Sam Vecenie did a live-blog during the draft. Here are some excerpts of what he posted:
Zion Williamson
No surprises here. From the moment the Pelicans won the lottery, this was always going to be the pick. I’ve written extensively about why I think Williamson is the best prospect since Anthony Davis. From a scouting standpoint, the elite traits are obvious. He’s the most explosive player at his size and weight to ever enter the NBA, but he’s not just that. He pairs his prodigious leaping ability and quickness with tremendous body control and a high level feel for the game.
He’s a great scorer around the basket, can you can’t stop him from getting there. He’s also an underrated passer. Defensively, the upside here is legitimately All-Defense. From a production standpoint, he put up 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting an insane 68 percent from the field. It kind of goes without saying, but no one in the last 25 years of college basketball has achieved those benchmarks. Honestly, no one has really come close to that level of across-the-board production. His 40.8 PER doesn’t just set the record for the highest mark in the last decade; it shatters it. And to top it off, he did while still only being 18 years old.
Williamson is deserving of all the accolades he gets, and should be a wildly successful centerpiece for David Griffin to build around in New Orleans.
Zion Williamson
No surprises here. From the moment the Pelicans won the lottery, this was always going to be the pick. I’ve written extensively about why I think Williamson is the best prospect since Anthony Davis. From a scouting standpoint, the elite traits are obvious. He’s the most explosive player at his size and weight to ever enter the NBA, but he’s not just that. He pairs his prodigious leaping ability and quickness with tremendous body control and a high level feel for the game.
He’s a great scorer around the basket, can you can’t stop him from getting there. He’s also an underrated passer. Defensively, the upside here is legitimately All-Defense. From a production standpoint, he put up 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting an insane 68 percent from the field. It kind of goes without saying, but no one in the last 25 years of college basketball has achieved those benchmarks. Honestly, no one has really come close to that level of across-the-board production. His 40.8 PER doesn’t just set the record for the highest mark in the last decade; it shatters it. And to top it off, he did while still only being 18 years old.
Williamson is deserving of all the accolades he gets, and should be a wildly successful centerpiece for David Griffin to build around in New Orleans.