On Saturday night, Zion Williamson puts to bed years of speculation. The basketball phenom will make his anouncement regarding his immediate future, wether it be college or otherwise.
But make no mistake, Zion Williamson is going to the NBA.
Williamson is a huge teenager, measuring in at 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds. His wingspan is nearly seven feet, and he’s been wowing us for years with breathtaking windmill dunks. With his size and explosiveness, he’s been compared to LeBron James when driving in an open lane.
On Saturday, one lucky school will be blessed with his presence for a season. According to sources, Williamson has met with Kentucky, Duke, Clemson, South Carolina and North Carolina this week. The most likely destination is in-state Clemson, where Williamson could be the best basketball player to ever attend the school.
There’s also international play, which is a less likely option but still possible. Last year, now-Kentucky freshman Kevin Knox turned down an offer of $1.4 million to play in China. LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball are currently playing professional basketball in Lithuania.
When Williamson does finally reach the NBA, scouts will be salivating. He’s a lock for a top-five pick, and is drawing comparisons to a modern-day Larry Johnson or even Charles Barkley. His weaknesses, like lots of young players, are his outside shooting and defense.
Williamson could be the top pick in 2019, but there are other notable prospects on the way. In fact, the 2019 draft is shaping up to be one of the best classes in recent memory.
At the top of current mock drafts, over Williamson, is Canadian R.J. Barrett. The Duke commit has already had some impressive high-profile performances, and is regarded as a more “complete” player than Williamson. At 6-foot-7, Barrett is a similar height as Williamson but has a much smaller frame. He doesn’t have the wild explosiveness that Williamson has shown, but consistency, especially shooting, is what’ll likely send Barrett to the top of draft board.
But when it comes to bigs, there’s another major prospect getting ready for 2019. That would be Bol Bol, the son of former NBA center Manute Bol. Of course he’s over seven feet tall like his father, but the younger Bol excels at passing and putting the ball on the floor. He’ll be headed to Oregon next year, and already projects as a top-five draft pick.
With all this talent on the way, it’s no surprise that teams are hesitant to trade their 2019 pick. In fact, there are only a few teams that have already relinquished the pick. The Cavaliers have sent their first rounder to Atlanta, but the pick is protected 1-10. Memphis sent a first rounder to the Clippers, but they’ve dealt it to Boston and it’s protected 1-14. So there are a few teams that have already sold their pick, but all were wise enough to make sure it was protected, just in case they fall into the lottery and one of these franchise-altering players.
Williamson makes his college decision on ESPN2 after the Tennessee-South Carolina game.