NBA Draft: Zion Williamson still first in 2019 Redraft

Heading into the 2019 NBA Draft, Zion Williamson was the unquestioned consensus first overall pick. Not only has that placement been confirmed over two seasons, but Williamson’s play has vaulted him into the upper echelon of superstar players who walked into the league as surefire stars that only grew from there.

Injuries have limited Williamson to 85 games in his career, but he has been absolutely dynamic when he has played. Centers are too slow to keep him from gliding to the basket, while anyone smaller gets bullied into the stanchion by Williamson’s strength. There might not be a better finisher in the entire league, an incredible statement given that Williamson takes more shots in the restricted area than any of his peers.

“Point Zion” has been the evolution of that touch around the basket, where rather than hope for an entry pass Williamson takes the ball himself from the perimeter. His ball-handling and passing are good enough to make the offense hum when he is at the center of it all.

Among all players taken in the 2019 NBA Draft (minimum 1000 minutes played) Zion Williamson leads them in points per game (25.7), rebounds per game (7.0) and his field goal percentage is the highest among non-centers. He leads the class in win shares despite the low number of games, and his Box Plus-Minus is mind-bogglingly higher than the rest. Three players from this class have a “BPM” above 1.0: undrafted John Konchar (1.8), Brandon Clarke (2.1) and then Zion Williamson with more than the two combined at 4.6.

It’s possible that Williamson’s body build and knee issues combine for a shorter career, but that’s theoretical and a problem for the future. For now he is a franchise-changing athletic marvel who made his first All-Star Game as a second-year player and should be in the All-NBA mix as early as next season. The New Orleans Pelicans don’t even consider taking anyone else here.