With the 2019-20 NBA season still a couple of months away, we get a little ahead of ourselves with predicting the All-Rookie Team
Sit back and think about something real quick – are we putting too much stock into Zion Williamson succeeding in his first year? Let’s put things into perspective. LeBron James, the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, came into the NBA with massive expectations.
The Cleveland Cavaliers‘ roster before him consisted of players like Ricky Davis, Carlos Boozer, and Jeff McInnis. Not too exciting of a supporting cast for a young LeBron, but also a group of players that did not require a heavy amount of touches.
Williamson, on the other hand, has a revamped New Orleans Pelicans roster full of players that need a lot of touches. This is not to say Williamson won’t succeed in New Orleans it’s just the first year will be extremely hard for him.
Williamson already has a lot of attention going to be commanded towards him this season. Factors like being the No. 1 pick, opposing players aiming to give a good “introduction” to the league, his apparent generational talent, and the excitement for being the main focal point to the resurgence of the Pelicans (post-Anthony Davis era).
We live in a time where people expect immediate success out of young stars. Imagine if James Harden was getting a lot of pressure his first season after being selected No. 3 overall. He didn’t take off until the trade to the Houston Rockets in his fourth season (Sixth Man of the Year is acknowledged).
He would’ve been crucified in the media. Williamson may have that sort of career trajectory (barring a future trade). Williamson is ideally not going to average 20-plus points per game out the jump. The media will then end up downplaying his rookie season. If it isn’t on par with James rookie season then he can kiss the hopes of being on the NBA All-Rookie Team goodbye.
If Williamson isn’t making the All-Rookie First Team he’ll more than likely make the second-team. But who is going to be on the First Team? Here are five players that will have an immediate impact on their teams.