Zion is a Lebron/Giannis level athlete

[StrongLurk]

Except his athleticism in the half court setting may be even crazier than theirs.

Zion has only played 67 games in his career yet he is clearly a superstar level talent. His advanced stats are insane on offense already and he is like a more agile/athletic Charles Barkley. He is truly unstoppable within ten feet of the basket and his power/hops off of two feet is MJ-like, except Zion is like 70 pounds heavier.

I'm kind of surprised he isn't talked about more, I guess that what happens when you play for the Pelicans. People wanted to say Ben Simmons would be a Lebron level player when he was drafted but to me he obviously wouldn't be that, but Zion can definitely win multiple MVPs in the future.

[tontoz]

His size and athleticism are like nothing I have ever seen in the NBA. His ball handling is better than I realized.

Very disciplined player as well. I rarely see him take a bad shot. Very decisive with the ball. When he catches a pass he either makes a move quickly or passes quickly. He doesn't hold the ball.

I knew he would be good but I didn't expect him to be this good so early. Would like to see more rebounds but other than that it is hard to find anything to criticize.

[warriorfan]

His body just needs to hold up.

[Xiao Yao You]

His size and athleticism are like nothing I have ever seen in the NBA. His ball handling is better than I realized.

Very disciplined player as well. I rarely see him take a bad shot. Very decisive with the ball. When he catches a pass he either makes a move quickly or passes quickly. He doesn't hold the ball.

I knew he would be good but I didn't expect him to be this good so early. Would like to see more rebounds but other than that it is hard to find anything to criticize.

horrible defensively

[tontoz]

horrible defensively



That is pretty much normal for young players. Learning how to play man D as well as learning rotations takes time. He's only played 67 games.

If he is still struggling on D in year 4 then I would be more concerned.

[LoneyROY7]

horrible defensively

Good lord you're annoying.

[RRR3]

Good lord you're annoying.
He really is. “Everyone sucks besides Toody Gobert and Georges Niang” gets old fast.

[CTbasketball92]

Zion is what happens when Shaq and Michael Jordan do the fusion dance. He's got balletic footwork/agility and body control like Michael Jordan along with MJ-esque first step, ability to jump equally well off both feet and explode off two feet from far away and contort his body in obscene ways to score. He's got Shaq's outlier size/muscle except in a 6'7" body. I think Zion is actually a lot more athletic than Giannis because none of Giannis' literal physical abilities outside his length are elite. Giannis does not have a 40 inch vertical, he's fast but not as fast as the pure speedsters in the league (Ben Simmons, DeAaron Fox, for instance) and he's also not really that quick laterally. He moves like a big man. That said he's still a great athlete. But Zion is legitimately one of the most explosive initial burst guys regardless of size, and he's maybe the best leaper in the league. He and Ja Morant are like tied for that.

[Xiao Yao You]

He really is. “Everyone sucks besides Toody Gobert and Georges Niang” gets old fast.

almost as old as saying things that aren't true

[SATAN]

Did everyone on ish stop expecting him to suffer a catastrophic injury all of a sudden?

[StrongLurk]

His size and athleticism are like nothing I have ever seen in the NBA. His ball handling is better than I realized.

Very disciplined player as well. I rarely see him take a bad shot. Very decisive with the ball. When he catches a pass he either makes a move quickly or passes quickly. He doesn't hold the ball.

I knew he would be good but I didn't expect him to be this good so early. Would like to see more rebounds but other than that it is hard to find anything to criticize.

He's a terrible defender, like legit really bad. Granted my post is focused on his offense but still, he needs to improve a ton.

[tpols]

Zion is what happens when Shaq and Michael Jordan do the fusion dance. He's got balletic footwork/agility and body control like Michael Jordan along with MJ-esque first step, ability to jump equally well off both feet and explode off two feet from far away and contort his body in obscene ways to score. He's got Shaq's outlier size/muscle except in a 6'7" body. I think Zion is actually a lot more athletic than Giannis because none of Giannis' literal physical abilities outside his length are elite. Giannis does not have a 40 inch vertical, he's fast but not as fast as the pure speedsters in the league (Ben Simmons, DeAaron Fox, for instance) and he's also not really that quick laterally. He moves like a big man. That said he's still a great athlete. But Zion is legitimately one of the most explosive initial burst guys regardless of size, and he's maybe the best leaper in the league. He and Ja Morant are like tied for that.

I remember seeing a chart Zion didn't take a single shot outside the paint like a month ago. He's definitely nice and going to be great, but without shooting? I don't know. He's also incredibly lucky to play in a league with lackluster rim protection compared to previous eras and absurd spacing to allow him to drive. You couldn't be great in past eras without some shooting ability to allow you to get inside. MJ is one of the best midrange players of all time, and Shaq is way bigger than Zion so that's a moot point.

[light]

Zion is athletic and can obviously jump very high but I don't think he's that fast.

[tontoz]

There is no reason to shoot jumpers if they can't stop him from getting to the rim. He is scoring 26 ppg. He can blow past guys at will.

He will shoot an open 3 at times.

[tpols]

There is no reason to shoot jumpers if they can't stop him from getting to the rim. He is scoring 26 ppg. He can blow past guys at will.

He will shoot an open 3 at times.

I agree in this era, but in past eras it would be too crowded to just auto drive. You need some threat of the baby jumper to get in. Barkley, Malone, and others all had great midrange games that allowed them to get inside when forcing it wasn't an option.

[light]

There is no reason to shoot jumpers if they can't stop him from getting to the rim. He is scoring 26 ppg. He can blow past guys at will.

He will shoot an open 3 at times.

He'll need to be able to shoot at some point, especially in the playoffs. It's too easy to stop one player if all he does is drive. Look at Giannis.

[Xiao Yao You]

He'll need to be able to shoot at some point, especially in the playoffs. It's too easy to stop one player if all he does is drive. Look at Giannis.

have to play some D to get to the playoffs. He can shoot from I've seen. Last thing I'd be worried about with him

[FireDavidKahn]

Good lord you're annoying.

He ain't wrong.

Zion is fun as hell and his impact on offense is undeniable but his defense is really bad right now. Really bad.

[Axe]

'Lebron/giannis level' you say, despite having never played in the playoffs.

[LAmbruh]

There is no reason to shoot jumpers if they can't stop him from getting to the rim. He is scoring 26 ppg. He can blow past guys at will.

He will shoot an open 3 at times.
This


Look at the Consensus Top 10 ATG

Give or take 6-7 of them would shreek at the thought of a wide open 15 footer. You can mix n match your top 10 same result. Snaq, Oscar, Doctor J, brick brick brick

but MDE gon MDE

[ZionDunks]

'Lebron/giannis level' you say, despite having never played in the playoffs.

Took lebron a lot longer than it’s going to take Zion

[scuzzy]

yep, 100% evident boy Z was the real deal and NBA All-Star ready since highschool. 3 players peaked this early, Shaq, Lebron, Zion.


The way he scores ifs aesthetically chaotic, we've never seen that hybrid bullyball. That's why he's looking MDE in only his 60th nba game. There's never really been a 6'8 Derek Rose on Dianbol

[Marchesk]

Took lebron a lot longer than it’s going to take Zion

Lebron has also played at a high level for 17 seasons, and Giannis has a DPOY award to go with his back to back MVPs. This season has a play-in for seeds 7-10, so making the playoffs isn't hard. But before we start putting Zion in the MVP discussion, Pelicans need to have a winning team.

[Axe]

Took lebron a lot longer than it’s going to take Zion
Zion will probably make it immediately if he was drafted by a potential team in the eastern conference.

[StrongLurk]

I agree in this era, but in past eras it would be too crowded to just auto drive. You need some threat of the baby jumper to get in. Barkley, Malone, and others all had great midrange games that allowed them to get inside when forcing it wasn't an option.

Do you think a 19-20 year old Barkley would be putting up 25/7/3, 26.7 PER, 64.9 TS%, 4.9 OBPM in his first 67 games in this era? I certainly don't. Also, Barkley played his first 6 years in the NBA in the 80's which was a terrible defensive, fast paced era.

When did Barkley have this great midrange game that you claim? Certainly not in the beginning of his career, hell we also know Barkley is the worst volume 3-point shooter of all time.

I definitely think Zion can be the modern era Barkley-type player and even has the potential to surpass him. Zion can legit be as good as he wants as long as his body holds up.

[tontoz]

He'll need to be able to shoot at some point, especially in the playoffs. It's too easy to stop one player if all he does is drive. Look at Giannis.

Giannis isn't nearly as quick or as strong as Zion.

And lets not pretend Zion's shot is broken. So far in his career he is 14-37 from 3.

[tpols]

Do you think a 19-20 year old Barkley would be putting up 25/7/3, 26.7 PER, 64.9 TS%, 4.9 OBPM in his first 67 games in this era? I certainly don't. Also, Barkley played his first 6 years in the NBA in the 80's which was a terrible defensive, fast paced era.

When did Barkley have this great midrange game that you claim? Certainly not in the beginning of his career, hell we also know Barkley is the worst volume 3-point shooter of all time.

I definitely think Zion can be the modern era Barkley-type player and even has the potential to surpass him. Zion can legit be as good as he wants as long as his body holds up.


You're already setting your expectations way too high then. Barkley was considered a hair below MJ, almost his equal, and even won MVP over him in the early 90s. So you're basically saying Zion will be the GOAT. That's highly doubtful for him, or anybody for that matter. You're setting the bar too high.

[StrongLurk]

You're already setting your expectations way too high then. Barkley was considered a hair below MJ, almost his equal, and even won MVP over him in the early 90s. So you're basically saying Zion will be the GOAT. That's highly doubtful for him, or anybody for that matter. You're setting the bar too high.

Barkley is a top 20 player of all time and I'm saying Zion has the potential to be better. Not saying it will definitely happen, but how many players have been this dominant before turning 21? Lebron and Luka?

Remember, Zion hasn't even played a full 82 games yet and hasn't finished getting in peak NBA shape. He clearly has holes in his game but he is dominating in a Shaq-esque fashion already.

[Rudeboy3]

Zion is what happens when Shaq and Michael Jordan do the fusion dance. He's got balletic footwork/agility and body control like Michael Jordan along with MJ-esque first step, ability to jump equally well off both feet and explode off two feet from far away and contort his body in obscene ways to score. He's got Shaq's outlier size/muscle except in a 6'7" body. I think Zion is actually a lot more athletic than Giannis because none of Giannis' literal physical abilities outside his length are elite. Giannis does not have a 40 inch vertical, he's fast but not as fast as the pure speedsters in the league (Ben Simmons, DeAaron Fox, for instance) and he's also not really that quick laterally. He moves like a big man. That said he's still a great athlete. But Zion is legitimately one of the most explosive initial burst guys regardless of size, and he's maybe the best leaper in the league. He and Ja Morant are like tied for that.

Are you high? Giannis is 6'11 he isn't going to have a high vert simply based off his height, he's far more athletic than, we're talking about a guy who's jumped from the ft line multiple times in-game, jumped over another person, also in-game. And in terms of speed, he's by far the fastest PF in the nba. His speed for a 6'11 is insane, comparing him to guys who are 6'1 is stupid, it's all relative

[Street Hunger]

Imagine if the Pelicans had better outside shooters to pull help defenders away from Zion.

[Street Hunger]

How many NBA forwards or centers are more athletic than Zion?

[tontoz]

Imagine if the Pelicans had better outside shooters to pull help defenders away from Zion.

Their 3 pt shooting isn't that bad but having Adams as the starting center definitely causes spacing issues.