Getty Zion Williamson is a near lock to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
From one superstar center to a future one: Be yourself. On Tuesday, Anthony Davis stopped to dish out advice for his assumed replacement in New Orleans during a promotional event in New York City.
Davis, the former Pelican turned Laker, told the New York Post that Zion Williamson needs to not “get caught up in what people think.” The All-Star center was speaking at the NBA Store in midtown Manhattan as part of his new advertising partnership with Ruffles potato chips. Williamson, of course, is widely considered to be the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft Lottery, a selection owned by Davis’ former team.
“Just go out there and play your game that you’ve been playing all your life,” Davis told The Post. “Obviously people have high expectations of you, but you gotta go there and be you. You can’t get caught up in what people think and ‘Oh he’s not playing this way, he’s not doing this for his team.’ Just get out there and be yourself. At the end of the day, it’s still a game. Go out there and have fun and enjoy it.”
☁️ @Zionwilliamson and his family check in at the @EmpireStateBldg ahead of the #NBADraft on Thursday!
🏀: 2019 #NBADraft presented by @StateFarm
📆: June 20
⏰: 7pm/et 📺: ESPN
The Lakers sent shockwaves throughout the NBA last weekend when they completed a blockbuster deal to lure Davis away from New Orleans. The Pelicans received quite a haul in exchange for the 6-foot-10 center, including Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, plus three first-round picks and two unprotected pick swaps. The Pelicans were already presumed to be taking Williamson with the top overall pick, but the Davis deal cleared the last hurdle. Now, there is absolutely no doubt.
No comparison: Zion Williamson’s unique combination of size (listed at 6-7, 285 by Duke), athleticism, skill make it difficult for #NBA analysts to name similar pros to the No. 1 player on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://t.co/bgNFHqZiu4's” rel=”nofollow”>t.co/bgNFHqZiu4's consensus mock draft list. t.co/oAG1tLlI0A
For his part, Davis has been keeping a tight lip about the move since the deal cannot be approved by the league until July 6. According to the New York Post, he smiled and said the last 72 hours “have been amazing.” Then, he unveiled a new sneaker collaboration between him and Ruffles called “The Ruffles Ridge Tops.”
Williamson has been mum on the seismic trade and his bright future in the NBA. The 18-year-old owns keeps a pinned tweet on his social media account saying: “I’m going to shock the world.” He also recently signed with CAA Sports to represent him.
I’m going to shock the world #Believeit
He did once relay the story of Davis refusing to sign an autograph for him as a child. Williamson was attending a basketball camp in his native South Carolina and confirmed both Davis and John Wall turned down his request. The 6-foot-7 phenom vowed to sign every single autograph if he ever made it big.
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“I try to sign every kid’s autograph,” Williamson said, according to Bleacher Report. “I don’t want to turn a little kid down because I know it will hurt them because it hurt me. Anthony Davis, John Wall turned me down. So I try to sign everybody’s.”
Right now, the future Pelican is the odds-on favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year. Pretty telling, considering he hasn’t even been selected yet. The sportsbook at Caesars Entertainment has Williamson listed at 2/9 odds to take home the award. Ja Morant and RJ Barrett are the next closest rookies and both getting 9/2 odds.
Zion Williamson big favorite to win Rookie of Year @CaesarsPalace:
The NBA Draft is scheduled for Thursday night on ESPN with coverage starting at 7 p.m. Set the DVR, but you already know who is going first.