USA TODAY International Edition
Dunks aside, Williamson a complete player
Duke freshman basketball star Zion Williamson has been drawing national attention for his rim-rocking dunks dating to high school. Since his arrival in Durham, the 6-7 athletic forward has provided ample highlight-reel slams in the Blue Devils’ pursuit of a national title with a freshman-laden roster.
But after Duke’s dominant win over Wake Forest on Tuesday — a game that saw the 18-year-old score a career-high 30 points — Williamson revealed he doesn’t like to be labeled for just one facet of his game.
“I kind of hate being classified as a dunker,” he said, via ESPN. “Coach wouldn’t have recruited me if I was just a dunker. But I guess people on the outside don’t understand that. I can’t play to impress other people. I’m playing to get better for myself and my teammates and hopefully make a run for a national championship.”
It raises the question: Do Williamson’s dunks overshadow his full-package ability that positions him as a frontrunner for college basketball’s national player of the year? Or do they overshadow Williamson’s stock as a do-everything type of player who could be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft?
Against Wake Forest, Williamson added 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Plus, he showed his range with with three 3-pointers in the victory. Yet the highlight reels focused on the eye candy that are Williamson’s slams.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski doubled down on that notion that Williamson is much more than a dunker, adding after the Wake Forest win, “I have confidence in him doing everything. If I don’t, there’s something wrong with me. He’s a complete player.”
One player who was pigeonholed as a dunker earlier in his career, eight-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter, offered his insight on Williamson’s pro potential — outside of the slam dunk contest.
“He’ll be ready (for the NBA),” Carter told ESPN.
“One thing I learned when I got in this league is that yes, I’m athletic, but there’s gonna be a lot of guys up here that are athletic. What else do you bring to the table? I think he’s going through that phase, kind of what I went through. Everybody looks at ‘he can dunk, he can dunk,’ but now when you have guys that are super athletic, then they’re going to start saying, ‘What else can he do?’ ”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr compared Williamson to LeBron James, one of the game’s most complete players, in November.
But does Williamson’s unique build (at 285 pounds he’d be the secondheaviest player in the NBA if he entered the league today) also make him seem like a raw, undeveloped product? Carter thinks time will show Williamson’s true identity in the NBA.
“He has the potential to be, obviously, the No. 1 pick whenever he decides to come out. I think that’s understood,” Carter said.
“He’s super, super athletic. He has an NBA body already. I think, more than anything, with all his ability, I just say take his time, develop his game, because when you get here, it’s a different beast as far as expectations. A lot of guys try to get here and just develop while they get here.”