1. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Every once in a while, a generational talent enters the fold and NBA teams dream at the chance of adding that player to their roster. Zion Williamson entered college basketball as a YouTube sensation with some question marks surrounding his size and what position he would play.
He wasted absolutely no time turning himself into a national sensation at Duke, attracting crowds that even included former President Barack Obama. The hype was well deserved as Zion dominated the college game in ways that we haven’t seen in a very long time.
Today’s game is played with much less of a focus on positions and a much larger focus on the talent out on the floor. Zion has a lot of talent, he averaged over 22 points per game at a ridiculous 68 percent shooting from the field. His scoring continued to improve beyond that mark as the season went on and he even showed flashes of an outside shot. At times, he even showed the ability to set up others in the halfcourt and in transition.
There is no ceiling for his talent, his development could end with him becoming one of the top players in the NBA. The Pelicans moved quickly after winning the lottery, moving Anthony Davis and creating a young core to surround Zion with.
With established players like Jrue Holiday and JJ Redick along for the ride, Zion makes the young Pelicans and extremely interesting team in year one. He should be considered the Rookie of the Year front-runner and has all the ability to put up the numbers needed.
Stat Projections: 19.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 50% FG, 32% 3PT