The long-anticipated debut of Zion Williamson is finally upon us, as the number one overall pick in this year’s draft out of Duke is set to take the floor against the Spurs tonight. Williamson hasn’t yet played an NBA game. He suffered a knee injury in Summer League against the Spurs and has been out since October 13.
People have been awaiting his return to the court for weeks. His original timetable was 6 weeks – 8 weeks, but it has now been over three months. People are starting to wonder, is the hype around Williamson worth it?
One freshman basketball player said, “If he can stay healthy, he will be good but limited until he finds a consistent jump shot.”
In the four Summer League games Williamson played in, he averaged 23.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in just 27.3 minutes per game on 71.4 percent shooting from the floor, which is absurdly good. But once again, that is just Summer League or the preseason.
People have been anticipating Williamson’s return even more because of the great play of the second overall pick out of Murray State, Ja Morant. Morant is the front-runner for Rookie of the Year halfway through the season. The first-year guard for the Grizzlies is averaging 17.9 points, 7.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in 37 games this season. His aggressive play has made people expect even more out of Williamson since he was drafted one pick before Morant.
Williamson has all the tools to become a star player in the NBA, maybe even a generational talent if he reaches his full potential and adds a consistent jump shot. Will Williams be able to stay healthy is another question. He weighs 285 pounds and only stands at 6 feet 6 inches tall. At his current weight, he is the second-heaviest player in the NBA, behind only 7 foot 4 inches Boban Marjanovic, who weighs in at 291 pounds.
Will Zion Williamson be a generational player? We will get our first glimpse tonight, against the Spurs.
The former Duke stars’ career begins tonight. Will he live up to his potential?