New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson’s potential is unlike anyone in NBA history

Zion Williamson has an abundance of potential. His case is like something we haven’t seen before and he has the chance to become a phenomenon in the league.

Potential is a word that is probably emphasized too much on many occasions within sports – basketball, in particular. It’s something that brings excitement to fans, but can put enormous amounts of pressure on players and, in many cases, can be more of a negative than a positive thing. New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson‘s case is unique.

In basketball, you can get star players in every draft. Once every so often you get that player who is hyped to become more than a star. Last year’s draft saw this and it was like something we’ve never seen before. Williamson has been known to basketball fans, globally, ever since the videos surfaced online of him throwing down outrageous dunks for his high school team.

After a surreal year at Duke, he entered the draft as an absolute lock for the first overall pick no matter who ended up with the selection. He received the most hype since LeBron James, coming out of high school for the 2003 draft. And even here, with more media and more coverage in today’s era, there’s a concrete argument that Zion could be the most talked-about player in draft history.

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At 6’6″ and 285 lbs with incredible explosiveness, you’re always going to be talked about. But Zion’s skills are on a different level to so many other NBA greats at this point in their careers. He’s a total monster. He proved this at Duke, averaging 22.6 points and 8.9 boards a game on his way to becoming named Naismith College Player of the Year and becoming the third freshman to do so since its inception in 1969, after Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis. He did everything well and it’s extremely early at the next level, but what he’s done has been special so far.

After tearing his meniscus during the preseason and with the season coming to a standstill due to the pandemic, Zion Williamson’s rookie year hasn’t been what everyone was hoping for. However, in his 19 games with the Pelicans so far, Zion’s been explosive and carried his unique game straight over to the next level with no problems. He’s averaging 23.6 points per game and has a 62.4 true shooting percentage, even going 6-of-13 from beyond the arc and hopefully proving many doubters than he is going to be able to become a very consistent 3-point shooter in the league.

With improved shooting, becoming a better all-around defender to what he already is, Zion has all the tools to become the most dominant force in this league. Think Shaquille O’Neal-level dominance with more athleticism and the ability to shoot as well as finish with ease. This type of talk is obviously based on what he could realistically do, but if Zion stays healthy there’s not really any doubt over him and there is absolutely no ceiling to how good he can become in this league.

You talk about hype and in recent memory, the only number one pick who comes close to his potential is Anthony Davis, and that was eight years ago when he came into the league. Since then, he’s been to seven All-Star games and has developed into a top-five player in the league. Zion Williamson’s physical ability and really his skills with the basketball put him on a level by himself.

He has the ability, has the potential to go right to the very top. He’s still 19-years-old and we’ve only seen 19 games of him and in just about every one he’s looked like one of the best players in the league. There’s a long way to go before he does become a superstar in reality, but it’s a pretty good start, especially considering the obstacles that have been in his way thus far.