NBA Draft: What if everyone is wrong about Zion Williamson?
By Tron Griffin
Top NBA Draft prospect Zion Williamson, who is considered a once in a generation talent, will get unfairly ridiculed by the media if he never lives up to the hype
Zion Williamson was a great college basketball player at Duke University, there’s no arguing with that. All season long he was able to dominate college basketball teams in a way that few players in the history of the game have been able to do. He was truly unstoppable with the size and speed we rarely see in college basketball players.
Williamson’s dominance has led to people comparing him to the LeBron James who will end his career as arguably one of the top 3 basketball players to ever play the game.
Williamson, more than any player in recent memory (maybe except James), is a can’t miss NBA basketball prospect. He is considered a franchise changing player and a once in a generation talent.
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The lucky team who gets the No. 1 pick in next month’s draft will likely draft Williamson who will arrive with the national media attention that usually only accompany superstar athletes. The team will likely raise their home ticket prices substantially and will raise the price even more for games against teams with star players.
So, it is easy to see why Williamson is a can’t miss prospect. What NBA owner would turn down the chance to raise ticket prices and still have sold out games? Add merchandise sales and you have the closest thing to a gold mine of a basketball player playing for your team.
We all have been caught up in the hype surrounding Williamson, but at some point, we must ask: What if we’re wrong about Zion Williamson? What if he never becomes a star or superstar NBA player? What if he spends his career trying to get his weight under control? What if he ends up as just an average to below average NBA player?
Right now, everything is fun, but the truth is some in the media will build you up to later tear you down. And some media members can be vicious with the insults and name-calling. We have seen Paul George constantly get called George Paul by one popular sports television personality.
We have seen Kwame Brown referred to as Kwamay Brown by a popular sports television personality. We saw many Chicago-based media types criticizing Derrick Rose for a number of unfair reasons, after his injuries.
The media at times can be cruel and if Williamson doesn’t live up to expectations he will hear it every day from the media and fans on social media. The New York and Chicago media would likely ridicule him for years if he doesn’t live up in their city.
The only good thing for Williamson if he doesn’t live up to expectations is the fact that he will still be a millionaire with enough money from his shoe deal alone to not have to worry about his finances for the rest of his life.
There is much at stake for Zion Williamson and whichever team drafts him next month. However, if he fails to be the generational talent that many are projecting him to be, the fall will be much greater than the recent rise.