New Orleans Pelicans: Top players to watch in NBA Summer League

1. Zion Williamson

I mean, duh. Many people associated with the NBA say Zion Williamson is a can’t-miss superstar, and is the most sure thing to enter the league since former Pelican Anthony Davis. Zion has been on the radar of basketball fans since his days in high school when he seemed to go viral every week with a new jaw-dropping dunk.

His star grew even bigger during his time at Duke, as he proved he’s way more than just a dunker and that he’s certainly worth all the hype. Fast forward to today, Zion is arguably the most anticipated player to play in the NBA since the proclaimed “Chosen One,” LeBron James.

So, it is safe to say many people will be tuning in for his debut. It will be very interesting to see how his game will translate to the next level. Before even playing in an official NBA game, Zion said that he has already noticed some differences to the play compared to the college game. “I do like the spacing a lot more, you can’t really stand in the paint so it gives me a lot of room to operate,” Williamson told NBA.com.

Zion’s playmaking and explosiveness to the rim was evident during his time at Duke. However, with him having even more space at the professional level, he will have even more opportunities and driving lanes to the hoop, which will eventually lead to teams over-helping on his drives, leading to kick-outs to open shooters, finding the cut man and making drop-off passes to players down low.

Zion is going to be a very fun player to watch for a very long time, and even though it is only NBA Summer League, his matchup with former college teammate R.J. Barrett and the Knicks on Friday night will be must-watch TV.