybe even a little bit of Small Forward too. Essentially, R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson are the same height and size and probably should play the same position. However, Zion is 80 more pounds than Barrett.

In the end, I love what both players can bring to the table. I’m not calling anyone a bust. Because really, these players just need a good situation to come into and they both will be fine. What I am saying is, don’t be surprised if things don’t work out for Zion Williamson in the NBA. We all thought Anthony Bennett was going to make it in the NBA. I’m not trying to scare anyone, but Zion reminds me a lot of Anthony Bennett, and their college numbers are ironically similar as well. Anthony Bennett: 16 PPG/8 RPG….. Zion Williamson: 22 PPG/8 RPG. While Zion is the no brainer with that #1 Pick, a guy like R.J. Barrett will be the safest pick with that #1 Pick