New Orleans Pelicans: 5 reasons Zion Williamson is a no-brainer at No. 1

5. Zion is the best offensive player in the draft

Zion Williamson is an unstoppable force on the basketball court. His combination of scoring and efficiency were untouchable during the college basketball season. His most popular means of getting the sphere through the hoop were rim-rattling, crowd-frenzying dunks.

Yet his offensive game is so much more than dunks. He is the most accomplished layup taker and maker not just in this year’s class, but perhaps ever. He attacks the rim and can use a variety of moves, hops and spins to get clean looks. No matter his angle or the direction of his momentum, Zion seems to always finish inside, due in part to his unheard of combination of size, strength and balance.

Overall, he averaged 22.6 points in just 30.0 minutes per game, shooting an outrageous 68 percent from the floor and 74.7 percent on 2-point looks. He also made 33.8 percent of his 2.2 long range attempts per game.

His jump shot will get a lot of analysis, and understandably so. A Zion Williamson who can shoot reliably from outside goes from star to game-breaker. His current shot is flat — a characteristic that is unlikely to work well against NBA length, but is certainly correctable. If he can develop that shot over the next few seasons, it will be a tremendous boost to his already prodigious skill-set.

One should not just characterize Williamson as a scorer, either. He flashed his passing ability from game one at Duke, throwing transition dimes through traffic to set up teammates and averaging 2.1 assists per game. He is also relentless attacking the offensive glass and should continue to generate extra possessions for his NBA team. While there are better shooters and passers in the draft, no player brings so much to the table offensively as Williamson.