Guys. Zion lookin like a boss right now.

Anyone else see his goaltend?

My oh my…. I couldn’t dream of doing that at 185, and this man can jump like that at 285.

He is truly one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen. Period.

Anyone else see his goaltend?

My oh my…. I couldn’t dream of doing that at 185, and this man can jump like that at 285.

He is truly one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen. Period.

 He has bust written all over him.

 The thing to me is how agile he is for his size. His first step is lightning, he’s a freight train in transition while remaining graceful, and he has fantastic body control while driving and in the air. He moves better than RJ IMO. He showed the jumper but once he gets that on auto he’s going to be a major problem.

 Duke coaching staff and trainers don’t feel the weight will effect his game. Watching him play it seems he has a better feel for the game than I thought. Dude could be Special!

 Sad decision Zion made going to duke. With  all their high recruits their players tend to bust in the NBA. Alas, maybe authoritarian sheseshky has adapted his coaching game.

 Zion looked winded early on, but I loved how hard he played. Dived to the floor at least 2 times. 

I wonder when his profile will have his athleticism as a 10 instead of a 9.

 I love the Rodney Rogers comparison on this site

 I’ve been saying for awhile, I think he has a lot more basketball skills than people think. I along with a lot of people just assumed he was just a raw talent with crazy bounce. But he has a lot of basketball skill in a bunch of different areas of the game, has a much higher IQ than expected, and is a complete athlete, not just a leaper. Future is getting brighter and brighter for him. Especially if he grows a couple inches.

I see a late lottery pick. He’ll need to get far better than this though. There was no blocking out for boards, just winning them in the air. His jumper went down but it missed hard a few times, clearly fatigued. The D was terrible and he just walked into the paint easily. Very hard to judge so early, but I’d like to see his all round game improve as he is undersized for his position and needs skills to fall back on in case he loses his explosiveness. Virtually all guys that have had hops like this (not many ever have), but almost all the ones that have have lost them through injury during their careers. Even MVP Derrick Rose is nowhere near who he was and the rest of his game is pretty good. Zion needs to keep working but he can be an effective pro. See Anthony Mason/Rodney Rogers/Julius Randle.  

I’ll wait a bit longer to pull up the threads where almost everyone in this forum was saying he would be a bust and is overhyped.

 Not sure what to think yet. It was an impressive performance but he’s playing against vastly inferior competition. He was just so much more athletic than anybody on the other team that it’s hard to get a read on how he would actually play against guys that aren’t just going to get out the way when he drives to the basket. He definitely doesn’t appear to be in top notch condition. Although his weight doesn’t seem to affect his athleticism much, I still believe he needs to tone up some (if anything to avoid injury). Playing that style while carrying that much mass will put a ton of pressure on his joints. His offensive game is still a work in progress. Even though he shot it well, I don’t really expect him to be consistent at this point. He doesn’t really have a ton of break down moves off the dribble yet, and most of his drives just result in him overpowering his defender, which will not work nearly as well when he faces top notch defenders. He has the physical ability to be a strong defender, but will he have the focus and conditioning to make it happen? 

It’s just hard for me to really predict his future right now. If he really dedicates himself, he has the athletic gifts to be a star at the next level, but I also see the potential for him to be a bust as well. Hopefully, once we get into the actual season, we’ll get a little bit better read on how his game will translate.

 I don’t post a lot and I read more of the draft threads and college threads, but I want to know how come nobody has made a big deal about Tyler Herro? Dude has some serious game and I think he will be better then most people predict. Back to Zion though. Dude is a absolute beast. I think he will have a strong beginning of th yr, struggle in conference and find his footing in ACC tourney and NCAA. 

but there are some issues he really needs to adress.

He has shown he can hit the three, but his shooting is streaky and when he will have to shoot from NBA distance, not sure he will be that good.

But the most problematic thing to me is that he has to start driving with his right hand and throw away those high school scoop shots which whill finish in the stands against NBA caliber defenders. I don’t see no hooks, no right hand and despite his world class athleticism, he lacks length and needs to work on efficient moves when he’s around the basket. 

He could have the same issues as Bagley in the summer league with everybody trying to force them to play with their off hand.

 Adam Silver loves Zion. He will promote this guy like crazy. On the road to Zion. Athleticlly this guy is once in a generation special .

 I’ll say it now cause I’m going to say it often throughout the year with lots of people barking at me: Zion will be the 1st pick. I called Embiid on here before his first college game when everyone was talking Wiggins, Parker, and even Randle (many had him going 1st). People scoffed. So, here’s my 2nd big call. Zion. 

Yes, his shot is inconsistent. Yes, he’s way short for a PF. But the shot’s coming around and Draymond Green is way short for a center, but he’s stronger than everybody. Strength counts. Some dudes with loads of muscle aren’t strong (somehow). Zion is exceptionally strong. Strength was overrated for Durant out of college, but when has strength ever not greatly benefited a player? He’ll never be remotely close to a LeBron James (who is?) because he’s not as skilled (never will be), not as smart, and not as good of a shooter, but… LeBron is the only guy in the NBA with as much strength and coordination combined. Worst case scenario: Zion is quite good. 

I don’t think he’s as good as even Ben Simmons as a draft pick, but there will be no one like him. And that’s a huge advantage. 

 why he reminds me Lance Stephenson?