Wally Szczerbiak: "I've never seen someone move like that or jump that high"

[hiphopanonymous]

Talking about Zion Williamson

- reminder, he's a former teammate of young athletic peak LeBron and doesn't even feel he's worth mentioning when talking about the athleticism of Zion

Zion :bowdown:

[Smook A.]

He's right. We've never seen someone his size jump THAT high and move that quickly. It's special

[3ball]

If I see Zion pulling up for jumpers with comfortable footwork, I'll jump on the bandwagon

But right now, he doesn't even have the footwork or moves to pull-up for jumpers

He's a bully-ball player without the soft hands and touch around the rim that Barkley had

Not sold on him, although I think he'll be as good as Blake Griffin, which is still pretty good

[scuzzy]

"I've never seen someone move like that or jump that high" - anyone that's seen Zion play

[scuzzy]

If I see Zion pulling up for jumpers with comfortable footwork, I'll jump on the bandwagon

But right now, he doesn't even have the footwork or moves to pull-up for jumpers

He's a bully-ball player without the soft hands and touch around the rim that Barkley had

Not sold on him, although I think he'll be as good as Blake Griffin, which is still pretty good
Shaq, Hakeem, Magic, etc didn't have to shoot jumpers nor did half ATG top 10 players

Zion doesn't have to rely on menial things that undersized shooting guards in the 90's relished on.

It must hurt MJ fans that no young guys want to 'play like mike', but emulating MJ's game in this era doesn't work (see DeRozan)

[egokiller]

Shaq, Hakeem, Magic, etc didn't have to shoot jumpers nor did half ATG top 10 players

Zion doesn't have to rely on menial things that undersized shooting guards in the 90's relished on.

It must hurt MJ fans that no young guys want to 'play like mike', but emulating MJ's game in this era doesn't work (see DeRozan)

Wait, MJ remains GOAT over all those guys that didn't have to shoot jumpers?

Amazing! :applause:

[scuzzy]

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2Nfx3faTDj8/hqdefault.jpg
yikes! :oldlol:

[3ball]

Shaq, Hakeem, Magic, etc didn't have to shoot jumpers nor did half ATG top 10 players

Zion doesn't have to rely on menial things that undersized shooting guards in the 90's relished on.

It must hurt MJ fans that no young guys want to 'play like mike', but emulating MJ's game in this era doesn't work (see DeRozan)


If Zion was 22, would you be impressed with him? Would he have a bunch of hype like he does now?

I doubt it.. his skills wouldn't warrant it

He's a great athlete though, so Blake Griffin is still pretty good.. and I'm giving Zion the benefit of the doubt because Blake is taller, better handle, better jumper

most of Zion's points in the half court come off postups where the defender is FRONTING - Zion just catches the ball and goes up - he doesn't have to make a move - that won't work in the league...

We'll see if he can develop that J or not because he'll need it.. he ain't bullying the likes of Horford or Steven adams, etc

[Gus Hemmingway]

Zion has a much better J right now than Jordan had in college, better footwork in the post too


It'll be interesting to see how much better it develops (unlike MJ who never developed range outside 15 feet)

[hiphopanonymous]

Zion has a much better J right now than Jordan had in college, better footwork in the post too


It'll be interesting to see how much better it develops (unlike MJ who never developed range outside 15 feet)
He doesn't have even close to the same J as Jordan if you're talking about a pull up off the dribble

He might have a similar one if you mean in spot up - I'm actually impressed with what I have seen so far tonight when he's left open. But that's just it, he's catching it, standing still, left open. That's not the same thing as what MJ was doing which was pulling up even back in college. He didn't have range doing that, but he still was doing it - unlike Zion at the moment. Not that Zion can't get it though, he's still only what, 18, 19?

[tontoz]

What he said was ridiculous. What he surely meant to say was someone that size jump that high.

There have been countless guys who jumped that high but they were a lot smaller.

I would say a young Barkley's vert would be close though. He wasn't as fast as Zion but his strength and vert were comparable.

[MrFonzworth]

yikes! :oldlol:
Amazing! :applause:

[3ball]

Zion is hitting the occasional wide open jumper because he knows he's the best on the court and nobody can f*** with him

I couldn't shoot worth a lick back in the day but I was lights out when playing with guys beneath me because of confidence, relaxed, and playing at the speed I liked

But put some real dudes out there and all of a sudden I was a 10 feet and in player

That's how basketball works

[TheCorporation]

If I see Zion pulling up for jumpers with comfortable footwork, I'll jump on the bandwagon

But right now, he doesn't even have the footwork or moves to pull-up for jumpers

He's a bully-ball player without the soft hands and touch around the rim that Barkley had

Not sold on him, although I think he'll be as good as Blake Griffin, which is still pretty good

Sounds like a Shawn Kemp type, who outplayed MJ in '96 so he must be decent then :confusedshrug:

[TheCorporation]

Shaq, Hakeem, Magic, etc didn't have to shoot jumpers nor did half ATG top 10 players

Zion doesn't have to rely on menial things that undersized shooting guards in the 90's relished on.

It must hurt MJ fans that no young guys want to 'play like mike', but emulating MJ's game in this era doesn't work (see DeRozan)

https://i.postimg.cc/kMTk5scY/giphy-11.gif

[3ball]

Shaq, Hakeem, Magic, etc didn't have to shoot jumpers nor did half ATG top 10 players

Zion doesn't have to rely on menial things that undersized shooting guards in the 90's relished on.

It must hurt MJ fans that no young guys want to 'play like mike', but emulating MJ's game in this era doesn't work (see DeRozan)
Except everyone wants to play like Mike and wear his shoes

He's the favorite player of Zion, Tatum, and countless others..

Try again bud

[TheCorporation]

Except everyone wants to play like Mike and wear his shoes

He's the favorite player of Zion, Tatum, and countless others..

Try again bud

Of course people want his shoes, no one has been more hyped by the media than Michael Jordan.

All you find on YouTube are people buying his shoes and dunks over 6'2 guards

GREAT :applause:

Or game winners over Ehlo and Russell :lol

He was good. For the 90's

It's 2019.

Keep up.

[Bronbron23]

Some of you guys are sleeping on Zion. His offence isnt even the most impressive thing about him. It's his attitude, work ethic and energy thats the most impressive thing. I know that's not always something that always translates to stats so it's over most of your head but it can influence a game just as much as a pass, point or rebound. He has the potential to be a way more athletic, better scoring version of Draymond which is a pretty scary thing

[plowking]

If I see Zion pulling up for jumpers with comfortable footwork, I'll jump on the bandwagon

But right now, he doesn't even have the footwork or moves to pull-up for jumpers

He's a bully-ball player without the soft hands and touch around the rim that Barkley had

Not sold on him, although I think he'll be as good as Blake Griffin, which is still pretty good

Cool, you keep jerking it to the hope of the next re-incarnation of Jordan instead of appreciating different players with different skill sets and play styles.

[3ball]

Some of you guys are sleeping on Zion. His offence isnt even the most impressive thing about him. It's his attitude, work ethic and energy thats the most impressive thing. I know that's not always something that always translates to stats so it's over most of your head but it can influence a game just as much as a pass, point or rebound. He has the potential to be a way more athletic, better scoring version of Draymond which is a pretty scary thing
You're right and I might be sleeping on him

He has a sick motor

And he's 18, so he might be He-Man by the time he's 22 - we all grew a lot and got bigger during that time, which is scary for him

However, I still don't think he'll be better than Blake without significant skill improvement (and btw, that's doing Blake a disservice, since Blake is quite skilled)

[AlternativeAcc.]

Some of you guys are sleeping on Zion. His offence isnt even the most impressive thing about him. It's his attitude, work ethic and energy thats the most impressive thing. I know that's not always something that always translates to stats so it's over most of your head but it can influence a game just as much as a pass, point or rebound. He has the potential to be a way more athletic, better scoring version of Draymond which is a pretty scary thing
Bingo

He's LeBron like with his approach to the game. Relentless motor, work ethic, and focus + high IQ and understanding of the game


3ball thinking he'll be worse than Blake is almost as bad a take as him picking Love for MVP this year :lol :facepalm



Guy just doesn't know the game or how to analyze players

[Jon Salley's 10]

Williamson is just a slightly more athletic Larry Sanders

[brooks_thompson]

Williamson is just a slightly more athletic Larry Sanders

Eh you only say that because he played with Rip Torn. Relative to him, anyone would look super-athletic.

[Bronbron23]

You're right and I might be sleeping on him

He has a sick motor

And he's 18, so he might be He-Man by the time he's 22 - we all grew a lot and got bigger during that time, which is scary for him

However, I still don't think he'll be better than Blake without significant skill improvement (and btw, that's doing Blake a disservice, since Blake is quite skilled)
No I don't think he'll ever be as skilled as Blake but I think he'll be a better player than Blake. Offensive Skills is just one of many components that make a player great. Where he lacks in skill he can easily make up with his hustle,heart and physical presence and probably still score close to what Blake does. Rebounds also. He's already a better defender and as good a passer. It also seems like he'll be a better teammate and leader. People gravitate to guys like Zion who play with that passion and hunger. That's one of the reasons why I always thought mj was a much better leader than lebron.

With all that said i don't think Zion will be a great first scoring option on a good team but he'd be a great 3rd option as a scorer to go along with all the intangibles he brings. If he can be a Draymond type with better scoring that would be more valuable than what Blake offers in my opinion.

[tontoz]

One thing that made Barkley a dominant inside player at 6'4" was his low center of gravity. He was very strong but his low center of gravity allowed him to get under guys and make it easier for him to push them around inside.

The pro game is more spaced out. It is going to be hard for guys to handle Zion 1 on 1 when he plays bully ball.

[GordonBombay]

another FAT bust like anthony bennett.

[Cali Syndicate]

Zion is essentially Larry johnson 2.0. Definitely a blue chip. Duke got lucky tonight though

[Bronbron23]

another FAT bust like anthony bennett.
Zero chance he ends up anywhere close to that

[Knicksfever2010]

Zero chance he ends up anywhere close to that

unless the Knicks draft him :confusedshrug:

[LoneyROY7]

What he said was ridiculous. What he surely meant to say was someone that size jump that high.

There have been countless guys who jumped that high but they were a lot smaller.

I would say a young Barkley's vert would be close though. He wasn't as fast as Zion but his strength and vert were comparable.

WTF are you talking about? Please post some clips of Barkley jumping even remotely as high as Zion.

[hiphopanonymous]

unless the Knicks draft him :confusedshrug:
damn :oldlol:

[Mr.GOAT2408]

Zion is still pretty raw but that's to be expected, I won't put too much stock on the lack of range. Dude is such a specimen that it's not a concern at this stage

I read somewhere that he's been shooting like, what, 40% on 3s in the past 10 games? I saw the game today and he was making a bunch of 3s. I'm not too concerned

Great attitude and insane motor, that to me is all I need to know that he has top 5 all-time potential. Hell, I won't be surprised if he ends up the GOAT but he's obviously got a long ways to go before we can seriously entertain that thought

Still fun to think about though, the 2020s shaping up to be an exciting era. Giannis and Zion are basketball evolution

[Elosha]

Zion has the "It" factor. It's more than his weight and athleticism. The guy plays the right way. His enthusiasm is infectious, his hustle and defensive energy, admirable. He seems like a great teammate. I haven't yet seen a hint of arrogance or entitlement (at least on college level, looked like he could be a bit of a bully in high school, but that' to be expected of a young kid).

He seems capable of rising to the occasion and coming through huge in the clutch in the biggest moments of the biggest games. Yes, free throws and jump shooting need lots of work, but the foundation is there.

He's highly skilled. People who think he doesn't have phenomenal ballhandling skills for a player his size need to get their eyes checked. His passing is pinpoint accurate, and his assists numbers could go way up in the NBA. He doesn't have the longest wingspan, but his size, determination and explosiveness will make him a very good/great rebounder in the NBA. His footwork is still raw, but his size and quickness in the post still will net him points in the NBA. Once he refines his game down there a bit more, he'll be a beast.

But what perhaps impresses me most is his fluidity. The man has great driving skills, and changes directions and shots in the air in ways that are Jordanesque. (and no, he's not at Jordan's level there, no one is with Kobe as a possible exception). But he has the ability to be extremely creative in the air and to change and move his body in the air that belies his size.

I can't "guarantee" this guy will be a star, but he's got my radar buzzing. He could be the next truly great transformative NBA star.

[PP34Deuce]

He's Blake griffin meets Larry Johnson.

[scuzzy]

Zion has the "It" factor. It's more than his weight and athleticism. The guy plays the right way. His enthusiasm is infectious, his hustle and defensive energy, admirable. He seems like a great teammate. I haven't yet seen a hint of arrogance or entitlement (at least on college level, looked like he could be a bit of a bully in high school, but that' to be expected of a young kid).

He seems capable of rising to the occasion and coming through huge in the clutch in the biggest moments of the biggest games. Yes, free throws and jump shooting need lots of work, but the foundation is there.

He's highly skilled. People who think he doesn't have phenomenal ballhandling skills for a player his size need to get their eyes checked. His passing is pinpoint accurate, and his assists numbers could go way up in the NBA. He doesn't have the longest wingspan, but his size, determination and explosiveness will make him a very good/great rebounder in the NBA. His footwork is still raw, but his size and quickness in the post still will net him points in the NBA. Once he refines his game down there a bit more, he'll be a beast.

But what perhaps impresses me most is his fluidity. The man has great driving skills, and changes directions and shots in the air in ways that are Jordanesque. (and no, he's not at Jordan's level there, no one is with Kobe as a possible exception). But he has the ability to be extremely creative in the air and to change and move his body in the air that belies his size.

I can't "guarantee" this guy will be a star, but he's got my radar buzzing. He could be the next truly great transformative NBA star.
:applause:

[ralph_i_el]

Williamson is just a slightly more athletic Larry Sanders

:roll: