For the next three months, you’re going to hear about Zion Williamson’s weaknesses. What he can’t do. About the holes in his game.
Scouts and experts will pick him apart. It’s a rite of passage for any highly touted NBA draft prospect, and the 6-foot-7, 285-pound freak athlete — the almost-certain No. 1 pick — obviously fits into that category.
But we don’t need to dissect his future yet. There is so much time for that. No, I’m here to revel in the last five months, to appreciate what he offered the game of college basketball, as much joy as he produced on the court as grace he has demonstrated off of it.
I’ve never covered a college athlete quite like him. He immediately became a one-name guy, known simply as “Zion,” the kind of prestige usually reserved for professional greats such as LeBron James and Tiger Woods. Barack Obama, Jay-Z, Floyd Mayweather and James attended his games. NBA players were frequently asked about his potential. He intrigued EVERYONE.
You always knew when Duke was playing simply by scrolling through Twitter. Zion highlights were impossible to miss. His dunks and blocked shots were viral sensations. You couldn’t take your eyes off him, the way he moved on the floor, with the power of a linebacker and swiftness of a guard, that first step he would use to glide past defenders and the strength to overpower almost everyone. On arguably the nation’s most recognizable program, led by Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, with projected top-five draft picks RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish, he was The Show. Everyone else was a backup dancer.
He was a social-media superstar before his first game — Williamson had over 1.8 million followers on Instragram in early November, a number that has risen to more than 3 million — and oh what a first game it was. In the Champions Classic on Nov. 7 against preseason No. 2 Kentucky, he obliterated the Wildcats, scoring 27 points. The hype was only beginning — hype he would adeptly handle.
For one season, he dealt with scrutiny and pressure like a 10-year NBA veteran. In a way, it reminded me of what James faced upon joining the NBA. The expectations for James were insanely high, and yet he met them, just as Zion did, never taking a wrong turn.
“He’s really got everything,” Krzyzewski said over the weekend. “This is not a phony guy. … It’s been an honor for me to be with him on this journey.”
What I’ll remember the most is how humbly he handled himself off the court, that smile of his that never seemed to fade. Walking out to the Capital One Arena floor for the Sweet 16 on Friday night, Duke was waiting to take the floor, standing in the tunnel. Everyone was focused, their game faces on. Not Zion. He was grinning, so happy and excited to be on this stage. You saw that same person in big press conferences. He would smirk and laugh at Barrett, constantly talk of his love for Duke and his teammates. Duke played at the Garden in December and New York reporters huddled around him, asking him about the Knicks. He couldn’t have handled it any better, straddling the line between praising the organization but making it clear his focus was on the season at hand.
He always seemed to have the perfect answer, specifically about why he didn’t shut it down after spraining his right knee, when so many talking heads were calling it an easy decision to do so.
“I made a commitment when I decided to come to Duke,” he said. “So I felt like I wouldn’t have been honoring that commitment if I would have just been selfish and say I’m done for the season.”
He had a man’s body with a little kid’s joy. His genuine fondness for his team and school are genuine, unless he’s been taking acting lessons from Robert DeNiro. He was refreshingly honest this weekend when talking about the NBA, admitted after the Michigan State loss there’s a “high possibility” he leaves school for the draft. On Saturday, Williamson said even if the one-and-done rule didn’t exist he may have gone to college, but did say he would have had to talk to his family and it could’ve worked the other way.
When in the lineup, he lost just three games all season, but he acted like he was used to heartbreak, classy in defeat on Sunday. Williamson only got one shot in the final 6:42, but he didn’t blame anyone. He didn’t point fingers. Zion praised Michigan State. The Spartans won the game, Duke didn’t lose it, was the message he was sending.
Shortly, the one-and-done rule will end, possibly by the 2022 NBA Draft. I believe prospects should have the option to play professionally if they are good enough right out of high school. I’m in favor of ending the rule. But it will also mean the college game will be missing out on prospects like Zion Williamson.
College basketball had never seen anyone quite like him in this social-media age. Nobody with his dominant yet versatile skill set, marketability and infectious personality. The sport was lucky to have him.
