Duke's Zion Williamson is college basketball’s next mega star

Yappi

Yappi

Go Buckeyes
Social media made Zion Williamson a household name before he ever put on a Duke jersey, but beyond the hype were some legitimate questions about how his game would translate at the next level. How limited would he be by the lack of a reliable jump shot? How would he carry his unprecedented 285-pound frame? And though his man-child highlights looked incredible against overmatched high schoolers, would they continue to work in college?

It was going to be impossible for Williamson to answer everything during Duke’s three-game preseason trip to Canada, but his performance still provided the first glimpse of what to realistically expect out of him this season. Make no mistake: Williamson is going to be the biggest thing in the sport all year, and perhaps one of the biggest college stars of the decade.

Williamson’s numbers on the trip were fantastic, averaging 29.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per game on 64.5 percent shooting from the field. He even made 3-of-9 attempts from three-point range. For as impressive as that is, raw numbers will never fully do his game justice. Williamson is so breathtaking to watch and plays such a unique game that he is going to turn every Duke game into a spectacle all season.
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Read more:
https://www.sbnation.com/college-ba...-williamson-college-basketball-next-mega-star
 
 
The hype train has been rolling for months now. Even in your original post the article states "Social media made Zion Williamson a household name before he ever put on a Duke jersey".
 
I know I’m a Duke fan, so it sounds bias, but it really is freakish he can move and jump like that at 285 lbs. That shouldn’t be physically possible. I am afraid if he doesn’t slim down a bit he’s going to blow out his knee bc there’s just no way he can keep doing what he’s doing without his body collapsing.
 
Omar said:
I know I’m a Duke fan, so it sounds bias, but it really is freakish he can move and jump like that at 285 lbs. That shouldn’t be physically possible. I am afraid if he doesn’t slim down a bit he’s going to blow out his knee bc there’s just no way he can keep doing what he’s doing without his body collapsing.
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My wife does a lot of research on muscle fibers and oxidation capacity etc I told her she should sample his muscle because I am sure there is some crazy stuff going on.
 
Supposedly, he is down ten pounds. It always astounds me when I hear an eighteen-year old's voice come out of a twenty-eight year old's body.

Army played a good game vs. Duke on Sunday and I am certain K and the guys saw some things they will have to work on going forward - as weird as that may sound. As good as the Blue Devils are, the ACC will not lay down for them.

Should be a real fun year!
 
Dude's a freak. He may be even better than I thought he was going into the year. Mix tapes haven't done his all-around game justice. He's so much more than just a powerful dunker.

Playing Duke with him and Barrett on the court seems about as fair as playing Alabama in football with Tua at QB. It's early, but they just look like they have so much more talent than everyone else.
 
EagleGuy said:
Supposedly, he is down ten pounds. It always astounds me when I hear an eighteen-year old's voice come out of a twenty-eight year old's body.

Army played a good game vs. Duke on Sunday and I am certain K and the guys saw some things they will have to work on going forward - as weird as that may sound. As good as the Blue Devils are, the ACC will not lay down for them.

Should be a real fun year!
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They’re going to drop a few games. All of this undefeated talk is non sense. TBH, I’d rather they drop 1 or 2 games to avoid the pressure the ‘14-‘15 UK team had. It’s not worth the media distraction, especially when you’re dealing with 19-20 yr olds.
 
Can't call a one and done a mega star. 5 years from now, we'll forget he was even at Duke. Duke will be tough to beat this year, but I agree with some of the earlier posts, a team with so much youth tends to trip up somewhere along the line.
 
I can't remember from one year to the next who was on the team. LOL I don't like it (I don't relate to the team as much as I used to.), but it is what it is.

There is something to be said about not being too invested in a team, anyway. A loss? Eh, life goes on. :p
 
EagleGuy said:
I can't remember from one year to the next who was on the team. LOL I don't like it (I don't relate to the team as much as I used to.), but it is what it is.

There is something to be said about not being too invested in a team, anyway. A loss? Eh, life goes on. :p
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Pretty soon players will be able to go pro straight out of HS (Again). My only hope with the likely change is if kids do decide to play in College, they’re required to stay 2 yrs.
 
Omar said:
Pretty soon players will be able to go pro straight out of HS (Again). My only hope with the likely change is if kids do decide to play in College, they’re required to stay 2 yrs.
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Yeah, I heard something about that, but didn't listen to the details. Given the investment put into athletes, I think a minimum of two years is more than fair. If they take summer classes, they can have three years behind them at that point.
 
Can't recall the school but I know it was a power 5 team...Anyway Williamson got offered a scholly to play college football without even playing. That is what type of freak athlete he is.
 
Now I'm not sure who was missing all those free throws. I was watching ESPN3 with that above the rum camera and may have been mixing up the two posts. Whoever, they were keeping their glass clean.
 
eastisbest said:
Gonzaga post keeping them in the game on the defensive end but he can't make a free throw to save his life.
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He’s not a great FT shooter, but he’s not awfu (slightly over 60%). Anyway, this loss is better for Duke in the long run. They needed to be humbled after the media egregiously overhyped them. All of this talk about going undefeated or even beating the Cavs was idiotic.

I will say, I like this team so much more than last year’s. Both had 4 Frosh starters but the biggest difference is the Defense and PG play are demonstrably better. Jones is so much better than Duval at the Point, it’s not comparable. I know Gonzaga shot well over 50%, but last year’s team would’ve given up over 100 to them.
 
It was the end of the game I was catching. It might have been two different players short arming the free throws but they had no such nerves on the other end. Good game from where I picked it up, think I'll watch replay tomorrow.
 
Raider6309 said:
He was deemed the next Lebron James after that sophomore mix tape. College is a waste of time
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On the mix tape they showed him getting coach after coach fired, playing for different teams, and getting his buddies who aren't that good paid long term contracts?
 
I figured they would go undefeated.

Now onto other teams to hopefull get their loss and keep IUs streak in tact
 
thavoice said:
I figured they would go undefeated.

Now onto other teams to hopefull get their loss and keep IUs streak in tact
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Nobody GAF about going undefeated. From my perspective, it’s not worth the distraction. I think the expectations of an unbeaten season wore on the UK team from a few yrs ago. Think about the type of teams that people think can go unbeaten, they’re full of one and fines. Freshman have difficulty with that kind of pressure. All of the sudden, you’re playing not to lose instead of to win.
 
Omar said:
Nobody GAF about going undefeated. From my perspective, it’s not worth the distraction. I think the expectations of an unbeaten season wore on the UK team from a few yrs ago. Think about the type of teams that people think can go unbeaten, they’re full of one and fines. Freshman have difficulty with that kind of pressure. All of the sudden, you’re playing not to lose instead of to win.
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I think had they dropped a game going into the tourney they probably would have won it all that year. The pressure was getting to them near the end of the season.

Probably a good thing to lose early so K has their ear. Bring em down to earth and let them know it wont come easy. I am sure K has their undivided attention now
 
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