NBA: Top 10 candidates for 2019-20 NBA Rookie of the Year
By Phil Watson
Zion Williamson. 1. team. 69. . Pelicans.
Zion Williamson was the consensus player of the year in college basketball and the clear-cut favorite to become the No. 1 overall pick in the draft after a standout season at Duke as a freshman.
The New Orleans Pelicans won the lottery and made the pick and will install Williamson as their new power forward come opening night.
He might seem a bit undersized for the power forward position at 6’7″, but at 285 pounds with jump-out-of-the-gym hops, Williamson will be just fine there — think Charles Barkley for a new generation.
At Duke, Williamson averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game, shooting 68 percent overall and hitting 33.8 percent on 2.2 3-point attempts a game.
His jumper and 3-point shooting will be things to watch as his rookie year progresses, but they might be the only glaring weaknesses in his game.
Williamson made only one appearance at the Las Vegas Summer League, in an earthquake-shortened game against the New York Knicks, but he made an impression.
He bruised his knee and was held out for the rest of the session in the desert, with his coach at Duke, Mike Krzyzewski saying later it was a mistake for Williamson to be on the court in Las Vegas at all, per Forbes.com.
Williamson will be attempting to become just the second player in the history of the New Orleans franchise to be named Rookie of the Year, with Chris Paul receiving the award in 2005-06.
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Given his draft position, his talent and the opportunity he has with a Pelicans team that moved on from superstar Anthony Davis this summer, Williamson has to be the heavy favorite.