Imagine for a moment the sight of Zion Williamson dribbling a basketball in your general direction. It’s enough to make one leap out of one’s seat and soil one’s bloomers a la an early cinema fan terrified by the moving image of an onrushing locomotive. Thankfully, this is just an imaginary scenario for all but a few brave humans. So please spare a thought for the NBA players who actually have to guard this enormous and agile gentleman, especially now that the New Orleans Pelicans star has been given more playmaking duties in his second year in the pros. Their bloomers are very much in danger.
Williamson was deployed primarily as a post player during both his one-year stint at Duke and as a rookie in New Orleans. It’s not difficult to see why. He is listed at 6-foot-7 and 285 pounds, but those metrics fail to convey the full physics of Zion in action. He is built like a cruise ship’s anchor. Grown adults bounce off his frame like Plinko chips. Why not put him down near the basket so he can bully defenders like he did in this impressive play during Sunday’s 120-115 overtime win against the Boston Celtics?But while Zion is built like Karl Malone he also does a passable John Stockton impersonation. New Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy has chosen to unleash the 20 year old’s playmaking ability, describing him “as a perimeter player who can post up.” The results of the Point Zion experiment? Buckets.It helps that Zion is comfortable with the ball in his hands. He was a pass-first point guard as a kid, before a growth spurt turned him into Instagram’s most popular dunking phenom. He has legit handles, which brings us back to the horrifying sight of him dribbling directly at you (or me, heaven forbid). For an idea of what that might look like, refer to this video of Zion bringing the ball up against the Memphis Grizzlies. Kyle Anderson, a crafty 6-foot-9 forward nicknamed “Slo Mo,” is tasked with the defensive assignment. Zion’s first step is, predictably, much too quick.What happens when you put someone a little faster on Zion? Let’s watch Portland Trail Blazers swingman Robert Covington give it a shot. Covington, one of the league’s better perimeter defenders, goes under the screen, a logical move given that Zion has little interest in scoring outside the paint. Nevertheless, Zion freezes him with an inside-out dribble and glides to the hoop for the score. It’s the kind of skill you’d expect to see from Chris Paul, a point guard who’s small enough to get lost between the carpet fibers in Zion’s living room.
SOURCE : slate.