HighSeas
Sophomore
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2013
- Messages
- 4,828
I
I exposed myself because I made a comparion? I watch the NBA nearly everyday. He’s gonna play the 5 & guard Embiid & Cousins? lmao He doesn’t shoot it well enough to play the 3 & he can’t guard the 4 or 5. We shall see. I’m not saying he’s going to be a bust but I don’t think he’s going to be a superstar.
I just find it ironic that I made the comment about 7 years ago and you bring up a guy whose prime was 7 years ago and got cut in Detroit because they tried to play an outdated brand of basketball.
How many superstars are there in the league? Maybe 10 if you're being generous? I don't see that as the likely scenario for Zion but I definitely project him as a top 30 guy.
You bring up his weight as a detriment and yet you think he can't play the 5. That's awfully contradictory. If you watch the NBA everyday I"m surprised you missed teams like Miami (James Johnson), Charlotte (MKG/Marvin Williams), Golden State (Green), Houston (Tucker/Faried), Milwaukee (Giannis) who all play undersized 5s frequently in recent years. Zion doesn't have a great wingspan so he's limited as a rim protector but he can execute a switching defense and has the bulk and explosion to box out and rebound.
No he isn't gonna guard Embiid and Cousins. But you play him at the 4 against those lineups and let his pace dictate terms in transition like the Pelicans or Kings do. When you are in the halfcourt he can run 4/5 pick and rolls and use his passing and explosion to make plays. What makes him special is he's so big and explosive that when a big guy backs off to give up the jumper he can still attack with a head of steam. So even though he can't shoot you have to either play him tight or build a wall with multiple defenders. Giannis is similar that way but Ben Simmons isn't which is one of the reasons I've never been high on him.
I've critiqued consensus top guys before like Okafor, Simmons and Fultz but you're overthinking it with Zion. He's the real deal.